Oxygen system problems this summer

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HJack41
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2020 1:15 pm

Oxygen system problems this summer

Post by HJack41 »

Frustrated and disappointed, need any personal experience with O2 rigs please. Need no advice on bait tank aerators or those electric Oxygenators please. I have experience with them.

I bought a bait O2 rig for my Kayak. Tried that battery powered Oxygenator like the ones sold for bass boat livewells and that did not work out well at all… really high bait kill. That was a total waste of money… Oxygenator + battery = $230 plus tax and shipping! Oxygenators may be equal or worse than Mr. Bubbles aerators in the summer in small kayak livewells and bait buckets.

What kind of compressed O2 bait O2 rig are you guys using this summer and where did you get it?

I will use the O2 rig for C&R tournament fishing too.
SWFinatic
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Joined: Thu May 31, 2018 9:31 am

Re: Oxygen system problems this summer

Post by SWFinatic »

IMO oxygen systems work fine at helping keep fish alive on a boat but not easy to do on a kayak. I don't think they are necessary at keeping bait alive even shrimp in the summer. I've found the key to keeping bait alive is continuous fresh water pumped in and drained out.
HJack41
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2020 1:15 pm

Re: Oxygen system problems this summer

Post by HJack41 »

Good point, I have also heard from other kayakers that small live bait need very oxygen in small kayak bait buckets just to stay alive, like goldfish and mud minnows need very little to no O2 to stay alive in small bait buckets like the popular Flow-Trolls. Just drag it behind the yak, no water pump noise either. But, in hot shallow summer water those bait fish sure do get red nosed and sloppy quick.

Seems logical that mature tournament red fish will need considerably more O2 than bait after the fish and landing in summer water… they are bigger stronger fish.

I read a piece about supercharging your live bait with O2, that really got my attention and you don’t have to listen to that noisy water pump all day vibrating the yak and chasing prey away ¼ mile away. That Supercharging sounds impressive compared to fresh caught bait. I want to make that super charged live bait.

Thanks for your opinion.
SWFinatic
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Posts: 1037
Joined: Thu May 31, 2018 9:31 am

Re: Oxygen system problems this summer

Post by SWFinatic »

I know the humming of the aerator pump may be annoying to some but in my experience the noise doesn't scare away fish. Actually since the live wells I'm talking about discharge water from the bait tank as it pulls water in I believe the water that is discharged puts the smell of bait fish in the water. If anything I think can attract fish rather than spook them. I've had shrimp in mine recently in 98 degree weather stay alive without turning colors or showing signs of stress.

They're not cheap. You can DIY one for about half the cost of new ones. It won't solve your fish problem but they work well for keeping bait alice on the kayak.
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