Is a livewell just wasted space?

[sac-a-lait]

When i got my new boat I went without a livewell since #1) i don't use livebait and #2) I put my crappie and catfish (these are the ONLY species i target) straight in a 5gal holding bucket with lake water in it (if it's cold outside) or straight in the cooler on ice (the big 50 pound blues go in the cooler as soon as they're in the boat anyway). i keep a smaller cooler hidden in front of my console for drinks and food and put the main ice chest in the back near the transom out of the way. No added expense for the livewell, no pumps, wiring, extra holes to leak, etc. No clean up either.

One of my main reasons for not keeping Crappie alive is if I have 2 people fishing and you try and put 60 or even 30 Crappie in a livewell, you gonna have alot of deaths anyway. Plus all that funk and gunk slime they put off.

Once at the ramp I can take the fish out of the cooler (this is where you get to draw a crowd if you want to or have some good fish to show if you like) and pour the slime water from my ice back thru my net, place the fish back in, dump the ice on the fish and head for the cleaning table (unless the bite is on and I'm running home to "make a drop"...JUST KIDDING). No mess, don't have to get them out of a livewell one at a time on my hands and knees, and it only takes about 10 minutes.

Anyone like me and NOT using a livewell. Do you see more benefits to it? Those that have livewells. Are they worth it? Do you use it enough to justify having it? Anyone who has one ever wish they didn't have it? And lastly, anyone have one they have removed and if so, why?

[Brandon Jennings]

I purchased a new boat this past year. It has 3 livewells 2 in front and 1 in back. I dont feel its wasted space, and I like the idea of not having to carry around a ice chest and take up more room. You can just use the livewell as though its a built in cooler and ice down your fish. Just rinse it out when your done. I like the fact that I dont have to get up to go to the back of my boat and put my fish in the ice-chest, it is all right there at my finger tips.

[Barnacle Bill]

That is an interesting perpective I've never seen brought up before. I've had boats without them and now have one with 2 built in. I don't think I would want to go back to using a cooler as it takes up a lot of deck space but you do make some good arguements for doing it that way. I have a very large one in the back of the boat and a smaller one in front. Both are fed by an aerator that I can run constantly or on a timer. This pretty much takes care of the slime problem and keeping them alive. I have a net that I can dip most of the fish out with but sometimes those last 1 or 2 can be a bear and its a long reach down in that box. The front one I could use for live bait but never have. My biggest problem is the drain and feed is the same line. So I often get minnows clogging it up or at least did until I made a strainer out of a piece of PVC pipe. And yes maintenance can be a lot of problems. Like if I have to replace the pump I have to drain a 24 gal gas tank and remove it. That part is not fun. This should be an interesting thread.

[sac-a-lait]

Treefrog, The whole purpose of the holding bucket is I have it right next to me and I toss the fish in until it's full then i get up and dump it...not like I go back for every fish.

My transom is set up where you can walk all the way to the back. I have a 60" bottom boat (88" at the top on the rear at it's widdest point) and the cooler takes up space that no one is walking in anyway. I'll post some pics when i can.

I'm curious to see some more posts on this subject.

[Brandon Jennings]

Sac-a-lait, sounds like that would work fine. My boat is set up just right for what I wanted, but placing an ice-chest just gets in my way. Always having to crawl over everything, but if you have room for it then thats no problem. I had a smaller boat for years and this was a constant pain, just try to keep as much clutter out of my rig as I can.

[Crappie Reaper]

Sac, my rig is only 15.5'. I barely have enough room for all I take. I do take a medium cooler in the summer, and smaller one in winter. My big live well is right up front. I've had no problems with the slime. I fill the livewells with plugs out when launching. The boat ride drains them, thus rinsing them out somewhat. I refill once I shut the big motor down. Live well is too handy for me in the colder months. Summertime causes me to transfer fish to the cooler, but, later in the day so I don't have to cover all my drinks with the slime.

I think most would agree that once you are in your fishing seat/position, you really don't want to move around the boat too much. If I am catching them one after another, the livewell lid stays open, and all I have to do is toss them backwards between my legs. If that is happening, I am much too busy to mess with a cooler lid. 5 gallon bucket would be in the way. Now, I rarely plug the livewell drain, I live to close to the ramp to mess with it. By the time I get to the house, the water has gone, along with X amount of slime. I take a 5 gallon bucket to transport to fish cleaning area. I used to keep minnows in the back livewell, but, it was too inconvenient. They go right over the side of the boat next to me.

[DENNIS BOWERS]

sac-a-lait,My Boat came with 2 livewells.In cool weather they seem to keep the fish alive pretty well.When its pretty warm out I put ice in the front one and use it like a cooler-drop them in the rear with water first.If I see one on his side I just put him in the ice.I rarely use minnows but have kept them in the rear one for a few days,by it being insulated and dark they live pretty well.Just shoot some fresh water in once in awhile.

[CrappiePappy]

of a livewell, is to keep the fish "alive". This may be for the purpose of culling, or returning all fish (if you decide not to take them home), or for tournament purposes. I've used them for all three reasons.
They aren't, however, a "necessity" ... more of a "nicety", to me. I've used my share of lanyard style stringers, metal "hook" stringers, fish baskets, buckets, & coolers. They have all worked, in their time and place.

My previous boat had two livewells,one fore and one aft, but no dry storage space. I disconnected the rear livewell, and made it into a dry well. When I get another boat, storage wells will be a necessity. And, there will be a livewell, since the style of boat I'm looking for will always have at least one. I'm willing to give up "floor space", to have the wells (wet/dry).

So, for my purposes, a livewell isn't wasted space ... it's just a convenience that I've grown used to. I don't have to worry about pulling in a stringer or basket (or forgetting to), knocking over a bucket, changing bucket water or aerating the bucket water, or making/buying ice. But, that's just me, and the style of boat I would have (raised deck type). Like they say ... "necessity is the mother of invention" -- so, if it was/is necessary, I'd rig up a system similar or exactly like yours :D ......... cp

[crappieken]

Sac-a-lait - My old boat didn't have a live well and I just put everything in a cooler - put ice in it in the warmer months. My newer boat has two livewells - front and back. The front one is quite small and I never use it for the intended purpose. Two years ago on my first trip out in the spring, I got up to throw my third crappie in the rear well and noticed I was standing in water which had risen clear up over the evevated floor. To make a long story short, it cost me $300 to replace all my hoses going to and from both livewells. If and when I buy a new boat I think I will go without the livewells.

[whizkids]

I don't like having a cooler to take up floor space. I carry a net just the size of my livewell lid to easily scoop out the fish and place them in a bucket to take to the cleaning station or put them in a cooler depending on the situation. I also fish tournaments and a live well is necessary for culling and keeping them alive. I have a 17ft boat and there is never enough floor space.