Originally Posted by Hobie-Pedaller
PVC bait tubes work great, if made & used correctly....
you only want holes in BOTH end caps, and no holes in SIDE of tube.
thus, water will only flow along the inside of tube, from "front to back".
(holes in sides of tube, allow cross-flow of water in multiple directions, which will often drown mack quickly.)
make the front cap permanent/sealed. and use the back cap, as removable.
then u can insert mack head-first, into "back end" of tube.
you must make sure to insert mack into tube, where the fish is facing "forward" direction, of yak travel.
so the water flow inside tube, will be along the length of tube, from "front to back". and water will flow from "head-to-tail", of the macks inside tube.
if the mack is in tube backwards, and water flows from "tail-to-head", it will drown very quickly.
you also can NOT overcrowd the macks into tube. or they will also drown fairly quickly.
they need to have just a bit of free space per each mack, so they can basically "swim" in the water flowing through tube.
i have used tubes for many years in past, and when made/used as described above,
i ALWAYS have macks live in tubes for 8 to 10 hours or longer,
and ALWAYS are alive & very strong & well, if extras are released at end of day.
all that being said, PVC tubes are a fairly good item, & more economical than bait tanks.
but are also somewhat inconvenient to use, especially when hands get coverd with mack slime,
for getting single bait out during re-baiting hook process, and getting cap resealed, w/o losing other baits in the tube.
for beginners, or those on a tight budget, bait tubes are a great way to start out with live bait fishing.
but overall, if you fish often & can afford it, a bait tank is definitley worth the added cost and effort of hauling, loading & unloading, & mounting, etc.
.
|