How much bait in a Malibu Stealth tank? - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Viper3173 · 05-08-2015, 09:35 AM

I also agree is depends largely on the size of the bait. I have a stealth 12 and have had 14-16 good sized macs last for hours (until the dogs took em all) with the pump running but normally thats more than is needed. Like others have said, I prefer to leave the noisy pump off and just open the drain. I normally will have 6-8 macs last all day in there without any issue.

Another benefit of just opening the drain is less weight on the yak and therefor less drag in the water, makes paddling a little easier.

On a kinda different note, I have found the bait take to act as a gear ballast tank when I am throwing jigs in the bay for spotties. Run the pump till she's full, shut it off and I can definitely notice a difference in balance when standing and casting.

Loozer · 05-08-2015, 10:30 AM

I have the stealth 12 with the bait tank but wired it with a 6 volt battery. I found that having the 12v just pushed too much water through making almost a toilet bowl effect in bait tank.
After the conversion to the 6v the only problem i had was I once got a load of small anchovies that started to clog the drain holes. By the time I noticed they had become stuck inside I had some water in the kayak from overflow going into the side hatched I had open, no biggie but definitely made a low-rider out of the Stealth.

CardShark · 05-08-2015, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper3173

I also agree is depends largely on the size of the bait. I have a stealth 12 and have had 14-16 good sized macs last for hours (until the dogs took em all) with the pump running but normally thats more than is needed. Like others have said, I prefer to leave the noisy pump off and just open the drain. I normally will have 6-8 macs last all day in there without any issue.

If I can keep 6-8 decent sized macs in there with just the drain open, I don't think I'm going to bother with the pump setup. As Loozer noted, most people seem to recommend a 6V battery so that means I have to buy a new battery in addition to cost of the pump kit.

How big are the "good sized macs" you are talking about?

Fish Taco · 05-08-2015, 03:45 PM

All good input... thanks guys!

I forgot to add that I do have mine plumbed for a bait pump, and it also has a bait pump timer... so it doesn't run all that frequently. CJ from OEX Mission Bay helped me rig my yak when I bought it in 2011 (that was when I was living on Long Island at the time). I also had CJ add a 6" Hobie hatch in the center of my bait tank lid (that was before Malibu started adding the clear hatch to their line of Stealths). It's black, so that's a good thing. Great observation though about the bait getting 'spooked' from the clear hatch... makes sense... wanna keep them c a l m . . .

It worked beautifully with the 'bunker' and kept them nice and lively. I'm guessing from what I'm hearing here, I can expect to put about 12-14 pieces of mackerel in there without a problem, which should suffice.

Thanks for chiming in!

05-08-2015, 03:45 PM	#4
Fish Taco Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bozeman, Montana Posts: 164	All good input... thanks guys! I forgot to add that I do have mine plumbed for a bait pump, and it also has a bait pump timer... so it doesn't run all that frequently. CJ from OEX Mission Bay helped me rig my yak when I bought it in 2011 (that was when I was living on Long Island at the time). I also had CJ add a 6" Hobie hatch in the center of my bait tank lid (that was before Malibu started adding the clear hatch to their line of Stealths). It's black, so that's a good thing. Great observation though about the bait getting 'spooked' from the clear hatch... makes sense... wanna keep them c a l m . . . It worked beautifully with the 'bunker' and kept them nice and lively. I'm guessing from what I'm hearing here, I can expect to put about 12-14 pieces of mackerel in there without a problem, which should suffice. Thanks for chiming in! __________________ - Ken Redondo Beach, CA 2011 Malibu Stealth 14

05-08-2015, 09:35 AM	#1
Viper3173 Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: San Diego Posts: 71	I also agree is depends largely on the size of the bait. I have a stealth 12 and have had 14-16 good sized macs last for hours (until the dogs took em all) with the pump running but normally thats more than is needed. Like others have said, I prefer to leave the noisy pump off and just open the drain. I normally will have 6-8 macs last all day in there without any issue. Another benefit of just opening the drain is less weight on the yak and therefor less drag in the water, makes paddling a little easier. On a kinda different note, I have found the bait take to act as a gear ballast tank when I am throwing jigs in the bay for spotties. Run the pump till she's full, shut it off and I can definitely notice a difference in balance when standing and casting.

05-08-2015, 10:30 AM	#2
Loozer Junior Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 9	I have the stealth 12 with the bait tank but wired it with a 6 volt battery. I found that having the 12v just pushed too much water through making almost a toilet bowl effect in bait tank. After the conversion to the 6v the only problem i had was I once got a load of small anchovies that started to clog the drain holes. By the time I noticed they had become stuck inside I had some water in the kayak from overflow going into the side hatched I had open, no biggie but definitely made a low-rider out of the Stealth.