Keeping yakkas alive

[dacosta74]

Hi Raiders

I'm looking at getting one of these livebait buckets with built in airator.

Does anyone know how long you can keep them alive with one?

Could I catch my yakkas the night before, will they still be alright in the morning?

[port hacking addiction]

Hey mate iv use them before caught 12 yakkas night before and 4 died by mornin which wasnt too bad i found if ur bucket is a round shape they last longer cause iv used eskys in the past and they seem to get stuck in the corners and die alot quicker also if 1 looks like its dieng take it out

[LBG.]

Aerators are a waste of time. Get a kid's pool (or even a bucket!) They'll last all day with a couple of water changes.

If you're catching them the night before, Get an old bath tub or a large kids pool and put them in that. Also collect 2x20L drums of clean sea water when you catch them. You can pump as much air into them as you want, they die from crapping and vomitting in the water. If you're serious, set up a salt water filtration system so the water is constantly FILTERED clean. They'll last for days then. Also keep it cool it slows their metabolism and they survive longer.

If you want to aerate the water, pour the fresh water in by holding a bucket or the 20L drum at head height and pour away. That'll give more aeration in 1 go than all day of a 9v pump going.

Next stage is car batteries, bilge pumps, water tubes....... or the home made Tuna tubes that were in a previous thread, they work awesomely.

[dacosta74]

Thanks for the advice guys.

We tried using a normal biggish round bucket a couple of weeks ago. It was our first attempt. We caught about a dozen, but they started dieing within about half an hour.

I'll give some of your tips a go.

Cheers.

[port hacking addiction]

I bought a live bait tank from a boat store its a bit dear round 200 dollars u probably could make 1 cheaper thats if ur fishing from a boat

[LBG.]

Thanks for the advice guys.

We tried using a normal biggish round bucket a couple of weeks ago. It was our first attempt. We caught about a dozen, but they started dieing within about half an hour.

I'll give some of your tips a go.

Cheers.

a dozen is too many in a bucket. that's why, they suffocate each other. 4 should keep nicely if they're readily available, otherwise try a large silicone washing tub.

If I'm ever doing a small session (ie, not all day) I'll use a bucket and also get a small handy pail from bunnings and just get a fresh load of water every now and then.