Rubatex Information

Downsized Tubes For Smaller Bait

After watching numerous fishing shows where big-game fishermen used bait tubes to keep large livies fresh, I decided to try downsized tubes for smaller baits. I drift-fish a lot with live mullet, spot and bull minnows, and when several of us are using live bait, we usually put them in the well for the trip back to the start of the drift. Invariably, the lines twist and tangle from the bait swimming around in the well. To solve this problem, I went to Home Depot and bought a variety of 2-inch PVC pipes and fittings. I used five, foot-long vertical tubes to hold the bait because that number fits the space I have; you could use any number you want. I attached a hose to one end of my tube setup, which ran to the raw-water washdown faucet astern. I used a 2-inch clean-out adapter and plug on the other end to drain the tubes at the end of the day. Now when I'm drift fishing, I attach the tubes with elastic ties to my vertical rod holders. When using the tubes, we place the rods in the holders and the hooked baits in the tubes. After we start the washdown pump, the water flows into the bottom, out the top and through the scuppers. The baits swim into the current, which prevents them from coming out the top of the tubes.

Kenneth Kulakowsky
Willow Street, Pennsylvania