If you’re a fisherman, your Stabicraft’s Frontier bait tank/livewell is likely to smell foul if you don’t clean it regularly; specially, if you let your livewell accumulate all the dirt, slime, and other nasty elements in it. Livewells or bait tanks are containers where you store all the fish you catch or a temporary shelter for your live baits. They can also be used as collectors of all the discarded bits and pieces of a fish including their scales, waste, guts, and even marine vegetation. Since this is a moist environment, bacteria and mould can grow which makes the livewell stinky and unsafe. If you don’t bother cleaning your livewell, you could very well kill the next critter that will inhabit the storage area.

Cleaning the livewell ensures a healthy environment for fish and prevents obstructions in the system, improving water flow and efficiency.

Bait tank cleaning should be on the boating supplies regular maintenance checklist of any fishing boat owner, and it’s an easy task with only a few simple steps to prevent it from going rogue.

Cleaning the Bait Tank

Many factors such as how often the live well is used, the typical water quality, and the species of fish placed in the well, determine how frequently the livewell systems should be cleaned. Here are some tips on how to effectively clean the livewell: 

• If your bait tank has an accumulation of fish scales, wastes, or any debris sitting at the bottom or just floating around the boat (if it’s filled with water) let the well dry completely and then suck up the debris with a vacuum so it does not get flushed into the pumps.
• Remove the drain screens from the bottom of the well. Squeeze the perimeter of the plastic screen to disengage the retaining tabs. Leave them in the bottom of the well to soak in the cleaning solution. Make sure that you avoid using bleach since the chemical residue will leave behind harming the fish inside the livewell. Instead, use a mixture of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. The vinegar dissolves the scale while the peroxide kills the algae and bacteria.  
• Plug the drain and pour the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide mix directly into the well. Then use a hose to fill the well with water just below the overflow drain. Turn on the bait tank aerators and let them run for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Use your brush or sponge to scrub off any stubborn areas, and then drain the livewell of the dirty solution and water. If any tough stains remain, scrub them with a paste made of water and baking soda on a sponge.
• After the well has drained, plug the drain again and fill the well with clean water. Then run the aerators for another 10 to 15 minutes. This will flush out the system. When 30 minutes are up, drain the well completely.
• Use paper towels or a microfibre cloth to wipe any residue left on the bottom and sides of the well and replace the drain screens. Make sure the drain screens are clean. Leave the bait tank lids open to let the well dry completely. Once it’s dry, your livewell is ready to welcome in your fish your bait.

Though boat maintenance can sometimes be tiring at times, properly cleaning it regularly can minimise the frequency of the more labour-intensive tasks make your time on the water much more enjoyable and make your boat clean and ready for angling action.