The most basic type of bait tank is the 5 gallon bucket tank. As the name implies it is made of a 5 gallon bucket and uses a bilge pump which hangs off the side to re-circulate the water and drains out of a strainer on the other side of the bucket. A gamma seal screw top lid is attached to the top of the bucket to keep bait from jumping out.

The next step up in technology would be the drop-in tank which is specially designed to fit in the rear hatches of the Malibu X-Factor and eXtreme, and is also available for the large rectangular hatch on the Pro2Tandem. These are plumbed the same way as the bucket tanks with a bilge pump hanging off one side and the drain out the other side.

And the ultimate live bait system is the KayaTank. This tank is installed inside the kayak, in one of the storage hatches. It is basically a bladder which is mounted to the underside of the hatch rim and it is plumbed on through hull fittings. You have no pump dragging in the water, the center of gravity is very low and there is no wind resistance. Your bait is also very easily accessible as it is normally installed in the center hatch right between your legs.

All three styles of tanks will keep bait alive just the same, but some are more user friendly. The KayaTank is certainly the easiest to access and doesn't affect the performance of the boat hardly at all. On all bait tanks we recommend using a timer switch which will disrupt the current every 7 seconds so that the pump will be on for 7 seconds and turn off for 14. This saves your battery and is actually a bit better on the bait as they're not getting constantly blasted.

If you'd like to purchase one of these three bait tank systems and install it yourself, or if you have your own idea for a bait tank or livewell, check out our installation kits which include everything you need for the electrical or plumbing on a bait tank.