Live well questioned

[nate50]

Hey everyone,

What is the best way to clean out the live wells? If I put soap in there and scrub and rinse it out, am I going to hurt/kill the fish I put in there? How do you guys clean out the live wells

Thanks Nate

[Dave Brabec]

No reason to use anything other than water and a rag. Rinse well and leave a lid open when stored. I have never used any chemicals or soap in any live well in 40 years

[JL]

I agree with Dave. No need to put unknown and possibly harmful chemicals into a livewell with fish you want to keep alive.

[Chomsky]

Last month during my live well check for quagga mussels at the North Comanche entrance the inspector said my live well looked to have some algae growth. He recommended me to wash out with vinegar. He also said keep in mind my plumbing could also become contaminated. He still allowed me to launch. I headed to the ramp with only good thoughts.

[Dave Brabec]

Shouldn’t get any algae if you leave a lid open stored

[ash]

When its time for me to clean the funk in my livewells and bilge I used to slug about a cup of simple green in both after a fishing trip and leave the plug in and a small amount of water in teh livewells. The ride home will agitate the grime then i put a bucket under the boat and pull the plug, rinse with a hose and it would be all sparkly clean. Triple rinse the livewells and the next time on the lake cycle them a few times. Never had issues with fish loss due to this method. I would NOT use clorox or anything too acidic.

[BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER]

Dawn dish soap. Just remember there will always be a little bit of residue left even after you rinse it really good so I try to make sure I have one or two days on the water with the Livewell open to be safe before I start putting fish in.

[WRB]

Don’t use soap use over the counter 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and rinse with clean fresh water, no harmful residuals.
Tom

[pd]

Dave called it - nothing to do except use a towel and leave lids up. Bass like a little stink.