LLivewell opinions

[love2fish]

going to  order a livewesll (Hammerhead livewell/lean post style) in the next week or so. What are everyone's feature/add-ons that they like or wish they had on these?
I'm thinking basic so far- with either a teak lid (that I'll make) or a padded lid that I can have made after the fact. The main 2 thngs I've been wondering about are:
-Rod holders and seat backs.
Do those of you who have rod holders built into the aft side of yours find that they get in the way if you're trying to dump your cast net into them/or get bait out while fishing and rods are in there?
-Seat back, If you have 1: do you have yours as part of a 1piece seat/seat back that can tilt forward or is your seat back on a pivot point (similar to the coolers with the swinging of you backrests).

Also- do any of you have a foot bar on the "front"?

THanks for any input/suggestions!

[seabob4]

You're going to need the foot rest (swing down).  Or else, when you actually sit instead of lean, your legs will be swinging in mid air...

[gran398]

love2,

Mine is not a Hammerhead, but oval nonetheless. A Dorado clone, if you will.

It has the flip-back backrest,  to forward or stern.

Depending upon the height of the seat (livewell) , you would be well-advised to go with Bob's recommendation, and add a flip-down foot rest, if needed.

What is the height of your unit. Taller it is...greater the need for a forward footrest.

[Capt Matt]

I have a hammerhead live well and love it. It is by far the best livewell I have ever owned or used.  Recently on a half day charter I had 4 25 inch plus redfish. 6 trout and two flounder in there along with all my bait and nothing died. The only thing that sucks is catching your lively fish at the end of the day to fillet, get a long handled dip net and that problem is solved.
 
I rigged mine with two 800gph pumps on two seperate thru hull pick ups and there own switches. If I really load it up with bait I can run both pumps at the same time making it like a whirlpool in there. When one pump burns up which all livewell pumps do at sometime you can simply flip the other switch and keep on live bait fishing.

It does sit almost too high to dump the cast net right in, there again I throw a 12ft net and use a orange seafood basket to dump the bait in before I walk it back and dump it in the well.
I'm 6-2 and find it the perfect height without a foot rest. At some point I think I will get a cushion made for it but it might make opening and closing the lid a pain. I also thought about putting hinges on the lid but its not that much trouble too undue both latches. The locking latches really seal the lid tight and keep your ass dry.

I think a back rest and rod holders would make it hard to get bait in and out. The rods would also be hard to get around if stored that low. The simplicity of the well is what makes it work so well.
I also bought LED lights to put inside the well and a short PVC drain tube so I only have to carry 10 gallons of water around when I'm fishing live shrimp.

Capt Matt

[gran398]

Definitely the rear rod-holders will restrict/get caught on dumping the net. Especially a 12 foot net. And especially with a tall livewell.

Time to take a look at usage. If you are a weekend warrior...your needs will be quite different than Matt's, a professional guide.

He fishes rain or shine, heavy wind or bluebird. He has trips booked...he's going.

He needs ease of use, reliability. Comfort of course, but ease/dependability probably takes precedence, especially when catching bait.

[seabob4]

It's a very interesting perspective Matt invokes here on a pro guide using his livewell as opposed to the recreational fisherman.  His needs for his livewell to perform are somewhat different then ours, as we don't have paying customers aboard...

I, too, am 6' 2" tall, and what I have found from leaning posts/livewells from virtually every builder or aftermarket supplier is that, when seated, my legs don't find the floor.  I have a 34" inseam, so that doesn't make me a short-legged person.  The proper "angle of attack" for a leaning post cushion should hit you in the very lower back.  Therefore, when one pops himself on top the "seat" part, well, unless you are really weirdly shaped...the feet won't hit the sole, therefore, you need a foot rest...


JMHO...

[Capt Matt]

I rode a flatsboat for so many years maybe It could be I just don't know what really comfortable is either.
I'm just happy to be dry, could not have got my boat done at a better time as its been rough for almost two weeks now.
Capt Matt