I have been using a Flambeau bait bucket for a while, and I am not entirely happy with it. The concept seemed good, but on the kayak, you wouldn’t want to tow it behind the yak, due to the drag it creates. So you put it in the tankwell, then you need a pump. When you stop, you put the bucket back in the water, and the bait pump gets a dunking – not ideal and too much faffing around in my opinion. So I looked for an alternative…
As it happened, I was looking at modding the mini-X kayak. I wanted a crate to go in the rear tankwell, and also some kind of coolbag/box to keep my bait in top condition. Then I saw the Snowbee 8 litre coolbox/livebait container – this could solve both problems – a coolbox AND a livebait container – fantastic – but would it fit in the tankwell ?
Let’s take a look at what you get in more detail. The package comes with the coolbox and a battery operated bait pump which can be clipped to the side of the box onto the webbing clips…
The air line runs through a specially designed conduit built into the side of the box…
Its simple, but clever – a closer look…
The package also comes with an air stone which is attached to the other end of the air line to create a fizz of air bubbles when the pump is switched on…
The coolbox also comes with a mesh tray which fits inside, and can be used to lift out the bait, for instance, when changing the water, or selecting livebaits – a nice touch, but it is a little tricky to get in and out of the box – not a problem, just a bit frustrating.
The pump operates from 2 “D” type cells, I have had it running all day, and it just kept going – I was impressed.
When being used as a coolbox, the Snowbee has an 8 litre capacity. More importantly, you can fit medium sized freezer blocks into it (a tight squeeze, but they fit like a glove)…
…and also the common square bait boxes/maggot boxes fit in almost exactly too.
The dimensions of the coolbox are given below…
Outside measurements (L x W x H)
30 x 22 x 25 cms
Inside measurements (L x W x H)
25 x 17 x 19 cms
The coolbox was looking really good so far, but I wanted to use it on the kayak, so now for the real test – would it fit in a standard tankwell crate (the cheap B&Q foldable ones), and would it be easily useable on the kayak ?
Yes on both counts !
It fitted into the crate with a little bit of persuasion ! I also managed to look the webbing around the bottom of the crate so the coolbox would be secure in the event of capsize. The only casualty was the bait pump, which could no longer be attached to the side of the box. A quick bit of DIY/pimping and that was easily solved with the use of some self adhesive velcro on the lid of the box and on the back of the coolbox. I also cut down an old aquarium net I had so that it fit inside the coolbox to make it even easier to fish out the livebaits.
There was still enough room in the crate to put all the essentials, like anchors, tackle and a bit of food and drink. I was chuffed, but as with all my reviews, it needed a good testing. The wind was up, so live sandeel/mackerel were not an option. But the river was looking good, so a pike trip with some livies was quickly planned.
The collection of perch and roach stayed alive all day in the coolbox, and were in top condition when I came to use them… what a result – loads of pike and some perch too – hectic stuff – all down to the performance of the coolbox. I love it.
I would thoroughly recommend the Snowbee 8 litre coolbox – whether you are using it just as a coolbox, or as a live bait tank/well – it is a quality piece of kit. Weather you use it for keeping sandeels, smelts, joey mackerel or coarse fish alive – it will perform well, I have no doubt.
The Snowbee 8 litre coolbox is available from Veals mail order priced just under £40…
https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/snowbee-8ltr-coolbox-156.html