Free Floating Frabill Bait Net with each order!





Creek Bank Bait Tank Construction:
Creek Bank Bait Tanks are made from quality materials and we didn't take any short cuts in producing these tanks. They are roto cast in the highest quality, most durable high density polyethylene resins available. The outside tank is a two step molding process in which there is a layer of polyethylene foam insulation molded to the inside of the tank for a total tank thickness of up to 3/4" on the sides as well as the bottom. This plastic foam is filled with millions of air bubbles giving superior level of insulation resulting in a solid one piece main tank.

The top and lids are machined from marine Star Board and are very durable. The top plate is welded to the outside tank and the inside liner and ends up being very strong. And yes, you can stand on top of the tank to throw your cast net and there is a drain plug on all of our tanks.

If you're considering buying a new tank, take a close look at all of the features of the Creek Bank Bait Tank. Pay attention to all the small details as well, and make up your own mind. Most all of the tanks on the market today will keep bait alive to some extent, the question is, how hard do you want to work at it.

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Creek Bank Bait Tank Aeration:

The aerator system is our own proprietary design (patent pending) that mixes air from outside of the tank with the water, producing millions of micro bubbles. These micro bubbles are absorbed into the water replacing the air that the bait has sucked out. Also, as the bubbles break the surface they release harmful gases that they have absorbed from the water.

The design was based on using a 500GPH pump because this size pump has a much lower amp draw than say a 700 or 800 GPH pump, which will result in longer battery life. The Creek Bank aerator does not build up a lot of back pressure on the pump, thus extending the pump life, and has an unrestricted smooth outflow into the main tank. Because the air mixes with the water right at the point of discharge, the air bubbles will stay smaller and not combine together into larger bubbles. Smaller bubbles stay suspended underwater longer thus allowing more oxygen to be absorbed into the water. Also, because the air is not mixed with the water at the pump impeller, you won’t get any pump surge which will extend the pump life and it is much quieter.

The Creek Bank aerator was designed with some adjustability to the flow. The flow rate has been factory set to the maximum setting (see figure 1). The end of the nylon elbow is flush with the inside of the aerator allowing maximum water flow and air to the tank. As long as your bait are medium size and up, you shouldn't have a problem.

If your bait are on the small size, you may want to reduce the flow of water to the tank so they don't look like they are taking a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl. By screwing the nylon fitting into the aerator further (see figure 2), it restricts the amount of water flow going through the aerator resulting in a reduced circular flow of water in the tank. NOTE: By reducing the water flow you will also be reducing the amount of air that is mixed with the water. Remember, the more water flowing through the aerator results in more air being mixed with the water. Do not screw the fitting closer than 1/8” to the top piece of the aerator. Closer than 1/8” could result in damage to the pump.

The aerator is located near the bottom of the tank and angled slightly downward. By aiming it towards the bottom of the tank, as the air bubbles come out of the aerator they travel down before heading to the surface. This allows the bubbles to stay in the water a little longer giving them more time to be absorbed into the water.

Regardless of how hard you try, sooner or later a piece of debris will get stuck in the aerator causing it to produce less or no air at all. Water will still flow out but the amount of air will be reduced. To clean debris that has become lodged in the venturi section of the aerator, turn off the pump and using a little force, slide the top of the aerator to the middle of the tank (toward the water intake). Remove any debris and slide the top piece back into place until you feel a little “click”. Turn the pump back on and the aerator should again be working properly. The air is supplied from outside the tank through a small opening in the air inlet fitting. Make sure when placing the tank in position you do not restrict the flow through the opening.

Also, notice that the water intake in the tank is not flat. In the event that bait dies and sinks to the bottom, and gets sucked up against the return inlet, the curved shape of the intake will allow the bait to be pushed off by the flow in the tank and won't stop the flow.

PRO STAFF NEWS

PRO STAFF research & development members have tried using a 360 GPH pump with smaller bait for a reduced circular flow in the tank but with almost the same amount of air as the 500 GPH pump. They have also reduced the total amp draw on the battery. You might want to give it a try.

AERATOR PUMP OUT FITTING

Some of you might not want to use the drain plug to empty your tank because you have carpet on the deck of your boat or maybe an aluminum boat and don't want the salt water on it. You could dip it out with a bucket or unhook the pump and hook up another hose to empty the tank, but what a pain. Well, it's not a problem now.

We have made draining your tank easier. Included with each tank is a nylon fitting that will fit in the aerator and pump out the tank. You will need a piece of hose to connect to the fitting and go over the side or back of the boat. We went to Lowe's and found a 10' piece of clear vinyl hose that is 5/8" OD x ½" ID that was about $3.00. If you need a longer piece they also sell it by the foot. This hose can probably be found elsewhere and it doesn't need to be clear. Slide the hose onto one end of the fitting. If you use a ½” ID hose you probably won't need a clamp.

Remove the top off the aerator by sliding it toward the center of the tank.

With the hose installed, push the other end of the fitting into the fitting inside the aerator (the hole that the water comes out of). It will only go in as far as the first ring on the hose fitting.

Put the other end of the hose over the side of the boat and turn the pump on. To completely drain the tank, you will need to remove the stand pipe that the filter fits on. When the tank is empty, remove the fitting from the aerator and slide the top back in place.

Creek Bank Bait Tank Filtration:

The Creek Bank Bait Tank is equipped with a pretty slick patented filter system. To the right is a cross section picture of the filter box and this is how it works. The water flows through the return on the inside of the main tank and up the stand pipe inside the filter and spills out the top of the pipe behind the filter material. In order for the water to flow out the slots in the bottom of the filter it has to pass through the filter material. The filtered water then gets pumped back into the main tank and the process starts over.

The filter material slides into the filter box and is captured on three sides. It is important that the filter material is completely seated into these slots, especially the bottom, so all the water gets filtered. Because the filter material is in a vertical position, there is 3 to 5 times more square inches of filter material then other filter systems in a smaller space. A horizontal filter system begins to compress and reduce the flow when waste starts to gather on the top of the filter material. Our vertical system catches the light debris on the top of the filter material, and the heavy stuff falls to the bottom. As you can see by the room in the filter box, there is room for a lot of stuff.

To change the filter material, first turn off the pump and let the water in both sides of the tank level off so no water is flowing through the filter. Next, lift the filter box up off the stand pipe and out of the tank, making sure you keep the filter assembly in an upright position.

Slide out the old filter material and depending on your situation, you can either rinse off that piece or replace it with a new piece and wash the old piece out later. Before replacing the filter material, rinse out the inside of the filter box completely. Now you can slide the new filter material in.

The filter material that we use is a poly fill material used for chair cushions and is available at most Walmart stores in the sewing department. You can also find it at most fabric stores. It is very inexpensive and is available in different size rolls and thickness. So if your out on the road and need some quick, you should be able to find some. Replacement filters are also available from us.

To replace the filter box back into the tank, simply slide it back into place over the stand pipe inside the tank.

How often you have to change the filter material depends on a lot of things. What type of water you started with, “clean” bait or freshly caught, number and size of the bait, and so on. Some of our pro-staff members have reported going up to 2 weeks without a filter change using “clean” seasoned bait. It all will depend on the situation.

After you use your Creek Bank tank a few times, you will become familiar with the “normal” operating water level in the filter area. As the filter becomes more filled with debris, the flow of water through the filter will slow resulting in a lower level in the filter area and a higher level in the main tank. You don’t have to worry about the water running dry in the filter area because of the vents located at the top of the inner liner. These vents serve as an overflow if the filter becomes too stopped up. If the water level gets too low in the filter area, the level in the main tank will rise and spill through the overflow vents back into the filter area. This water won’t be filtered but it will allow the pump to keep pumping air and water back into the main tank until you have a chance to service the filter. The filter should be changed before this happens.

The overflow vents discussed above not only allow overflow, they also allow harmful gases from the main tank to escape into the filter box compartment. The lid that is on the filter side of the tank is a quick release and was designed to fit loose to allow these gases to dissipate out of the tank. Because the water level on this side of the tank is much lower than the main tank water level, splashing is not a problem. The finger hole in the lid wasn't a cheap way out. It also helps to vent the gas out of the tank.

If you're catching bait and dumping into the tank from a throw net, you can remove the main tank lid and leave the filter lid in place so no bait or trash will accidentally go into the filter side. Like we said, we tried to keep the fisherman in mind when designing these tanks.