fishingwaters Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 Anyone here build a testing tank? Most of the water around me here has iced up and the backyard river is about to. As I progress with this creation, I have a lot of experimenting to do. Some with sink rate but most with action in "current" - either induced or passive. I would like to be able to do this trial and error stuff w/o having to head to the river, break ice and cross my fingers. I was thinking of getting some custom pieces of aquarium weight glass and building my own. Using a recirculating pump to cycle the water. I figure I'll have to put a baffle of some sort at the "head" of the tank to reduce turbulance of water re-entering the tank. If figure at the back end I'll put a piece of glass about 3/4 the height of the tank to act as a spillway to the outflow of the tank. Comments? Any ideas? Experience? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I went for versatility, my test tank also does double duty as a bathtub! Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted December 6, 2004 Report Share Posted December 6, 2004 I have found the only way to "really" test a lure is to cast it. I have had lures that seemingly behaved quite well in the bathtub not run very well at all while casting them. Ask around, you can likely find someone to let you use their indoor pool for testing. Jed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptown Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 You can buy watering troughs for horses up to 20 feet long and 4ft wide. Makes a great test tank in the winter months. If you want to similate current you can hook up a water jet to one end and use that. This works great if you have a shop or place to put it.. They are kind of pricey though. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out2llunge Posted December 7, 2004 Report Share Posted December 7, 2004 I use a community pool after hours - just be really nice to the lifeguards or bring them coffee and donuts or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basskat Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 I sneak over to my neighbors when they ain't home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 You might find it easier to move the lure rather than creating current by moving the water, I've worked with a couple designs with one for topwaters and the other for divers. For topwater lures it was a circular tank about four feet wide and one foot deep with a motor in the center and a rigid spoked wheel that we tied lures to at the end of the spokes, the other was a 35 gal aquarium with two wheels and a fan belt sitting over top of the water that had bike spokes punched through the belt and the other end of the spoke below water level this is where you tied the lure onto a clip and the belt ran between the wheels. Both set ups ran very well with variable speed adjustments, easy lure changing, and very good visibility for customers since these were made to demonstrate new product lines at sportsman shows. Lure size is limited however, I don't think a seven inch plus lure would run well in the diver tank due to the turning required at each end. These designs with the tank, variable speed motor, aquarium filter and so on ran in the 1000.00 plus range. I hope this isn't too confusing, I don't have access to the tanks anymore so I can't even send photo's but I'll try to answer any questions. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
out2llunge Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Welcome Dan, Looking forward to your insights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatnik13 Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 I use a HOT TUB! thats got tough action! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladesandbaits Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 I purchased an 800 gallon (new not used ) concrete septic tank,sealed the inside and filled w/water.I put a circulating pump in it mainly to keep the water fresh. I primarily use it for tuning crankbaits and testing baits I have modified,ie wieghting and lip changes.The cost was around $700.00 and I wish I had done it a long time ago. his may sound a little extreme but depending on how many lures you will be testing it might be worth your while. It is perfect for spinnerbait and jig design also.B&B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IslandBass Posted December 13, 2004 Report Share Posted December 13, 2004 What about using an inflatable or rectangular type of swimming pool? I am referring to the bigger pools. It might be a seasonal purchase at stores like Wal-Mart but this past summer I saw some of them starting a about $30.00 or $40.00. I think the advantage of using one of these is that some are already transparent and when you are through testing you can easily drain them. Also, they would take up less space in the garage once they are deflating or disassembled. One of the neighborhood kids who has such a pool tested a popper she made in it. I guess you would need to be extra careful with sharp hooks! Anyway, just a space saving option. --IslandBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatnik13 Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 To solve the problem with hooks getting jabed in the pool is too > Look at the diffrent size hooks you plan on using. Take one from each group and clip off the points and make this your modeling hook. After you tank test it > remove the test hooks and incert the permanent hooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
