Shallow dug well

[lobsterman]

I have an old shallow dug well with a porcelain tile pipe about 4' down.beautiful clear water very Sandy bottom.im wondering if I could turn it into a place to keep my smelts. Any advice on it would be great.seems like a good idea the water is perfect temp.

[zwiggles]

I have an old shallow dug well with a porcelain tile pipe about 4' down.beautiful clear water very Sandy bottom.im wondering if I could turn it into a place to keep my smelts. Any advice on it would be great.seems like a good idea the water is perfect temp.

If the water quality is good I think it would work. My cousin has a farm pond type deal with a similar set up. When I tried to keep smelt in there last year they croaked, but shiners and crayfish did fine. The water quality I had was really poor compared to what you described.

[bootstrap]

ph might not be right.

[9huskies]

I know a retired guide who used to keep smelts in a dug well. He had a wholesaler's license which let him keep more than 2 quarts. This guy didn't sell bait. He used it to take clients trolling. I remember him keeping his smelts alive in that well until July and August, long after every bait dealer was out of live smelts. He did run an aerator pump and use Better-Bait or Finer-Shiner water conditioner. Not saying it will work in your well but it's worth trying.

[woodchip]

If the bottom is naturally sandy and enough current  try it with a few  for a while .maybe add a few after a few days add more

[pikemanEd]

Water quality sounds good I would setup a bubbler to keep the 02 level up for the smelt. Air is the most important thing they need

[lobsterman]

the well has sat there since the 50's and its just sitting there even in august i looked in it it still had 2.5" of water in the pipe maybe sit the inside of a dryer inside it so they are easier to grab

[eiderz]

the well has sat there since the 50's and its just sitting there even in august i looked in it it still had 2.5" of water in the pipe maybe sit the inside of a dryer inside it so they are easier to grab

That's a pretty cool idea using the tub from a dryer. As long as the bait is bigger than the holes.

[PikeKing23]

I believe that you may have to introduce oxygen into the water.  I have heard that well water contains no oxygen.  You may want to look into it