The Creek Bank Bait Tank is equipped with a pretty slick filter system (patent pending). 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.