Fish Died in Livewell

[Donald Fruge]

This past weekend I fished a tournament and by the end of the day the five weighers that I had in my livewell were belly up. (Except for the stinking pike that I kept for the big pike side bet) go figure. I don't have a lot of experience with keeping fish as I usually catch an release the bass that I catch. Can someone give me some pointers on using the livewell successfully. It seems to me that if it doesn't keep them alive I might as well throw them in an ice chest. (makes me sick to think about it)



Wolf

 

[Michael Snow]

You might have had it on recirculate. That is fine for an hour or two, but not all day. Fish waste contains ammonia, which is toxic to them. You need to flush the livewells every hour or two. Or you can just set the fill to auto and it will overfill (and overflow out of the boat) and that will keep your water fresh.

 

[Jim B]

I have some suggestions on keeping them alive. first is make sure that the livewell is clean and germ free, what i do is after every tournament i spray the inside of the livewell with a chlorine bleach/water solution. i take a spary bottle and add about a teaspoon on clorox and fill the rest with water. i just give the livewell a quick spray and then rinse it out with water a few times to get rid of the bleach, afer that i dry the livewell with some towels. the next time i use the livewell i add some of the catch and release to remove any leftover cholrine.

When you have fish in the well make sure you run the areator enough. if your boat has an auto mode set it to auto and let it work. my boat has a recirculator and a feshwater pumpin, i use both. i run the recirc on auto and every our or so i run the pumpin for 10 min to change the water. I use catch and release and on hot days i add ice to keep the water cool. Keeping the fish alive is not as easy as putting them in and forgetting about them, it requires constant attention to make sure they stay healthy. I have never lost a fish in my livewells in the 8 years i have been tournament fishing. i also put a link to an article on bassmaster.com that may help you.
http://espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/s/b_cons_bass_alive_launch.html

 

[Donald Fruge]

I don't have any auto settings on the livewell system. Just an on/off. I did run the livewell for a few minutes a couple of times during the day. I guess I didn't do it often enough and not long enough. Is there some type of additive that would help or is that a waste of time and money?

 

[Texas Transplant]

Wolf,



Does your system have an overflow in it? I'm assuming so - tough that's not a certainy that they work. I had one with no overflow in it.



If so, make sure that you run the system every 30 minutes or so. When hotter, you may have to run it every 15 minutes or so. Run it long enough that you get a good amount of fresh water in, and old water out. On my Targa, the front well overflow is just 'below' my feet. I can hear it running into the lake - which is a sound I like to hear during the day.



Get some of the livewell additive to put in. Add it after you put your first fish in the well. No sense putting it in, if you don't have fish.



When it gets summertime, you need to watch it closely. The tip on adding some ice to the well, is good. I do it during the summer all the time.



Also, be sure and check to see that your livewell shutoff is closed. I left mine open recently, and when I got up on plane, it emptied out. If it wouldn't have been for the fish jumping around making noise, I would have lost them. Know, before I launch, I always make sure that I close both of them off.



Tex

 

[TrepMan]

Wolf - I believe your livewell is like the one in my 175, just ONE water inflow valve and one hole in the bottom (where you stick the white overflow tube. If that's the case, unlike Tex's boat there is no shutoff or close/open switch. In this case does your switch have a DOWN position that pumps water in every few minutes? Mine has 3 positions:Middle is OFF, UP is ON constantly (used to fill it up) and DOWN is every 3 minutes it pumps water in for 60 seconds. If you do NOT have the down swich, then you will need to either A) turn that ON switch to pump water into the livewell every 3-4 minutes yourself or get a 3 way switch with a timer. The problem is there is little space/Oxygen in that small space (livewell) and if you do not keep fresh water coming in regularly with new Oxygen they die. The fancy 'glass and higher prices Tin rigs have an additional AERATION pump that just pumps air/oxygen in to keep it even fresher!



Trep

 

[Rob LaMoy]

OK, I have been a huge advocate for proper fish handling for a while. I haven't lost a fish in years so here's what I do.

Jim's suggestion to clean the livewell is a good one. Do not use too much bleach though as plastic can retain chemicals. Do NOT use soap. I just get in there and scrub it real well every once in a while. Also at home, I open the lids and let the whole livewell air dry and get some air. Keeps the possibility of any bacteria growth to a min.

MOST importantly, change the water at least every 2 hours. Ammonia and carbon dioxide will build up in the water even with recirc on and the water needs to be changed. But also be sure you run the recirc or aerator at least for 5 minutes every 15 minutes. Oxygen content or the lack thereof is the biggest culprit for dead fish. On warmer days, change it more often. Also, try to fill up or change the water out in the main lake where the water is cleaner and cooler. Also use ice, use block, not chips or cubes. The cubes drop the temp too quickly and can adversely affect your catch. Catch and relase formula is a must. It takes a little time to do it right, but your fish will live and retain their weight. Lots of people don't realize that fish lose weight when stressed. I have had a 4.2 go to 3.8 by the end of the day. Also you get penalized for dead fish, so the combination could make as much as a 1-2 lb difference. I am also looking at putting in an oxygen impregnation system with an O2 tank and regulator with aerator stones. Just need to figure out how to run the line into the livewell and still keep it watertight. Hope this helps.

 

[Donald Fruge]

Trep

You are correct the livewell is set up with only the overflow tube. The switch is simply on or off. 2 questions: 1. If I leave the switch on how much juice will I draw from the battery. 2. How much do the three way timer switches run?



Oh, one more question: Whats up with the name, did you change/upgrade? LOL



Wolf

 

[Texas Transplant]

Trep,



Have you changed handles! Oh my gosh!



Wolf,



If you leave the switch on all the time, you will drain the main battery, unless you are doing a lot of running around.



Tex

 

[Jim B]

wolfcount bps sells a timer/on off switch that can replace your surrent switch. it has a timer aswell as a continuous mode for filling the well. it costs 30 bucks
http://www.basspro-shops.com/servle...arClassCode=3&hvarSubCode=5&hvarTarget=browse

 

[Donald Fruge]

Rob

Thanks for the information, I will be cleaning out the well before my next trip out. I will also be installing a three way timer if it doesn't cost me my left testicle. LOL I will have the catch and release in the boat for the next trip.



Rob, the thought of you rigging up the 02 tank is scary. Be careful not to blow up the garage.



Wolf

 

[TrepMan]

Tex/Wolfcount - Cecil had a post a few day's ago where he was changing his handle. A few of joked about me being SCRAWNEY so I changed it! It's back now!!



Wolf - Jim beat me to the switch/timer, the $30 is WELL Worth it! It will then, if you put it in AUTO mode, swich on/off to keep the fresh water/O2 comming! Just remember to turn the switch OFF if you are running for more then a few minutes to another spot. The pumps can not take in water when you are on-plane and you can burn up the pump. Then turn it back to Auto at the next spot.



Good luck!

 

[Staci Matheis]

Wolf -



One other suggestion.....



Even though both my Nitros have had automatic features, a few years ago, I lost five nice flatheads (catfish) that I was bringing home to put in a lake on a hot summer day..... Ever since then, I take one of the blue ice things from my cooler and put it into the livewell to keep the temperature down and oxygen content up.



me!

 

[James D.]

with the water as cold as it is, they should be fairly easy to keep this time of year. The timer and freshwater recirculating in is the ticket. I've never had one go belly up yet even in the hot hot hot summer. might look your system over and find a good way to get fresh water recirculation in and out of the tank and aerated.



Scott,



sorry to hear about those cats. I have about an hour drive back from the lake I fish and usually close off the auto valve so the water recircs in the livewell running off the timer and i leave it on while trailering back to the house. Haven't lost one yet and it sure gets hot here in the summer too. didn't know if you were leaving your system running on the way home whiler trailering or not and thought this might help. On mine, I can run it on the timer for 8 or 9 hours along with the fishfinder and the motor will still start up just fine.



jd

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Scott, the little blue things won't last long. What I do is once a 1 gallon milk jug is empty, I fill it 3/4 with water (leave room for expansion!) and drop it in the deep freezer the week before my tourney. I do 3 or 4 at a time. Once they are completely frozen, you can use a stanley knife to cut the plastic off and have just a nice, big, solid chunk of ice. Put those in your live well in the morning and they'll last all day. Just a thought.

 

[Roy Cody]

I save a few of 16 oz plastic soda bottles. I clean them out and remove the paper label. Before the tournament, I fill close to full and freeze. On tournament morning, I put the lids on and put them in the cooler in my boat. As needed, I just drop the bottles into the livewells with the caps still on. They cool the water without depositing any of the clorine into the water. When the ice is gone, I just replace with another.



RoyC

 

[gone bye bye]

The use of ice in livewells is not recommended by those in the know unless the water temps are more than 80 degrees. If you do use ice, DO NOT drop the livewell temps more than 5-7 degrees, if you do the fish will go into shock and may not survive. The dissolved oxygen levels are very important and do drop severely as the water temps increase. Search the net for more info....



Catch and Release or Please Release Me livewell additives are a must. You can use ordinary non-iodized salt too. The formulas for salt are available on the internet if you search for them. I use Please Release Me at least 4 times a day. Especially before making the run in, it really helps calm the fish. But as in most things too much is a bad thing, you can kill your fish with the additives if you use too much.



Bassmaster has a nice handbook on keeping fish alive, ask for it from your states federation......



I run my recirc and freshwater fill all day, I do keep an eye on my voltage too (on the Lowrance) so I dont run my cranking battery too low (Also carry jumper cables to jusmp from the trolling batteries if needed). We dont get the hot water temps you boys do down south, but if you keep the fresh water pumping in and recirculating you should be fine. I also use a "Bait Saver" portable areator with alligator clips to one of my trolling motor batteries to add additional oxygen. If you have the Flow-Rite livewell with a fill/auto switch, you can leave it on auto. Whne you get on pad, the valve closes off from freshewater intake and recircs back to the livewell, when you come off pad again the pump will draw from the lake. Check their website (www.flowrite.com I think) for more info.



Rob, be carefull with the O2 tanks....it is a good system, but you really have to watch out, especially in rough water. A puncture and/or a spark will do some serious damage to you and your hull. Large chunks of ice are also bad sloshing around in a livewell, they can and will damage fish in rough water. Please do not have them in while running.



Mini

 

[Donald Fruge]

WoW, just when I thought I had all the information straight in my head.... hmmmmmmm





Wolf

 

[Rob LaMoy]

He's right, I didn't give all the info. I do watch that mini, that's why I told them not to use ice chips. Drop the temp too much or too quickly and you have the adverse affect and harm the fish. Also on the bumping them with ice on long runs. Everything depends on the day, water temps etc. If I am fishing smallies in the open lake in the morning, I catch a limit and fill up with fresh cool water from the main lake. Then I go jigging for a kicker LM in a shallow, muddy, warmer bay, I use ice one I get there to keep the smallies cooler rather than pump in warmer water. If I'm there more than 1 hour, I begin pumping in fresh water and use ice to reduce the temp and release formula to relax the fish. Once out in open water, I "flush" and refill with fresh water again. It's hard to define how to properly care for fish in this forum. The best thing is to ride along with someone like Mini or I who take carful note of their fish and observe how to care for them. It takes a little of your tourney time, but ultimately you keep the weight on the fish and don't get nailed with penalties.

 

[Marke Cicero]

You guys have to remember that Wolf does NOT have a recirculator. I really don't think ice in the live well will be that beneficial. As you constantly pump in warm water, the ice melts too fast and the cool water is just washed into the lake through the over flow tube. How much ice can you carry on a boat??



The catch and realease additive is good but again, it must be closely monitored and added because it too washes out of the over flow tube back into the lake. I add a cap full and the water turns green. I keep an eye on it until the water begins to clear up then I add another cap full.



My suggestion wolf, if you are going to be fishing T's and since you are adding a timer switch anyway, just do a full livewell overhaul and add a recirculation system. Like the timer, you can buy a recirc. kit at BPS for about $50.



Marke