Livewells In The Summer

[T-RockJaws]

In the hot summer months, it can be very beneficial for the fish if you are able to fill your livewells with some good cold well water before you leave for the lake. Make sure that is well water and not city water as the city water will contain chemicals that can be harmfull for the fish.

[wallin]

Hello T-RockJaws, have you had trouble stunning fish if water is to cold.

Its been very hot here as well this year, guys are adding ice to livewells to try to keep walleye healthy and

running aeriator pumps continuos.

Tom

[T-RockJaws]

We have not had too much trouble stunning fish, keep in mind that the water the fish are coming from at 30 feet deep or more is a whole lot colder than the water on the surface. However, if you get the water too cold by adding too much ice, it can be as bad for the fish as anything. Too cold can kill them just as quick as if you had done nothing. Another good tip is to keep an eye on them in the livewell and fizz them at the first sign of them floating or swimming on their side.

[T-RockJaws]

By the way Wallin, that is a nice basket full of Eyes!

[fishinwrench]

A splash of Hydrogen Peroxide in the livewell increses oxygen,and is supposed to help revive fish that are in shock.

Fish seem to be able to deal with going from hot to cold much better than going from cold to hot....just a personal observation.

[wallin]

Thanks guys-never heard of the peroxide bit before-I guess you will have good white meat anyway-lmao. Yea I changed my photo, figured it was to much-this is my Grandson with a Lake Mich Perch-there the best-uh along with walleye that is- well and some good cold water gills-well what the heck I like fish lol.Almost time for the anual summer fish fry. Can't wait.

Tom

[Trav]

There are pros and cons to adding ice. Most ice will have the same chemicals as city tap water. The temp shock is a stress factor but it isn't lethal if done gradually.

As far as fizzing...I say be very careful. If a fish is fizzed and kept too long they will get infections and die days later. I have read myths advocating both sides of this issue. Most bass tourney guys will fizz so they don't weigh dead fish and it works for this purpose. I read an article in BASS TIMES about the fish realesed after tourneys and evidence of fizzing summer bass turns out to be the majority of the mortality counts after release. I have some experience guiding salt water and fizzing is important when pulling fish out of waters deeper than 50 feet but most lakes here in the Ozarks wont hold fish that deep due to the thermocline. So it is in most cases not needed.

Keeping fish in a livewell during hot days creates debate over and over. Livewells draw water off the surface and you can run your tanks constantly and never relieve the stress. I think it is wrong to attempt it unless you are willing to actually freeze ice from water you know is chemical free. Then add it during your event but then you couple it with a weigh-in period where the stress is increased even more. I am not a fan of livewell events when the surface temps are over 80 degrees.

B.A.S.S. events go through great lengths to avoid the stress. They keep multiple tanks to get those fish out of the livewells during weigh-ins. They also have staff focused on nothing but limiting mortality rates. Local tourneys do not have these resources. So in my opinion, if the surface temps are above 80, local tourneys are an oxymoron to thier catch and release practices. Also, pro tourney guys these days rarely worry about fizzing knowing the act of the procedure is discouraged by the biologists who handle the weigh-in fish.

I am a little sensitive to the subject. It is not just Bass I am knowledgable of. Walleyes have a higher mortality rate. And forget about trout. A catch and release trout weigh-in seems almost ludicrous in my opinion. Even if they swim away..the stress will make them food for the crayfish.

If you guys want some serious science. True research experience to livewells and the effects to the fish then you should be reading up on it. There are publications out there with articles concerning this topic.

[Mike Worley]

Keeping walleyes alive in your livewell in the summer is not impossible but is not real easy. If surface water is above 90 degrees it gets pretty tricky. You need to cool the livewell water temp down to below 80 degrees to have any reasonable chance at success. I carry frozen bottles of well water and add 1/2 gal or gal jugs to the livewell water as early in the trip as possible. Be sure to turn your livewell to recirculate when it fills up. I pretty much just go by feel to check the temp (which should feel cool but not cold) but I also carry a aquarium floating thermometer to be sure (NOT a good idea to leave it in the livewell as they are made of glass and break very easy) I also use a 12V air pump & air stone which seems to help. Fizzing will extend how long walleyes live in your livewell but it has to be done pretty soon after the walleye goes into the livewell but you have to let the fish calm down before it's even safe to try it. If you really want to keep them alive for very long (Like to weigh in at a tournament) you have to start when the fish is first hooked if fishing very deep (30'+) by trying not to reel the fish to the surface quickly which is not easy when you hook one trolling at 2-3 MPH+. I have noticed that the larger fish that take longer to bring to the net seem to do much better that say a 18"er that reels right in. If you slow the boat down while fighting a hooked fish it seems to help also.

[Trav]

A picture says a thousand words