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O M C O S S F I S H I N G
Livewell Management
This document is excerpted from a paper distributed
by BassMedicsTM, manufacturers of RejuvenadeTM, BaitFreshTM, 2iG-XtremeTM, Angler
ShieldTM, and other products. It is a livewell management program for optimizing
fish care in the livewell and will help reduce water weight loss and regurgitation in the livewell.
1.
Livewell should be filled early in the morning while the upper foot of surface water is at its coolest temperature. Add the appropriate amount of RejuvenadeTM necessary to treat the volume of water in your livewell
and start your aerator running in order to oxygen load the livewell water before catching the first fish. After the first fish is caught, the aerator should run continuously throughout the day (the aerator pump should
not use any more power than a through hull pump).
2. As the day progresses and the temperature
rises, ice should be added as needed in order to keep livewell water temperatures approximately 5oF below surface
water temperature (only in warm water conditions). When surface water temperature
exceeds 80oF it is not recommended that you continuously flow water through your livewell because the surface water
temperature will continue to rise throughout the day and water is able to hold less and less dissolved oxygen as its temperature
increases. It is better to fill the livewell early and cool it with small amounts
of ice periodically to maintain cool livewell water temperatures and increase the dissolved oxygen carrying capacity of the
water to reduce heat stress on the livewell fish as much as possible.
3. With a limit of fish in the livewell, you
should replace ½ the volume of water in your livewell every 2 to 3 hours (in order to remove metabolic waste) and recharge
that water with the appropriate amount of RejuvenadeTM. Ice should be added
at this time as well in order to lower the temperature of the incoming water to more acceptable levels.
4.
Livewell water should be cooled prior to the final run to the weigh-in site in order to minimize the stress on fish during
this time. It is a good idea to be sure your livewell is full before heading in. Remember to run your recirculating aerator continuously while trailering to the weigh-in
or waiting at the dock. Under normal tournament conditions when boats are docked at
the weigh-in site and the catch is put into weigh-in carry bags, the bags should be filled with the cooler, oxygenated water
in the livewell rather than with the surface water at the dock area. The water at
the dock area is typically shallow, warmer, contains less dissolved oxygen and may contain petroleum residues that are present
in the water at the dock area due to the concentration of boats and boat traffic there. The
water in your livewell has kept your fish alive all day and is already treated with RejuvenadeTM.
5.
Remember that the weigh-in carry bag contains only enough oxygen to sustain 5 fish
for 2-3 minutes, so do not forget to minimize the holding time in the bags or exchange the water in your bags with the water
in the oxygenated line tanks.
These are only recommendations for handling fish and are designed
to help reduce fish mortality under tournament conditions.
