Good read Icing your livewell is good summertime fish care

I freeze solid two plastic one gallon coffee cans. I put in new water than drop one of the cans in about 11 or 12 and the other one in about 30 minutes before heading to weigh in. The first one knocks the temp way down and the second one keeps the live well cool while you load up. A poor mans refrigeration system. Those big thick Styrofoam ice chests like they ship meat or drugs in work great to keep your cans in.

We use a Bluetooth pool thermometer and usually try and keep the water around 72 this time of year. Ice. G juice and a 12v bubbler and fin weights on the fish. Although the fish usually throw the weights off all day. We’ve never used recirculate. We fill the live wells when we get where we’re going with water from a submersible pump usually 5-10’ down. Keeps crappie alive in summer. I imagine bass would be harder to kill.

…….. SMH

I put ice in at the ramp, fill the livewells, then turn to recirculate and run constantly until weigh-in. I also use Please Release Me and add ice as needed. I have had maybe three fish die in the livewells in the last 15 years and I fish 23 tournaments a year.

Don’t do it Frank it’s not worth it

Make sure if you're using ice made with treated water that you use an additive that will neutralize the chemicals in the water.

If you use oxygen injection you don't need to use ice until it gets real hot.
Also, if you use oxygen don't use your aerator.






VT-2. There. Its in.

Are live wells in boats really that poorly designed? I’ve had tongue hooked fish die and I’ve had fishing partners shut off live wells trying to turn off lights. But I just don’t get this fish dying all the time stuff. I fill the wells, turn in the recirculating pump and I can’t hardly get em out of the live well and into the weigh bag after 7+ hours.

Y’all quit killing your damn fish!

I am with you, never have had a problem keeping fish alive, I have had a couple of screw ups like hitting the pump out button in stead of the recirculate button before the run back to the ramp.

This is what I have been doing for the summer tournaments. Ice or frozen water bottles, G juice, oxygenator on and manual recirc the entire time, no new water (3-4 hour tournament), I have plugs for my livewell so initially I can fill them up past the drains and I also do not lose water when running. Flip clips on all fish regardless if they need fizzing or have already been fizzed. They have all been very lively and swam away good.

LOL. Its mid July in Texas. How much hotter you think its gonna get mr Allison?

Same.

No need for ice, g juice, or oxygen pumps. Fill your livewell then turn timer on for recirculating pump. Keeps putting in fresh water and that it. Never lost a healthy fish that way.