Just curious how many people do what.

In the past I only put fish in the livewell when fishing a bass tournament... everything else went straight back in the lake. I used my livewell for crappie the past couple of weekends and spent an hour getting the drains cleaned out yesterday. I don't know how they clogged the drains, scales I guess. I have thought I might start using a cooler full of ice for keepers instead in the future. What do you guys use?

During the summer putting the fish in a cooler with ice is the way to go. Fish will die easy in live wells and it makes them easier to clean after they have been on ice.

Live well while fishing, then in the cooler for on the way home. I almost never clean my fish the same day I catch them. Usually the next day. They stay on ice until cleaned. Never had a problem doing it that way. If I don't catch more than 4-5 I'll turn them loose at the ramp, or give them away if someone is at the ramp, and wants them.

Cooler on ice for me always. Only time I use the livewells is for tourneys and I usually clean them out when I get home. Crappie will slime up your livewells quick IMO!!

They go immediately into a cooler of ice. Firms them up for cleaning.

Livewell during cooler temps....Ice chest for warmer weather

Straight to the cooler always if I'm keeping. Also, a frozen jug of water instead of ice. Ice melts and the resulting slime from the crappie is a mess at the cleaning table. Frozen jug leaves no water to cause the slime mess. Crappie are the slimmest fish I've caught. Only use live well for tournaments.

Great idea ken. Thanks.

Cooler and ice most of the time. NEVER put a blue cat in the live well especially one out of Ray Roberts.
Had me a dose of zebra mussels puked up in the well once and ruined a pump and diverter valve. Danged sand bass will excrete [censored] a live well full of caca.

Straight onto ice! Kills the fish quickly and firms up the meat for easier/better cleaning. Like Rods said, I have never had issues and sometimes prefer to leave them on ice overnight...especially bigger fish like redfish etc...I do this most of the time while night fishing. Never used a live well...could slime clog it up?

I use a fish basket. If fishing is slow I hate cleaning 1 or 2 fish. Rather keep them alive and be able to release them if nobody else wants them.

I have two huge livewells with timers ..... They stay alive even in the summer.

I use the baitwell in my bluewave When it gets real hot I use a dual air pump .

Mo

I don't have a problem keeping crappie alive at all but it didn't take them long to clog the drain with scales and slime. A cooler and ice seems to be what I need to switch to.

March forward,
Keepers are gilled and gutted,straight on ice in a cooler when the action slows
They never die,turn white or get stiff and funky