I like five for the fact that mark mentioned about being easier to make up ground from someone elses big fish. With only three fish, you can have one big fish and two swimmers and win. With five if you dont have at least three quality or Two BIG fish you aint gonna win

Now you just added Co anglers fish to the limits. There would have been less mortiality on Falcon with only one limit in the wells split with 2 or 3 fish in each side. 5 fish split between two sides is no problem.

+1

Still seems to me that the more fish you haul around in your livewell, the more stress it is on the fish and the higher the morality rate. If you are fishing a 3 fish tournament I don't thing you would be hauling around 5 fish all day. Most tournaments are fished with 2 people in the boat so if it is not a team tournament, you are probably talking about 10 fish in the live well vs 6. that is a lot of difference and it is much harder to keep 10 healthy and alive than it is 6. Let us not forget that just because a fish is alive when we go to weigh-in, it can still die later from being overstressed.

I don't mind the 5 fish limit, but agree that from July through August maybe even September 3 might be better on the fish with the heat. I carry bottle water frozen and place in my livewell during these months as well as use some sort of livewell additive for the fish. I like the blue stuff.

5.... thats the way it has always been

I completely agree!!

However, there are alot of people around here that have no concern for conservation and think that every bass put in a livewell recovers! Also, there are many people here that would put a 10 lber in the frying pan, they could care less about a 3 fish limmit to help protect the fishery!

5 fish and at the end of the tourney have a big fish fry. Then you dont have to wonder about the death rate it will always be the same.

If the law in the state or at the lake is five fish that you could keep then you should be able to take five for the weight in. If four live you are better off after catch and release than if you kept and ate all five. Quit crying about dead fish and go have some fun on the water.

it was once 10 fish. look at the old bassmaster weighin photos with 10 fish strung up on a stringer

Everyone can definitely make their fishing better by taking care of the fish they catch. Once the water gets warm it takes a pretty good effort to take care of them. Freezing water with Catch and Release in 1 or 2 liter bottles always helps. If you have a good size livewell are able to keep it full, on recirculate and cooled to about 72 your going to do alot of good for the fish. Just put a bottle in with the cap removed. That seems to cool the water at about the right rate without getting it too cold. Usually you won't have to fizz most of the fish using this method even if they are caught deep. I always felt that by doing this we have been able to release 90% of the fish in a condition I felt they would survive not just make it to the weigh in alive. It does take a little fish tending time but it's worth it. 5+ pound fish aren't that easily replaced.

A couple of other things.

Fill the live well early away from the ramp. Get the best quality coolest water you can before things heat up during the day.

Keep a life jacket over the live well lids so the sun beating down does not heat them up.

Have a needle and know how to use it in case you need to fizz a fish or two.

I have been running TX 3 Bass since Feb and so far it has been successful. The weights are lower but less fish in the livewell all day and there were no floating fish when I left the ramp at 3:30 pm today. a 7.70lb was weighed in today but that was no part of 1st place.. the winner had 3 over 18" for 13.55 lbs.I also think it helps those of us that are just a weekend fisherman where we can have a better chance at placing in a tournament...

TX 3 Bass

TX 3 Bass Tournaments is a monthly open 3 Bass Limit Tournament that promotes the sport of Bass fishing. The concept of a 3 Bass limit is simple. With only weighing in 3 Bass, We help conserve our fishing resources by having less fish brought in for weigh in, especially in the hot times of the year when mortality rate is at its highest. We give everyone the opportunity to either fish solo or with a partner. We pay back 100% of what we collect. Entry is only $20 per person and a $5 optional Big Bass pot. We will also have prizes to hand out from our sponsors to the other places. There are no membership fees.

I say 5. Most trails dont have alot of 5 fish limits brought in anyways. 5 fish keeps if less of a big bass tournamanet

Falcon is a different animal. How many weekends on how many lakes do you see 25-40lb sacks from at least half the field?

It may be, but I can assure you it has been mentioned more than once by the powers that be....IE 3 fish limit for tourneys. If fish care isn't turned around and brought to the forefront, mark my words.........you just might see it in our time. JMHO from what my ears have heard.

In our area, where 25-35 lb sacks are pretty common throughout the year (Stillhouse), we fish 5 fish from about October to about the latter part of May to June, then switch to 3 fish limits.

It doesn't make the competition lopsided either way, the same guys that did good with a five fish limit will do good with a three fish limit. And three fish in the livewell is a whole lot easier to care of than five.

Think about it this way, if you were locked in an airtight room, would you want 4 other people in there with you, or just 2?

We all run ice, keep alive, and know how to fizz fish as well. Most also have oxygenator systems in the livewells too. You get 28-34 lbs in the livewell in water temps of about 80+ and you can do all you can but you will still have some dead fish with 5 fish limits. Most of our tournies this time of year can still take 23-27 lbs on a three fish limit, and even those are tough to keep alive, but alot easier than having 5 to take care of. Just my 2 cents... 3 fish limits work because we have used them with success for about 3 years now.