Slabs

[jighooker]

A question for the pros. What is the best way to keep fish alive when fishing a tourney using only your Livewell? I have NO luck at this. Any info would greatly be appreciated.

[Buffalo Water]

Not a pro!! But know this has been popular

Kool Well Livewell Cooling System, Keep Bass, Crappie, Redfish, Catfish, Baitfish, Walleye Alive

[Braggin Board]

Don't keep more fish in a tournament than you need to weigh, plus a couple for safety sake. Turn the auto fill on as soon as you put fish in the well. The fish come out of 85 degree water, they will survive, just keep it circulated and aerated through the entire day of fishing. Even after best efforts you can nick a gill or something else to cause a fish to die. We have all lost a fish at the worst time in a tournament. Usually if one dies it will be your biggest. Good luck

[Hogster1]

I keep them cool with a cooling system I made that recirculates the livewell water through a ice filled cooling system. and I use rejuvenate added to the water

[beagle man]

what hogster said, I don't fish tournaments, but I use to keep fish alive to bring home and put in the pond, I ran some plastic tubing through a cooler filled with ice jugs and water, pumped the live well water through the tube, back into the live well, which was a 55 gallon barrel cut down, cooled the water and added oxygen to the water. and remember to fill your live well up as soon as you get in the water. and turn on the reculator if so equipped , if not then start the cooling system. luck to you

[Green Wing]

This is a good article from the pros at Crappie Masters Crappie Masters - The Care and Maintenance of Crappie in the Livewell

[Kit Papermouth]

Thick wall gatoraid bottles filled with water and frozen. Use these with a recirculation aerator to keep the water between 70 & 75 ....G2G

[DADAKOTA]

Are crappie caught in tournaments released back into the lake? If not what is done with them? Are fish safe to eat if you use products like rejuvenade in your livewell?

[Rees Guide]

Sometimes, ate, and yes.
Let me clarify thats "sometimes", CUSA, CrappieMasters and pretty much any other large tournament circuit do their best to release as many of the weighed-in fish back. Smaller tourneys most of the time don't have the resources to have a tank and all to do this with, anglers can keep their catch or give them to another angler, they are wasted that's for sure.