Keeping fish a live

[Jig Puller]

I don't have a live well in my boat , and this year I've got some tournaments I want to fish. Any thoughts , I'm thinking amount using a small 10 gallon bait tank with 2 aerators and putting a small Gatorade bottle of frozen water in it to keep the water cool. Do you think this will work?


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[Yak Fish]

I've successfully kept fish alive in a big cooler with aerators & ice in a July tournament and never lost a fish. We kept a couple spare bags of ice in separate coolers and would add it periodically as needed. The colder water slowed the fish's metabolism and they didn't need as much air as they would have in hotter water. Ended up taking second place in the tournament and missed first place by less than 3 ounces on a 10 fish limit. It is hard to beat getting paid for fishing.

Jim

[Jig Puller]

I thought that might work , I'm going to try it this weekend



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[jtresn01]

I thought that might work , I'm going to try it this weekend



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I didn't think Crappie had to be kept alive.


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[CrappiePappy]

I didn't think Crappie had to be kept alive.


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Most all the tournaments I know of, and those I've conducted, have always stipulated that the fish must be alive at weigh-in. In some cases the dead fish would either not be allowed to be weighed in, or a penalty of a certain amount of weight was assessed for each one brought to the weigh-in dead.

Here's the rules on that in the Crappie USA Tournaments :

1. A Pro or Amateur Division team may not weigh-in more than seven (7) 'ALIVE' crappie when entering the official weigh-in line. Any team presenting more than allowed creel will be disqualified. Once you have entered the weigh-in line, your fish will be checked for count (7 for Pro & Amateur). All dead crappie will be removed from your creel and only those fish that are alive will be entered on the weigh-in voucher. You may then continue to the scales for your official weigh-in by the tournament director. Once your fish have been verified alive and entered on the weigh-in voucher, you will then be allowed to weigh-in those fish, and only those fish, even if one or more die before reaching the scales. The tournament director has sole responsibility for the declaration of dead or live crappie. All healthy fish weighed in will be released to the lake.

[stumpjumper]

[QUOTE=Jig Puller;3704240]I don't have a live well in my boat , and this year I've got some tournaments I want to fish. Any thoughts , I'm thinking amount using a small 10 gallon bait tank with 2 aerators and putting a small Gatorade bottle of frozen water in it to keep the water cool. Do you think this will work?

For my 2 cents you're on the right track but, I'd get at least a 80qt kooler or larger if you boat will handle it. I quit using aerators though and went with bubblers, in hot weather I think the moving water in the tank stress the fish, even if you cool it down. but you do need to only keep the fish your weight in and maybe couple more not a limit or culls in that cooler.

[Jig Puller]

I agree stumpjumper less will definitely be better


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[Hanr3]

I use a mino-mizer. Airates and cools the water at the same time.

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[Jig Puller]

Where do u get that minnow mizer


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[Lloakley930]

Fresh water is the best way I’ve heard to keep them alive. I just have a cooler with a bubbler. I change water using a small bucket. Works decent when small numbers and no catfish to stress things out.