For most tournament fishermen I know, winning the money and prize is the point of the tournament exercise, period. The cost of preparing for and fishing tournaments is not cheap when the cost is tallied; boat, motor, trailer, license, fishing uniform, sun glasses, top of the line boat livewells with 4 water pumps, 3 air pumps, switched, batteries, bells, buzzers, rods, reels, tackle, fuel, lodging, meals on the road, ice, livewell chemicals and the cost goes on and on. Fishing tournaments are not cheap anyway you cut it.

Anyone here ever lost tournament money/prize because 1 fish died in your livewell before the weigh-in, you killed a fish? The weigh-master dealt you that dreaded “dead fish punishment and you lost the money.

Keeping fish alive in the summer has been a problem and serious concern for tournament fishermen at least 40 years since the advent of the popular Catch and Release Ethic.

Boat and livewell salesmen all say that livewells are supposed to keep fish alive. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t, especially in the summer. Tournament fish die quicker in summer livewells because livewels really do fail to keep fish alive. Keeping that tournament fish alive all day/all night is a constant worry and concern for summer tournament fisherman that fishing for money. I know that, been there, done that, lost money because 1 fish died.

Keeping fish alive all day is a serious concern for all pro fishermen too. Bad water quality in any livewell can and does kill summer tournament fish and cost money. The livewell mortality problem is basically non-existant in fall, winter and spring fishing tournaments.

A weigh-master told me that livewell mortality for night tournament caught fish is substantially higher than keeping fish alive in day tournaments. He did not explain why, but he did tell me that tournament caught small mouth bass will die in livewells as quick as thread-fin shad, especially in night tournaments.

There is just something about those night summer tournaments that is deadly different than day tournaments.