How do y'all keep crappie alive when it's hot?

[slabomb]

I appreciate the input. I understand that a lot of guys and gals don't tournament fish for crappie, I don't all the time myself. These critters are hard to keep alive when temps are pushing 90 if you need to. Not fishing in the summer isn't an option for me!

[ozarks ranger]

insulate the lid of the live well and use those plastic bottles with stuff inside for coolers, freeze up a couple or three depends how hot the water is. throw in 1 every 3 hours. they will refreeze and no harm to the environment. or save your milk jugs and you can refreeze them keep in cooler until needed.

[scrat]

How do y'all keep crappie alive when it's hot

Tournament crappie fishing. Here you go check this out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-EP3d9v5y8

[callen]

I start the day with a big bag of ice and rejuvenate additive. I fill the live well with water once and don't add anymore. I keep air pump running all day. I add frozen bottles later as the water warms.

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[Slablife]

How cool is too cool? Do you use a thermometer or just chunk em in there when the water starts warming up?

I just throw them in there when he water starts getting warm. U can get a thermometer at Walmart pretty cheap


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[wolfhnd]

Good idea unless you're down here where we are. I say this just so that other readers are aware. Gators will chomp the whole thing, and the ride can be a little exciting. Pulling it up to put one in and find a Cottonmouth is inside and has bitten and killed every one, then he slides out the bottom. They do work good, just please remember everything has it's place.

Cottonmouth's are nasty snakes I don't mind a rattlesnake or a copperhead but cottonmouth's are just too aggressive and unafraid of humans to live with.

[wolfhnd]

These tournaments should drop the weigh-in and just go to photos if there is no big money involved. I was watching a tournament that used that method and they just laid the fish on an official length board took it's picture and put it right back in the water. Sure people will cheat but I'm not sure there is anyway to prevent it. Drawing boats and partners is probably a good solution but not very appealing.

[RLCRAPPIE]

Keep the water circulating in your livewell and add some ice periodically.

[Big Crappie]

There 3 things worked for me and they will for you I promise! I had a tin can boat and had the same problems trying to fish tournaments here in the South in mid summer!
1) Make you a deep water pump with a 14' or longer hose to where you can pump water from at least10' deep or deeper where they live!
2) Insulate livewell lid well!
3) Install a 12v power bubbles for air supply! It will provide gentle areation without swimming your fish to death and causing undue stress! (1 stone is sufficient for each livewell)
DO NOT
1) Use a recirculating pump, as it will heat the water up along with creating stress on fish!
2) Do not pump water in through normal aeration pumps because surface water is just too hot!!!!!
In addition, you can replace water as often as you want with the deepwater pump with no ill effect on your fish! I generally only did it 2-3 times a day on 90 + degree days in addition to also changing water out for my bait as well!
With a 500 or 750 gph pump, this does not take long using a 1" hose!
Best of luck!!!

[slabomb]

There 3 things worked for me and they will for you I promise! I had a tin can boat and had the same problems trying to fish tournaments here in the South in mid summer!
1) Make you a deep water pump with a 14' or longer hose to where you can pump water from at least10' deep or deeper where they live!
2) Insulate livewell lid well!
3) Install a 12v power bubbles for air supply! It will provide gentle areation without swimming your fish to death and causing undue stress! (1 stone is sufficient for each livewell)
DO NOT
1) Use a recirculating pump, as it will heat the water up along with creating stress on fish!
2) Do not pump water in through normal aeration pumps because surface water is just too hot!!!!!
In addition, you can replace water as often as you want with the deepwater pump with no ill effect on your fish! I generally only did it 2-3 times a day on 90 + degree days in addition to also changing water out for my bait as well!
With a 500 or 750 gph pump, this does not take long using a 1" hose!
Best of luck!!!

Thanks for the input. I do have an update on our livewell since my last post here. We have fitted a 110 quart cooler in place of our existing livewell. We tied all of the existing plumbing back in to the cooler with some minor modifications so we could have a pump out option. This new set up worked fantastic at our last tournament but the water is still cool, I think its going to work well in the summer too. We will fill up with well water from the house or early morning lake water and use ice thru the day to keep temps down. I do like the idea of a deep water pump, temps are alot cooler several feet below the surface.