Bass tournaments can be tough on largemouth bass, primarily in hot weather. High temperatures lead to lower oxygen levels, increased fish stress, and a higher risk of mortality if proper precautions aren’t taken. As we head into the depths of summer, anglers taking the right steps can help ensure the health and survival of their catch while promoting responsible fishing practices.
1. Keep Livewells Cool and Oxygenated
Maintaining a suitable livewell environment is crucial for bass survival during tournaments. As water temperature rises, oxygen levels decrease, making it harder for fish to breathe and recover from the stress of being caught. Here’s how to optimize livewell conditions:
Check your pumps: While you’re rigging up rods and reorganizing tackle ahead of your tournament, you should also ensure that your pumps are properly functioning. Adding working pumps to your pre-tournament checklist can help in the difference between 5 alive at the scales and a blemish on your day in the standings. Keeping a spare livewell pump on board is a good idea as well.
Fill livewells early: Before you start your tournament day, fill your livewell with cool, fresh water and begin circulating it. This helps establish oxygen levels in the water and makes transitioning the fish into the livewell less stressful. Once you’ve filled your livewells, keep it on recirculate throughout the day. Pumping in new, hot water throughout the day can create issues for your catch. Adding new water is also counter-intuitive if you add livewell treatment products as the treatment will be flushed out with the new water.
Run aerators continuously: Bass in livewells consume oxygen faster than it is naturally replenished. Ensure that your aeration or oxygenation system runs constantly to prevent oxygen depletion.
Use ice strategically: Adding ice to the livewell can lower water temperatures and reduce stress. However, use block ice rather than crushed ice, as it melts more slowly and provides a steady cooling effect. A good rule of thumb is to add about one pound of ice per five gallons of water to drop the temperature by 5-10°F. Adding ice early can help keep the water temperature regulated. Off the shelf products like Engel Ice can be a great option to keep on the boat to add to your livewell in place of bagged ice, it is also reusable.
Add non-chlorinated water treatments: Some tournament anglers use products like BassMedics Rejuvenade®, TH-Marine G Juice®, or Please Release Me®, which help reduce stress and promote fish recovery by enhancing slime coat protection and reducing ammonia buildup.
2. Reduce Handling Stress
Bass are highly susceptible to stress when being handled, especially in warm conditions. Stress weakens their immune system and increases the risk of delayed mortality after release. Proper handling techniques can make a big difference:
- Minimize air exposure: The less time a fish spends out of the water, the better. Aim for handling times of less than 30 seconds when grabbing a photo or culling. A good scale like Catch Commander can make culling fast and easy.
- Wet hands before touching fish: Bass have a protective slime coat that helps shield them from infections and parasites. Dry hands can strip away this slime, making them more vulnerable. Always wet your hands before handling them.
3. Monitor Water Quality
Water quality in your livewell can deteriorate rapidly in hot weather, leading to a buildup of ammonia and low oxygen levels, both of which are harmful to bass. Maintaining healthy water conditions is essential:
- Check oxygen levels frequently: Some anglers use dissolved oxygen meters to monitor oxygen levels in the livewell, ensuring they stay above 5-6 mg/L for optimal fish health.
- Reduce ammonia buildup: Fish release ammonia when under stress, and high ammonia levels can be toxic. Adding water conditioners can neutralize ammonia, reducing its harmful effects.
4. Keep Best Practices in Mind
As an angler, following best practices can make a significant impact on post-release survival rates:
- Be mindful at weigh-in: If you see a long line at the scales, don’t make the line longer. Keep your fish in the livewell until the line has gotten shorter to minimize the time fish are handled. If airstones are provided, be sure to put the airstone in the bag while you wait for your turn at the scales.
- Release fish quickly: After weighing and grabbing a quick photo of your bag, return bass to the lake as soon as possible to minimize stress and improve survival rates. You may be asked or required to idle your fish away from the ramp site to an area with deeper, cooler water to release your fish. Releasing them in shallow, low oxygenated water can lead to a faster mortality rate.
- Utilize deep-water release techniques: When bass experience barotrauma (swim bladder inflation from rapid depth changes), they can struggle to regain buoyancy after release. Using a Fizzing Needle or a weighted fish clip can help safely return bass to deeper waters.
- Educate fellow anglers: Share best practices with tournament participants and encourage responsible fish handling techniques. A conservation-minded community helps ensure the sustainability of the sport.
Tournament bass fishing is what allows us to come together in a common love of sport. By prioritizing bass care, anglers can help reduce fish stress, minimize post-tournament mortality, and contribute to the goal Ray Scott implemented more than 50 years ago. We are all stewards of the sport and by focusing on proper livewell management and fish handling will allow for better tournament events across the board and ensure there will be fish to be caught for future generations.
