Speaking of Dead Fish...

[tunaman]

So was it poor handling in the extreme conditions that caused the high mortality rate? By the penalties assessed in the first two days, there was somewhere around 70 dead bass brought to the scales.

Seems like some special attention needs to be directed towards fish handling at events such as this, especially with the extreme heat, as it appears that many failed to take care of the resources to ensure their survival?

Basics include:

• Fizz any bass showing signs of bends (floating, laying sideways, etc.);
  Periodically add ice or use frozen water bottles to the livewell to keep the livewell temperatures to an acceptable level;
  Add a product such as Rejuvenade, Catch and Release, Please Release Me, or some such treatment;
  Install an Oxygenator if you can... good insurance especially for those fishing the really hot locales;
  Check your fish often... if you see signs of distress, take measures to protect your captives. Sometimes you have to cycle out some water since hotter water retains lesser amounts of DO;

Also don't forget to take good care of yourselves... sounds like there were a lot of casualties all the way around this year.

Roger

[Steve Reed]

Rejuvenade=bad for fish....

one bag of ice on each side of livewell with another livewell additive even simple rock salt. Add a hydrogen additive as well and then do not pump water out . Fish will live.

[tunaman]

Wow... not sure I agree with much of what you say Steve.

First of all, adding ice isn't as easy as you state. You really have to take into consideration the temperatures you're dealing with. If you're dealing with extremely high temperatures, too much ice/cooling will be as detrimental as not cooling. On the other hand, with livewell temperatures hovering around 80 degrees you certainly wouldn't need a bag on each side either. Best practice is to add handfulls at a time, or use frozen bottles so that it gradually equalizes the temperatures either way. Pull a fish out of 90 degree water and put them in a 70 degree livewell and they will shock quickly and likely expire.

As far as not recirculating, the reason you do so is to help regenerate oxygen. The pumps help oxygenate the water... non-circulating water depletes oxygen quickly without a means to replenish.

And as far as Rejuvenade goes, I haven't seen any studies showing it to be detrimental. I know Lane has provided some information in the past as to why their product is better, but don't recall seeing that Rejuvenade is a death sentence.

This is what I understand anyway... could be wrong but have only had one fish ever die on me.

Sure would like someone like Mike Giusti or Quinn to check in on this one... I'll send an email and ask him to respond. This is why I think it is important to dispel some of the myths and provide solid information to all of our tournament anglers.

Roger

[drew]

I have spoke to a few seasoned tournament anglers about this subject and they all gave me the same advice. When the weather is extreme they recommend keeping the live wells on continuously.

[Oldschool]

One important factor that is over looked is keeping the bass within 10 degrees of it's core body temperature when caught. Few, if any, tournament anglers have temperature probes to check the bass body temps before putting the bass in the livewell. If the body temp is 74; the the livewell needs to be between 64 to 84 degrees to prevent thermal shock.
The bass needs 3 mg/L of DO minimum to survive and water over 85 degrees doesn't hold 3 mg/L DO, so in time the bass sufficates in hot water.
Pumping hot low DO water can be fatal to bass, so check the surface temps, your livewell temps and aerate the water with DO. Water exchange is great if doesn't thermal shock the bass. Catch & Release doesn't add DO, it protects the slim coat and stops bleeding. 3% H2O2, over the counter hydrogen peroxide, mixed 1/2 cup to 15 gallons adds DO at a safe level. Oxygen generators add DO. Salt doesn't add DO, it can corrode your livewell pump, Oxygen generator and fittings, it does help tp protect the slim coat however that isn't the major problem. It's over in flated air bladders, poor livewell temps and low DO that creates shock kills tournament caught bass being held for several hours in a livewell.
Tom

[mark poulson]

According to the DFG, wild temperature swings, more than 5 degrees from surface temps, shock fish and can lead to death.
Fish caught deep are coming from cooler water, too, which makes the shock of a warm livewell even greater.
DFG suggests an upper limit of 80 degrees for livewell temps, no matter what the surface temps are, because, as Tom stated, water warmer than that won't hold enough oxygen to insure fish survival.
And anyone knows if they caught a fish in deep or shallow water, and needs to watch their fish accordingly for fizzing.
I'm surprised, given the amount of bad publicity that dead fish give a tournament, and, by extension, bass fishing in general, that tournament organizations aren't more proactive when it comes to fish handling.
I know all the participants are adults, and need to be responsible for their own actions, but it seems to me it would be in the tournament's best interest to insure better fish survival.
It wouldn't be a huge expense to have both ice, livewell treatments, and a fool proof fizzing needle like the Bends Mender, for example, available for all participants, and to require that they be used.
They could probably get most of that stuff donated by sponsors, or local merchants.
It would surely eliminate, or, at least, greatly reduce, fish mortality, and make their trails look great.
I know it can be done.

[Kwin]

Taken from an AFS online abstract publication....

North American Journal of Fisheries Management 1997; 17: 131-135

Effects of Organizational Procedures on Mortality of Largemouth Bass during Summer Tournaments

KENNETH C. WEATHERS and MIKE I. NEWMAN
Alabama Game and Fish Division, Post Office Box 292, Enterprise, Alabama 36331, USA

Abstract

During May–September 1991–1992, we monitored mortality of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides at 14 catch-and-release tournaments on Lake Eufaula, Alabama. Prerelease fish mortality was documented at weigh-ins, and postrelease mortality was determined by holding fish (927 in all) for 4 d in nylon pens. Water temperature ranged from 27.2 to 32.8°C during the study period. Overall, prerelease mortality averaged 8.9% (range, 2.4–18.4%), postrelease mortality averaged 22.0% (1.3–50%), and, total averaged 30.8% (9.1–68.4%). Ten rules and procedures that tournament officials could control influenced total mortality. Tournaments received one point for each factor handled correctly. Higher tournament scores were associated with lower postrelease and total mortalities (rank correlations, P < 0.05). Largemouth bass mortality increased significantly with fish length (P < 0.005). Our results indicate that catch-and-release tournament officials can reduce total mortalities of largemouth bass by following specific procedures.

[Steve Reed]

I recently fished a tournament in Alabama where the water temps were in the 90's.

The previous two days i had fish die. The third day my pro told me he had never had a fish die on him.

He put a bag of ice on each side, a scoop of rejuvenade, and never pumped the water out.

All fish lived. The only reason I say not to use rejuvenade is because it has been explained to me it has negative effects on them once they go back into the water. It burns the fish' sides.

Another thing to consider. If you do have cool livewell water do not put the fish in the weigh bags with lake water. Any significant temperature change in the water will shock the fish and most likely kill them.

[Mike Giusti]

The loss of all these bass is one of the reasons Fish and Game has a 6 hour rule from June 15 to Sept. 15. Work done by Larry Bottroff on San Diego lakes should we could see mortalities as high as 75% when water temperature is over 75 degrees. Not being at the tournament I can only guess why such high losses. Anglers not cooling live wells down or not changing water often enough. Holding fish in weigh bags for more than 3 minutes. Not deflating deep caught fish right away. There are more but those are the most obvious reasons. Especially not changing water in weigh bags or having fish in them to long. I know with the extreme heat it would have been hard to have enough frozen bottles of water to last an entire day. Hopefully this won't be the case next year.

[meadbass]

I fished the Open as an AAA. I had 7up bottles frozen and brought them to lake Mead for my pro to use for the live wells. Ony one pro used the bottles. however, I was lucky all the fish during the three days survived. I was advised by one of my pros, that filling the bottles up with lake water, or live well water was better than tapwater, because if the bottle leaked, the tap water would have hurt the fish. Another great lesson I have learned.

[tunaman]

I fished the Open as an AAA. I had 7up bottles frozen and brought them to lake Mead for my pro to use for the live wells. Ony one pro used the bottles. however, I was lucky all the fish during the three days survived. I was advised by one of my pros, that filling the bottles up with lake water, or live well water was better than tapwater, because if the bottle leaked, the tap water would have hurt the fish. Another great lesson I have learned.

Good on you! And yes, tap water contains chlorine which can be fatal to fish. If I recall correctly, the water can be treated to remove the chlorine.

Roger

[Oldschool]

De-chlorination for fish tanks can be purchased at any pet store thant sells fish. You should also take the paper labels off any plastic bottles that are frozen.
The 75 degree limit is good for deep structured lakes because the bass move deeper near the thermocline where the water is cooler. Shallow lakes and the delta area may not have any water cooler than 80 degrees, so the basses core body temperature will be 80 degrees, the surface water could be 90 degrees and that is pushing the survival thermal shock limits. I would say 85 degrees is max livewell temps where the surface water is 90 and the bass core temps are 80.
Why not require a temperature probe to check the bass?, they are inexpensive and don't harm the fish. This would help educate the anglers to the problem.
You have the same low DO problems at night from surface water!
Tom

[Murph]

I usually don't do very many Tourneys in the Extreme Heat Conditions, but for the next two coming up at Mead, I'm already planning my Attack. Assuming that We are able to put some fish in the Live well, I'll tell you right now, I don't plan on losing a single Fish. I've made up the "Catch and Release Popsicles", with non Chlorinated water, plus any ice that is used will be from my house and this stuff is Filtered about 5 times before it even sees the Chill. As per Old School, I will now be taking a bottle of Peroxide to help out the DO. A Wet Towel will be over the top of the Live well Lids the entire day, (except when running, of course). I also plan on filling and chilling the tanks, first thing in the morning and maintaining this water at least 'til noon or so by using the Recirc Pumps. Around noon , hopefully we can transfer this water back to the lake and bring in some new shady water, and start the whole cycle again. Feel free to add any ideas or criticism.

[barse41]

how long will a frozen bottle last?

[Murph]

The popsicle is just in a cleaned up Water Bottle, like Dasani, 16 oz or so. They don't really last that long, but they put in just a little dose of the Catch and Release. The additional ice will actually do the Cooling.

[Gary Dobyns]

Here is my personal experience at the Open last year. I decided to ice my wells because last year was the worst temps ever. On day one my fish were "weak". I ran re-circ pumps all day to keep aeration and my "cooled" down water in my livewell. I was worried about losing fish. All were alive and counted alive but "weak". Day 2 I did the same and iced wells. Not drastic or anything. Again my fish were weak. About 10 am I had to do something different. I opened my wells to pump in fresh "hot" lake water. Again ran my pumps on manual all day. It was hard to catch them at weigh in. Very much alive. Day 3 fresh lake water all day, VERY much alive fish. I think the best option is to run pumps on manual all day, period. Also guys think about "ice bottles" in your well. In rough water you might possibly beat your fish to death. My 2 cents.

[B Becker]

Ditto Mr. Dobyns... I fished the Open and never lost a fish....I had the recirc and the fresh water going on the timer (on high). They were never weak or dead, I don't think changing the water temp on these fish is good. Living in the desert and going from hot air to AC to hot air and back to AC will make you sick!!! Same for the fish!! Just keep and eye on them and act accordingly.

[trailersource]

I fished the event as a AAA as well. It seemed that the high temps obviously had an effect on the fish, but in the three days the only dead fish we weighed was from a deep hooked bass that died within ten minutes of being put in the livewell. I can tell you that the fish in this tournament when they decided to bite the jig, they would eat it. A lot of the fish were swollowing the jig on the initial fall, so literally they'd be crapping it out before anglers could set the hook. I know my buddy fishing as pro said the fact that the fishing were eating the jig almost too well caused two of his fish to die during the event from being deep hooked. The heat made a lot of fish weak and killed quite a few, but the way they were swollowing the jigs also played a little role too in my opinion.

[JJCJR]

Despite the conditions, the official totals released by the Nevada Department of Wildlife noted, the fish kill in the 2010 US Open was the lowest it had been in a number of years. Nevada Wildlife was totally against the "drive through weigh-in" Harvey Naslund insisted on for this event. We were being watched and scrutinized closely.

Add the fact that there was a drastic increase in the total number of bass brought to the scales.

The mortality was high for the smaller smallmouth. Smallmouth bass accounted for less than 25% the fish caught in the tournament.