Super User Catch and Grease Posted April 28, 2015 Super User Posted April 28, 2015 I really wanna do a tournament coming up in early May on the lake I fish a lot, we have a livewell in our boat but it doesn't have an aerator. It just has a hole where the lake water goes in and fills it up when you put the boat in the water, what If I bought one of those portable aerators from the store and put it in there? Would that be good enough? Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted April 28, 2015 Author Super User Posted April 28, 2015 It also isn't a very large livewell so If we caught 5 big fish they would be kinda cramped in there shoulder to shoulder.... Quote
Super User F14A-B Posted April 28, 2015 Super User Posted April 28, 2015 It will work.. If they croak, then can you say.. Catch & Grease? Lol.. I think you can get by just fine. Good luck & post your earnings at IRS. Com 1 Quote
CRANKENSTIEN Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 Cabellas has a live well aerator kit that would most likely work for you. It is made to fit into a cooler but I'm sure it would work for your situation. Believe it is about 40 dol. you should fish the tourney. Good luck. 1 Quote
RAMBLER Posted April 28, 2015 Posted April 28, 2015 I have a follow up question to that. Will most tournament officials let you fish in their tourney if your live well is not adequate? 1 Quote
Super User WIGuide Posted April 28, 2015 Super User Posted April 28, 2015 That should work for you as long as you throw in some fresh water every now and then. You could add a permanent install to it for not much more than the cost of the cooler setup. 1 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted April 28, 2015 Super User Posted April 28, 2015 Rambler, every tournament I've been in required s working live well, and they always check. Though, I figure they're making sure you don't already have fish in there. 2 Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted April 28, 2015 Author Super User Posted April 28, 2015 I bought something called a "bubble box" this morning because a friend recommended it... It wasn't very expensive, hopefully it'll do its job. 1 Quote
Super User gardnerjigman Posted April 28, 2015 Super User Posted April 28, 2015 My buddies boat that he had before he got his new one was the same way. Natural fill livewell with no aerator. It worked well, even in the summer months. Just be sure to keep an eye on the fish, keep them covered up and you should be fine. Like others have said, you could turn your existing livewell into a permanent aerated/recirculated system for pretty cheap. Quote
Global Moderator Mike L Posted April 28, 2015 Global Moderator Posted April 28, 2015 The bubblebox will help, but I'd be sure to bring a bag of ice especially if the day is hot. It will help with any bleed and with keeping the water "fresher" without a recirculater. Mike Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted April 28, 2015 Author Super User Posted April 28, 2015 The bubblebox will help, but I'd be sure to bring a bag of ice especially if the day is hot. It will help with any bleed and with keeping the water "fresher" without a recirculater. Mike How much ice should I put in the livewell? And how often? Quote
Global Moderator Mike L Posted April 28, 2015 Global Moderator Posted April 28, 2015 A 10lb bag will be more than enough. Not knowing how big your box is, I'd put just enough in so that no more than half of the surface is covered at one time. Put a little in at a time so as to keep the temperature as consistant as you can. Mike 1 Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted April 29, 2015 Author Super User Posted April 29, 2015 Well I went ahead and signed up for the tournament today... Wish me luck! 2 Quote
Super User F14A-B Posted April 29, 2015 Super User Posted April 29, 2015 Have fun and do report back! Best of luck & catch em good!! 1 Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted April 29, 2015 Global Moderator Posted April 29, 2015 How much ice should I put in the livewell? And how often? Be careful adding ice. A lot of times it has chlorine in it that can kill the fish in heavier concentrations. I like to freeze gallon milk jugs and just put those in the livewell so they're kept cool but none of the ice water gets into my livewell water. 6 Quote
BrownBear Posted April 29, 2015 Posted April 29, 2015 You might want to contact the tournament folks and ask if your setup will allow you to fish in the tournament, before you waste a lot of money and time. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted April 29, 2015 Author Super User Posted April 29, 2015 You might want to contact the tournament folks and ask if your setup will allow you to fish in the tournament, before you waste a lot of money and time. All the lady that signed me up could do for me is give me an info packet and all it says is you need a livewell and aerator. Quote
corn-on-the-rob Posted April 29, 2015 Posted April 29, 2015 In any tournaments I have fished an aerated live-well was required. Be sure to check regulations. Quote
Super User F14A-B Posted April 29, 2015 Super User Posted April 29, 2015 Taking what bluebasser said, 20oz soda bottles frozen make nice big ice cubes.. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted April 29, 2015 Super User Posted April 29, 2015 FYI, when you freeze chlorinated and fluoridated water, you freeze those chemicals in the water. You want use a treatment like Sure Life to eliminate them, since they're bad for the fish. Quote
Super User Catch and Grease Posted April 29, 2015 Author Super User Posted April 29, 2015 Yeah I'll probably just freeze some water bottles like bluebasser mentioned 1 Quote
Super User Team9nine Posted April 29, 2015 Super User Posted April 29, 2015 Water bottles are good, as is having some type of conditioner which will help offset any chemical impurities, but the bit about chlorine levels in bags of ice is a bit overblown, IMO. I've never heard or seen of a livewell full of dead bass in 25 years of tourney fishing from a bag of ice in these parts, and the Maryland DNR actually did a test on local suppliers many years back and found no issue with bulk produced store bought ice: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/fisheries/Documents/IsChlorineinLiveWellsaProblemdoc.pdf -T9 Quote
Super User J Francho Posted April 29, 2015 Super User Posted April 29, 2015 Probably not from a bag of ice purchased, but some of the municipal water up here can be pretty bad, so homemade ice may be an issue. Like a lot of things, it depends on the source. Quote
CDMeyer Posted April 30, 2015 Posted April 30, 2015 I have used those portable ones before, they work just fine and have kept all my fish alive..... You should be fine Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted May 1, 2015 Super User Posted May 1, 2015 You can also bring an old cooler in case you get 5 big ones and need to move a couple so they aren't too crowded. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.