Keeping fish alive

[TRIGGER]

With as tough as Ky lake has been in the past few years I do everything I know how to do to keep them alive and healthy. Fished a night tournament last Saturday night (7-2). I caught a fish in 12' +/- at around 7:45 on a shaky head that was text book hooked in the top of the mouth. That fish was dead within 30 minutes and I have no clue why. It was "floating" as soon as I put it in the livewell so I put weights on it. I had to use 3 to keep it upright (3.5lber). I have caught much bigger fish in 25' of water that didn't take 3 weights to keep them upright. Had ice and g juice in the livewell along with 7 other fish during the night and they all did great besides this one. The only thing I can think of is stress. Any ideas on why it died? What do you guys do when you have a sick fish?

 

[WTM]

sounds like air bladder issues. fizzing might have saved it but your needle needs to be extra sterile.

some fish come out of deeper water at dusk to feed and adjust to pressure as they move up. happens quite a bit in summer and sometimes in winter.

 

[TRIGGER]

sounds like air bladder issues. fizzing might have saved it but your needle needs to be extra sterile.

some fish come out of deeper water at dusk to feed and adjust to pressure as they move up. happens quite a bit in summer and sometimes in winter.

I am quite familiar with the air bladder issues. I have been using the weights instead of fizzing them since last summer with great success. I have fizzed them from the side and from the mouth enough to have learned that it's hard to get the correct amount of air out of them every time. You run the risk of A: not letting enough out then having to poke them again or B: letting too much out and they sink to the bottom. I'm not exactly sure what happens to them after releasing them after you have let too much out. All in all it can't be good on there health to stick a needle in em so I'm going to use the weights as long as they work which has been 100% until this fish making me think something else. I have had smallmouth die for no apparent reason that I have thought stress was the culprit but haven't had a problem with largemouth.

 

[WTM]

the only other thing i know that you can try is an oxygen injection into the livewell. weve had zero rain except for a little this week and couple that with low current the oxygen levels in the water is lower than normal.

the other problem with severe barotrauma is the pressure from the bladder will out pressure on their guts and can actually push their guts out of their mouth. more than likely your fish was going to die no matter what you do unless you try and fizz it to release the pressure.

 

[Pilchard]

With all fishing there are mortality issues. Some die quicker than others. I'd say you were just unlucky.

 

[BlackEagle1]

I agree with Pilchard. That being said I have killed several fish with iced live wells. I now run less ice, more juice, and pure oxygen. I also took the divider outta my live well box, and if I'm going a long way I use a big orca cooler rather than the wells.

 

[bluball]

I have tried everything and now i hardly ever loose a crappie unless its deep hooked.I use fin clips/flip clips i think thats what there called and weight them nose down,put them on the front small fins on crappie.I use g juice in the livewell water or cooler water if useing a cooler.When useing a cooler i use a powerbubbles aerator in the water.I add frozen water bottles to the water in warmer weather every couple hrs.But the main thing in keeping them alive is pure oxygen in the livewell.I bought a oxygen bottle from keep alive,found a pediatric regulator on ebay(was cheaper than the keep alive regulator)bought 2 of the good used oxygen stones from a buddy that guides and bought a whip where i can refill my small bottle from a big bottle.When useing a cooler we used a yeti knockoff,believe it is 100quarts.Personally in my opinion,crappie that is since i dont bass fish,the fish on kylake i think are stressed,especially mid may till fall.i have saw where every fish you put in the livewell goes straight to there side when you put them in and oxygen works the best.I carry hypodermic needles for letting air out of the bladders,but usually only use them if fishing 20fow or deeper

 

[Jmed]

You need to look into Direct Oxygen injection. I put a system in my bass boat 3 years ago and it is absolutely amazing!!!

Basically I bought a tank of welding 02, a regulator (the most expensive and important part), some nylon reinforced hose and a ceramic O2 diffuser.

I have seen fish gill hooked so bad that my water turned completely red in the well, and the fish made it 8 hours to be weighed and released. I have seen fish need clips from 12 feet, but any fish laid into 100% O2 saturated water has the best chance of recovery and survival. If you use O2, you dont have to add ice, G juice, or even run aerators.

Here is the presentation I read from Texas parks and Wildlife. If you are serious about keeping bass alive, read this entire slide show, it tells what components you need and where to get them. Installing this system was easy in my ranger and I have not lost a single bass in 3 years since installing this. And, I fish a lot of deep TN river ledges.

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If some reason this link doesnt work google: Texas parks and Wildlife Dept Livewell Oxygen injection

 

[Headhunter]

IMO, when water temps get really high, you can do about anything, but no matter how good the fish look when they are let go after riding in a livewell, even a livewell with all the "bells and whistles", a large percentage of bass are going to die after they are let go no matter how alive they appear when released. The longer the time they are in a livewell, the more likely they are to die.

 

[NumberOne]

You need to look into Direct Oxygen injection. I put a system in my bass boat 3 years ago and it is absolutely amazing!!!

Basically I bought a tank of welding 02, a regulator (the most expensive and important part), some nylon reinforced hose and a ceramic O2 diffuser.

I have seen fish gill hooked so bad that my water turned completely red in the well, and the fish made it 8 hours to be weighed and released. I have seen fish need clips from 12 feet, but any fish laid into 100% O2 saturated water has the best chance of recovery and survival. If you use O2, you dont have to add ice, G juice, or even run aerators.

Here is the presentation I read from Texas parks and Wildlife. If you are serious about keeping bass alive, read this entire slide show, it tells what components you need and where to get them. Installing this system was easy in my ranger and I have not lost a single bass in 3 years since installing this. And, I fish a lot of deep TN river ledges.

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If some reason this link doesnt work google: Texas parks and Wildlife Dept Livewell Oxygen injection

If this comes from Texas Parks and Wildlife, this is legit stuff. They know what they are doing down there when it comes to bass fishing. I will take a gander at this.

 

[bluball]

You need to look into Direct Oxygen injection. I put a system in my bass boat 3 years ago and it is absolutely amazing!!!

Basically I bought a tank of welding 02, a regulator (the most expensive and important part), some nylon reinforced hose and a ceramic O2 diffuser.

I have seen fish gill hooked so bad that my water turned completely red in the well, and the fish made it 8 hours to be weighed and released. I have seen fish need clips from 12 feet, but any fish laid into 100% O2 saturated water has the best chance of recovery and survival. If you use O2, you dont have to add ice, G juice, or even run aerators.

Here is the presentation I read from Texas parks and Wildlife. If you are serious about keeping bass alive, read this entire slide show, it tells what components you need and where to get them. Installing this system was easy in my ranger and I have not lost a single bass in 3 years since installing this. And, I fish a lot of deep TN river ledges.

ffffffffffff�=�Jݸ

If some reason this link doesnt work google: Texas parks and Wildlife Dept Livewell Oxygen injection

G juice with oz

You need to look into Direct Oxygen injection. I put a system in my bass boat 3 years ago and it is absolutely amazing!!!

Basically I bought a tank of welding 02, a regulator (the most expensive and important part), some nylon reinforced hose and a ceramic O2 diffuser.

I have seen fish gill hooked so bad that my water turned completely red in the well, and the fish made it 8 hours to be weighed and released. I have seen fish need clips from 12 feet, but any fish laid into 100% O2 saturated water has the best chance of recovery and survival. If you use O2, you dont have to add ice, G juice, or even run aerators.

Here is the presentation I read from Texas parks and Wildlife. If you are serious about keeping bass alive, read this entire slide show, it tells what components you need and where to get them. Installing this system was easy in my ranger and I have not lost a single bass in 3 years since installing this. And, I fish a lot of deep TN river ledges.

ffffffffffff�=�Jݸ

If some reason this link doesnt work google: Texas parks and Wildlife Dept Livewell Oxygen injection

G juice with the oxygen helps and clips to keep them off there sides where they can get more oxygen through there gills.The regulator and a good diffuser are the most important parts of the system.Some use regular air stones instead of a oxygen diffuser ,dont get the small bubbles with a air stone like you do with a oxygen diffuser.