Keeping fish cool in the boat

[RUGER]

Noticed yesterday the bream we caught were a little off color when I got home.
I forgot to get ice and they were just in water in a cooler.
Typically I will put water in then add a bag of ice then put the fish in.
Just wondering what else I could do.
Anybody ever put water and ice then try adding some rock salt ?

Just trying to get the best method?

 

[chimneyman]

Water in cooler then add frozen milk jugs or 2 liter bottles. Helps keep them alive. Reusable never buy ice again

 

[shopson]

I hit them in back of head with little wooden bat(sorry peta) then throw them in cooler with ice bottles. Like chimney and says, never buy ice.

 

[Pilchard]

Saltwater slurry is the best way. 1 bucket of sea water to every 10lbs of ice. Not sure how you do that in TN though.

 

[BuckWild]

freeze a couple of two liter coke bottles and throw them in there.

You're done.

 

[Big Pop]

Water in cooler then add frozen milk jugs or 2 liter bottles. Helps keep them alive. Reusable never buy ice again

^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Openlake]

The fish come out of warm water so it's not the water temp in the livewell per say, it's that the livewell gets hot like a Sauna.

TH Marine has T-V2 live well vents. The temps get really high when the livewell lids are closed. The vents really help the live well lids breath keeping temps lower.

Keep the aerator on recirculate, not fresh water. Studies say recirculating creates more oxygen than fresh water. A shot of Hydrogen Peroxide can help. (H2O2, has an extra molecule of oxygen over pure water).

It's possible to crack the lids slightly and place a soaked white towel over to combat the effects of the sun.

Recirculation and ice make the easiest impact.

 

[brassmagnet]

I keep 1/2 gallon milk jugs and bottled water bottles frozen for that and it keeps ice in the freezer if the power goes out. Just throw them in the live well and let the aerator run. If I'm mad at them I take a 120 quart cooler and an aerator and see who wins!! I'll be getting after them this afternoon and I'm getting angry just thinking about it. 1/2 gallon buttermilk jugs will work if you don't have milk jugs, yeah I did!

 

[hammer33]

Get a piece of that 1" green foam from HD or Lowes. Cut to fit the underside of your livewell lid so it will still close. Then epoxy or 3M 5200 it to the underside of the lid. It will cut way way down on the heat coming through the lid. Back before the 5 day coolers We would drill holes in the lid of our coolers and fill with spray foam. (don't overfill or you will have a basketball instead of a cooler lid, don't ask me how I figured that out! ) The stock cooler would keep ice in the boat until the end of the day... maybe. The foamed coolers would still have ice after 2-3 days.

 

[Specializedjon]

I hit them in back of head with little wooden bat(sorry peta) then throw them in cooler with ice bottles. Like chimney and says, never buy ice.

i.e. shopson just sets his heart in the live well for a few second, keeps it cold all day

- PETA

 

[WTM]

more than likely an oxygen issue if they are turning lighter color. if i didnt have a livewell id just ice them immediately and forgo the salt idea.

i keep mine in a livewell on ariate and shock kill them with ice when i get to the ramp. i think my problem with mushy crappie has been ive been letting them sit too long in the ice water after i shock kill them. i think the next batch of crappie i catch im gonna ice them immediately and see what that does to the meat.

 

[chimneyman]

Another thing I try to do is fill my jugs up with lake water before freezing. After awhile the jugs will develop leaks and if your using tap water it seems like it kills the fish. Only important if your fishing a tournament if just meat fishing no big deal