We realize that most people are already doing this but in the interest of the well being of the fish we are planning on making these livewell changes “official” BnT rules starting in 2008. Look them over and let us know if you have any questions.

1. The use of metal fish baskets will no longer be allowed at BnT tournaments.

2. Float tubes and kickboats without oars may use mesh style fish baskets that have a full frame to ensure that the bag will not collapse around the fish while moving.

3. Kickboats using oars must have an out of the water livewell. No exceptions!

4. A 500GPH bilge pump minimum is to be used for refreshing out of water livewells with fresh lake water.

5. Out of water livewells must use an aerator.

6. Livewell must be able to hold a minimum of 10 gallons of water.



Although not required we would STRONGLY recommend the following...

1. Insulated ice chest livewell that is 48 quarts or larger.

2. Frequent refreshing with lake water. At least 3 times an hour throughout the day for an amount of time that will pump a minimum of 3X the volume of the livewell. More frequent pumping may be required if you do not have an insulated livewell on hot days and/or when you have multiple fish. More fish will use the available oxygen quicker and will produce more waste products that may become lethal.

3. A 5 inch or larger aerator stone (larger is better, so go with what you can fit)

4. Doping products (Rejuvenade, Please Release me, etc.)

5. Ice on very hot days.

FIT

I think requirement #6 would force me to retire from BnT next year...there's just no place on a kayak to put a big ice chest (without fear of capsizing)

It would be a shame to lose you as a member Gordon but the rule will be in effect in 2008 regardless because it is all about the well being of the fish period.

Sorry if I sound a little crass about this but us tubers, kickboaters and kayakers need to keep our dead loss at tournaments at a level that is equal to or even lower than boaters do. We have already gotten a bad rap in the past from running etc.

We haven't gone to the extent that our friends in the north have by insisting on an icechest but that isn't totally out of the question yet. We'll try this for a year first then evaluate the results.

If the State Kickboat Classic last weekend is an indicator of how the proper livewell setup works for the fish then I am all for the changes. 35 guys and gals fishing for 2 days and 1 DOA for the entire event isn't too shabby. And the fishing was pretty good too!

There are times during the year that the percentages of dead fish will be greater such as post spawn, or during hot weather which both put a lot of stress on the fish even before they are stuck in a livewell. A proper livewell setup can reduce the stress to the fish and reduce the related loss quite substantially.
I have done some experiments myself and have some data to support this and will share it with anyone who wants to see it.

Actually Gordon isn't your tub 10 gallons now anyway?

MT

Just a FYI. I are some 48 qt coolers out that are skinny, but they are tall. I would think that it would fit on a Kayak ok. Some of the guys from SCBBBC where talking and the is a tow tub (Not sure of the actule name) that was desined to put a cooler in to it. In the add they show some one pushing this thing around. That would also be an option.

dz

Thanks Mitch. These new live-well's won't save all the fish, but it's a step in the right direction for sure. I would be interested in seeing those stat's that you came up with while doing your Ice-chest / tote project. Could you post your new live well information on our forum.
Thanks

Rich

Will these rules apply for the Opens as well?

I don't know, good question, but are you going to make an open? ;)

I imagine I will again one of these years. Mostly concerned for the guys that only do this on the Opens. It would probably be a deal breaker for me if I was to have to build an out-of-the-water livewell just for one tournament.

Yes they will. In fact these changes have been in discussion since the Clear Lake Open last May.

At last May's Open the fishing was off the hook and the fish we saw brought to the scale seemed to be more stressed than usual and we had an unusually high mortality rate (6%). This is just unacceptable.

I believe this was due to a combination of circumstances. The weather was a lot warmer than the norm with an average temp for the month of May at 80+ degrees and the fish were mostly in a post spawn mode. The rigors of spawning coupled with the warmer water temps combined to create the conditions we faced that weekend. Drag bags that can collapse around fish and livewells that are not made to re-fresh water periodically or are insufficient in size to allow free movement of the fish will definitely contribute to greater levels of stress. I believe it was all these things combined that were the culprit in May. We can't do much about the weather or what stage the fish are in but we can control how we keep the fish alive and healthy until weigh in.

Will these changes eliminate tournament mortality at tube/Kickboat tourneys? No. Will they reduce the DOA rate? Absolutely!

I realize that there are people who may not fish an Open with these requirements in place but it really is about the well being of the fish and nothing else.

An out of the water livewell isn't really that difficult to make. You can make it as elaborate or as simple as you like but if it meets the minimum requirements listed you will be going a long way towards reducing the collateral damage that may occur otherwise.

I have a PDF copy of an article on Livewell Management that ran in the May/June issue of FLW ouutdoors magazine that I can e-mail to anyone interested(file is to large to post here). It has a bunch of great info.
Let me know if your interested at kickboater@yahoo.com

MT

I never thought my 'exception' would ever keep me from participating in a BnT event. In all my years of fishing with the club, since 1996, I've lost maybe 3 or 4 fish, after dozens upon dozens of tournies. I bought my underhanging mesh cage years ago, and while it may not have been the optimal solution, it has served me well over time. You guys sure you can't reevaluate your decision to have 'no exceptions'? The way I see it, there's room for a little more flexibility here.

Hi Jeff,

Where exactly would you want us to draw the line?

We understand that you are a long time member of BnT but if we make an exception for you then we need to do it for everyone and we are back to square one. Right?

We also realize that this affects guys like you who show up for a tourney a few times a year more than others perhaps. This sucks and we are very aware of that too.
That aside, I think you would agree that an aerated out of water livewell that is pumping fresh lake water periodically and using fish doping products is probably better for the fish than being pinned to the side of your bag when you are rowing.

As the sport of kickboat tournament fishing progresses we are more visable than we were ten years ago(understatement) and we are under constant scrutiny by DFG and others in regards to how we handle our fish.

These new livewell rules are geared towards the well being of the fish and I apologize if it's a hardship on anyone who wants to fish with BnT.

MT

Jeff
I would be willing to help you build a livewell for your boat that would fall under the new guidelines if you like.

Really the cost to build one of the New standard wells is minimal. I am in the early stages (Think Tank) of building one with a cooler, the coolers I priced out at Walmart the other night are cheap. I had just built a new "Rubbermaid" type Well with a 500gpm pump, but I think I can do better.

I think its a good Idea with the new well rule. I fish exclusivly out of my toon (No big boat yet) almost every weekend and when I want to store a fish for pics later in the day I want that lunker to swim away just as spunky as when I caught it.

Everybody puts there own spin,parts,ideas to building thier livewells so it is cool to see pics in the gallery of the work they have done...I will try and take some pics this time and post them....

See ya'll on the water.....

Bryan