This is just a heads up since the first BnT tourney of 08 is just over a month away. The new livewell requirements will be in effect for all BnT tourneys including Opens.

Here is the minimum requirement to participate.

6. All vessels must have a livewell - no stringers or metal fish baskets allowed.

Minimum livewell requirements are:
a. - Kickboats using oars must have an out of the water livewell.
b. - A 350 GPH minimum bilge pump is to be used for refreshing out of water livewells with fresh lake water.
c. - Out of water livewells must use an aerator.
d. - Livewells must be constructed from a minimum 10 gallon container.
e. - 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.

If any one needs help making a livewell that meets these requirements let me know and I will personally lend a hand with the construction.

To see a complete list of tournament rules go here...
http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/tourney%20rules.html

Edit: I added a new gallery to the rigging photo gallery with pics of all the material needed to build a BNT tourney ready livewell.
http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/gallery/Tournament-Livewell

See y'all on the river :7

MT

I like the rules its simple to make a livewell and their only a few bucks so no one should have any problems being able to make the new standard. Good Job guys on moving forward on this tourney requirement.

And just in case someone is new to kick boat tourney’s reading this post – here is a great gallery of pics on how to set up a livewell to a kickboat.

http://www.bass-n-tubes.com/gallery/rigging

cz

MT - Where did you purchase the aerator stone for your livewell? The one I currently have is the one that came with the unit and it looks kinda small.

Joe,
Any pet store sells stones but make sure you get a stone that has a plastic backing otherwise when the fish bang around in the well they WILL break the stones with out plastic back, I know from experience. I personally run two 10 inch stones in my well and it keep the fish happy. Here is a link to a picture of the stones from a local pet store

http://www.petco.com/product/9219/Aquatic-Gardens-Bubble-Bars.aspx

FIT

Thanks Paul,

That amount of air might make them too happy ! :7

Let me know if there's any chance of a rule waiver for the Opens or whatever. So many lbs. of top-side water storage puts me over the weight capacity on my boat.

- jeff

-----------------------
Every day Congress convenes, we lose a little more of our LIBERTY!!!

(-- Mark Levin, radio-show host/KSFO 3-6pm)

Hey Jeff it is actually the opens that most concern us. Last year in May at Clear Lake we had 34 DOA's for 6% of the total catch. That is just unacceptable so BnT club officers decided it was time to take action to reduce this number. We send a contest report to DFG for every tourney we hold so they are fully aware of this. If we don't take steps to limit the DOA rate then DFG could stop issuing permits to the club. We are trying to be proactive in our approach to this instead of reacting when we get our permits pulled.

I did a bunch of research on water quality and how to maintain a healthier environment for our catch after last years open.
Oxygen is key. Warm water holds less oxygen than cool water. Drag bag livewells tend to pin the fish near the surface in the warmer most oxygen deprived water in the lake. You also can not aerate a drag bag or add fish doping products and ice to control the environment.

Clear lake in May can be a special place but those fish are already stressed by the spawn. The keys always has poorer water quality just because of the way it's laid out. Add to that the rising lake temps then pulling the fish from deeper/cooler water and placing them in an un-aerated livewell or a follow me bag on the surface and it is a recipe for disaster.

Myself, Paul and the rest of the BNT staff put a lot of thought into this and we also realize that most long time BnT members do a fairly good job taking care of their catch but to remain fair to everybody the current rule for 2008 is what we came up with.

Is it perfect for everybody? No. Is it better for the well being of the fish? Yes.

Unfortunately for the fisherman but fortunately for the fish I believe this rule will stand for all future BnT tourneys including and especially the opens.

As far as weight capacity goes I believe that all the kickboat manufacturers sandbag this big time, probably for liability reasons. Your Outcast boat should be able to handle an out of water livewell without too much trouble at all. Personally I think pulling around a drag bag is like dragging an anchor all over the place. It deters from the performance of the boat. I have also found that on very windy days the added weight is actually a bonus. It acts as a ballast to keep you from blowing around too much and definitely helps when rowing in the wind.

MT

is there a recommended size/output? cause I imagine you can get an underpowered unit pretty easily, and hit the other end of the spectrum also with one that makes the livewell look like a jacuzzi.

recommendations?

Most, if not all B-N-T's use 500-GPH pumps.

DM

for the pump to add/refresh water in the livwell the rule says 350GPH minimum. I use a 500 GPH with a spray head that helps aerate when I refresh the water(2 or three times an hour).

The aerator I use is this one.
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/6461-BBA.jpg

And I added a bigger stone, like this one.
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/6460-air_stone.jpg

MT

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)
Attachment #2, (.jpg file)

Jeff, I'd be glad to help you set up a live well for your Outcast. I've made three of them since joining b-n-t and since you live in town it would be an easy thing to accomplish, just let me know. ;-)

DM