How Do I Keep Fish Alive?
In most kayak fishing tournaments, especially bass events, the rules stipulate live fish at the weigh in or to the weigh boats. If you're just getting started kayak fishing or you've never needed to keep fish alive for extended periods of time you may have some questions. Here are three systems for keeping fish alive in your kayak along with their pros and cons.
1. The Mesh Bag
A mesh bag, or laundry bag, is a cheap and compact way to keep fish alive
for extended periods of time. The bags are typically tied onto the
kayak with a length of nylon rope and left to drag behind the kayak
when there are fish aboard. The free flow of water can keep them healthy
but this system has the largest drawbacks. The mesh bag will collapse
around the fish when in motion and it tends to stay that way. As a
fish may struggle at the feeling of being encased the polyester or
nylon fabric can remove the slime coat from the fish. Even though it
may be alive when it's weighed this could lead to infection or disease
in the fish. The slime coat is important. Laundry bags run about $7-$10
and are available at any big box store such as Target or Wal*Mart.
2. The Floating Wire Basket
Option two is the wire basket. This is a floating wire cage that collapses
flat when not in use. The bouyancy comes from the lid with is plastic
and foam filled, when placed in the water the cage sinks down and opens
up and the lid stays right at the surface. The result is an area large
enough for a couple of bass to swim in tight circles. The baskets come
in varying sizes and some are quite large, able to hold a limit (10)
of spotties without much trouble. These have an advantage over the
mesh bags in that they do not collapse around the fish and are less
likely to remove the fishes protective coat. The wire baskets do, however,
create a great deal of drag when left in the water during transitions.
So consider loading the fish up on your lap for a few strokes, givng
them a bath to breath and then moving again. This is not recommended
if you're covering a lot of water. Baskets such as these can be found
at Wal*Mart for about $8.
3. The Bait Tank/Livewell
The
most robust and healthy offering is the bait tank or live well. A container
such as a 5 gallon bucket or a custom designed unit such as those from
www.liquidfishing.com can keep bass alive all day. A bilge pump is used
to draw water up from the ocean and into the tank while drains at the
appropriate levels let the water flush through. The constantly circulating
water is keeping the fish alive while the relatively larger amount of
space and plastic walls protects them as much as anything could. The
downside is, of course, the price. When some options are less than $10
it can be daunting to purchase a $150 system plus battery and other add-ons.
The bait tanks from Liquid Fishing are well built and more affordable
than some and there are also instructions on the web for building your
own, if so inclined. It's not very difficult to build your own bait tank
or livewell. Instructions on a bait tank made from a 5 gallon bucket
is online here. As a tournament running organization
we like this method the most as the fish are in the best shape after
we weigh them. More and more kayak fishermen look at bait tanks as another
necessary piece of equipment whether they're using it to keep bait alive
while out hunting yellowtail and white sea bass or they're using it as
a livewell for bass tournaments (freshwater or saltwater). I've recently
created a very large livewell out of a 30 qt cooler and it kept a nearly
six pound calico bass alive for 4 hours without harm.
Whichever method you like, get set up! Practice getting fish in and out of your livewell so that you find any pitfalls or avoid any blunders when it really counts. We'll see you on the water.
Respectfully,
The Plastic Navy Team