live well

[jim c]

What good is a live well?? summer fish will not live in it very long,they die a slow warm death,and taste bad. To keep fish fresh they should be blead,killed with blow to head,gutted and put on ice right away,other wise kech/release.A stringer works better except the fish still die but the water is fresher,and you forget to bring them in 1/2 the time & still taste bad. the only practical use so far i found is as a sink with running water to cleanfish,and as a flush toilet for the wife. The housing for mice nest is not one of these uses,but it does this very well and is the motovation for this post,because im debating to put the stupid thing back in the boat. jim c.

[curt quesnell]

i prefer to toss the fish into a cooler of ice. i dont monkey
with the bleeding and bonking but i can see where that could
be a good thing to do. but then you have a cooler in the way.

if i leave the aeration on in the live well and dont get too
many in each well the fish do fine usually. but then you have
live fish floppin around at cleaning time.

im thinking this year i will try a couple bags of ice in the
livewell and no water to see if the fish can stay fresh, dead
and out of the way...

win win win

curt quesnell

[Joker]

Wife uses your livewell to pee in?
No wonder your fish die and taste bad!
:O

[Stezostedion vitreum man]

Jim C.

Livewells work well for keeping minnows alive, as long as you don't keep them too long. They work best for fish early in the year, when the water is cold, thus the water can hold more oxygen. Aerators help, but in warmer weather they have a hard time keeping fish alive, especially the walleye which is very sensitive to oxygen levels. Some fisherman have set up an oxygen apparatus to keep the dissolved oxygen content up, thus helping fish to survive in a restricted livewell for a longer period of time. These set ups are fine for fishing tournaments, where the fish are going to be weighed in and released, and not consumed.

Walleyes that are caught for consumption should be bonked over the head immediately and put on ice, that is of course, if you don't want to go through the trouble of immediately bleeding , gutting, and gilling them, which usually is not practical alternative every time you catch a fish. Fish that remain alive in the livewell undergo a great deal of stress in this very confined area. When under stress, fish produce enzymes that have a tendency to taint the meat.

The best way to assure freshness is to have a styrofoam cooler with a block of ice in it, this of course takes up more room in the boat. In the above post, it was mentioned that a couple of bags of ice in the livewell might be an alternative, however, unless you have your livewell insulated the ice won't last too long, especially during the warmer summer months. There are advantages and disadvantages no matter what method you use. But you are right, the livewell (or two) is an expensive addition to a boat that doesn't always live up to its billing.

Remember to keep your eyes open and your feet dry.

S.v.m

[jim c]

I believe the live well may be dead.Thanks for the excellent post ,oh is that the gilded stezostedion vitreum homo sapien ??

[Stezostedion vitreum man]

Jim C.

I think the more appropriate taxomonic nomenclature would be Stezostedion vitreum man neanderthalis. Many of us have not been upgraded to the " wise man " status as of yet. Have a good day, Jim.

Remember to keep your eyes open and your feet dry.

S.v.m

[IaCraig]

I agree that icing the fish imediately is a very good way to keep them fresh, especially for those that are going to die from being hooked deep or brought up too fast. We always do this for all perch cause they seem to die easy, and usually for bluegills because they are often hooked deep.
However, I have a huge livewell in my Crestliner Phantom and if I circulate the water with any frequency I do not have any problems with Walleyes or Pike dying. But if I forget to turn the areator on they will die eventually and I agree they don't look too appitizing, but even in those situations I do not remember ever noticing a bad taste.

Maybe my taste buds are not as sophisticated as some of you other guys, after all I have also been known to even eat a catfish once in a while.

IaCraig

[IaCraig]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-08-01 AT 07:44AM (CST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Apr-08-01 AT 07:43*AM (CST)

Ooops accidental duplication

IaCraig

[tuffy18]

Try cirruculating your water once in a while. I have found that o2 tabs work very well in warm water. I keep my livewell pump on almost constantly in the summer(except when I run my big motor). I have yet to pell a dead 'eye from my livewell.