Livewell question.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I bought my first boat this spring a Bass Tracker pro17. Anyone know how big the livewell is? Im guessing by the looks of it 16-18 gallons.

Here's the real question. Would a livewell that size be suitable for tournament fishing (5 fish limit)? most full size rigs have 30+ gallon livewells, right? Looking to possibly start dabbling in tournaments but wouldnt want to bring a bunch of dead fish to weigh ins.

What extra precautions should I take to keep fish alive and healthy? Ice paks, additives, oxygenator?

[kaine]

im pretty sure it would be just fine to tourney fish out of it, adding a oxygenator would deffinately be a good idea. you would just want to be careful on hot days especially when the water temp gets really high even then i would just keep dumping ice in the wells to keep the temp down.

[YUM]

I have a 17 foot tracker and have fished tournaments for like 5-6 years and only have had one fish die in the livewell... and thats because the recirculator broke. I generally add Sure Life Catch and Release however, but dont think it is completely necessary. You will be fine.

[PerchJerker]

After you fill your livewell, keep recirculating the water in it but do not continue to pump in new water from the lake if the surface temperature is much above 70 degrees.

Pumping in "fresh" lake water will be putting warm water in the livewell, and that's bad for the fish.

Continually recirculating the water that's in the livewell will help cool it, since it's moving all the time, and will oxygenate the water and dissipate the ammonia that builds up in it. All good things for the fish.

If it's really warm I keep my recirculator running constantly, if it's not "too hot" then I have it on the timer and adjust how frequently it runs based on the water temps, number of fish, etc.

[BassNut33]

I have a 17 foot Alumacraft bass boat with what I would assume is teh same sized livewell. I have not had any problems with fis yet. I have used livewell treatment and ice and have been just fine. That is good info on putting in fresh lake water.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

appreciate the feedback.

Perch jerker, unfortunately I dont have a recirculating pump, I can only pump water in. That's where I was thinking something like an oxygenator and ice would come in handy.

BassNut33, what do you do to ice the water? Actual ice cubes/blocks? I was thinking a few frozen 20oz bottles. How much do you need to bring for an average day?

[BassNut33]

I know some guys use frozen bottle of water, I have been stopping at Burger King you can get 10 pounds of ice for under 2 bucks from them. I will through ice in the livewell periodically throughout the day. I really think rejuvanate powder helps keep the fish in good shape. My partner calls it bass crack!.