Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Keeping Bass Alive



Since 1972, BASS has been a leader in bass conservation. In order for bass populations to stay healthy in spite of all the fishing pressure, anglers had to change their attitudes from catch-and-grease to catch-and-release. In 2002 BASS published the book, Keeping Bass Alive, the most comprehensive book for tournament anglers and organizers ever published. It has now been published and I would like to share tips from the new pocket guide. We can all learn from these tips for all kinds of fishing.

  • Minimize handling and air exposure time. Land fish and remove hooks as quickly as possible.
  • Protect the slime coat. Don't let fish flop on carpet or deck.
  • When surface water temperature is less than 75° F, aerate the livewell by flushing with fresh water.
  • Run recirculating aeration continuously when the boat is moving and cannot pump in fresh water.
  • When surface temperature exceeds 75° F, use continuous recirculation. Add a block of ice to cool the water.
  • When operating livewell in recirculation mode with more than 5 lbs of bass, replace half of the livewell water with fresh water every 3 hours to remove amonia. Add ice to lower temperature to the target range. When recirculating, add 1/3 cup non-iodized salt for each 5 gallons of livewell water.
  • At weigh-in, use only bags provided by the tournament officials.
    Fill with at least 2 gallons of livewell water.
  • While in the waiting line, dip fresh water into your bag several times
    from life-support tanks.
  • Handle fish with wet hands, hold bass vertically by the lower jaw
    or support fish with 2 hands.
  • For more info visit bassmaster.com/conservation


http://www.fishing-news.us/2009/08/k...***-alive.html