1st District LKS August 2010 Newsletter
*One more hot water tournament – 1st Saturday in September, 2010. Our July and August tournaments were fished in very hot temperatures and we had very hot surface temperatures in the water – much of it was in the 90’s. This is another reminder to take some and try to keep the live wells cooler. I remember fishing a tournament with Dave Clark back in the early 1970’s. He arrived at the lake with a 4 or 5 gallon milk jugs with frozen water for the live well. I wondered how much good that would do as he moved around so much. Well, one jug at a time, alternating between fresh warm water and using the circular pump for cooler water, checking the temperature of the water in the live well, plus oxygen in the live well, the fish did pretty well. I had never seen such effort. Now we’ve learned a lot in 30 years and have added a few proven aids. *Please read more on this subject: At the end of the August 7th tournament, there was a total of 11 largemouth bass that had died. Three of the eleven were dead when they were brought to the scales. After the event was over and everyone left, I went to the bottom of the hill to the lake edge and found 8 fish dead and 3 struggling to go down. I was able to take a needle and fizz 2 of the fish (over 5 lbs. each) letting the air out of the bladder so the fish could submerge and swim off. One big fish was off shore 30 yards, flopping trying to go down, but never did. Better fish care is needed during these hot days so that they live to be caught another day. Extra ice can be carried to add to the live wells to keep the water cool while running the recirculating pumps, keeping the water oxygenated. Running the live well pumps, adding fresh water when the surface temp is over 90º, makes it harder for the fish to live. Adding chemicals to the wells such as Rejuvenate or others helps, or you can use a cheaper solution such as hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide costs about 69 cents per quart, using a rate of ½ pint to a single well per application. Using the peroxide helps clean sores on the fish as well as rebuilding the slime over its scales. If the fish start to float in the well and roll over on the side and can’t sink, their bladder is full of air and they will drown. A lot of guys know how to fiz a fish, but if you don’t, ask around and someone will help you. Shorter lines and less waiting at the scales is a must if there are no cooling tanks or oxygen provided, as there are in larger tournaments. B.A.S.S. officials have stated that it is a proven fact that a full weigh in bag of cool water with 5 three pound fish has enough oxygen to hold the fish about 2-3 minutes before they start to suffocate. Don’t just dump your fish in the lake. Take a moment to watch and see if they swim off. If they don’t, a couple of extra minutes of TLC could save their life and be there to catch another day. PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR FISH!!!!
*Hunting season is here – more on this is next month’s newsletter.
*August 7th Tournament Results: 29 Boats – Look at these weights!!!
1st Place – Jim Bayes & Woody Littlejohn – 5 fish – 23 lbs. 4 ozs.
2nd Place – Craig Hipshir & Ryan Hipsher – 5 fish – 20 lbs.
3rd Place – Gary Lee Hightower & Mark Hudson – 5 fish – 19 lbs. 12 ozs.
Big Bass – Bayes & Littlejohn – 6 lbs. 6 ozs.
2nd Big Bass – TIE – Bayes & Hightower – 5 lbs. 11 ozs.
Littlejohn & Hudson – 5 lbs. 11 0zs.
Dan Cayce, President
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