# Live well?



## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

I have a very basic question? Does one need a live well in order to fish in a tournament? I have a 14 foot aluminum boat and use a cooler for keepers. Have been thinking about the possibility of trying a tourney next year but don't know if I would be able to enter without the right equipment.

Thanks.


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## Rivergetter (Jun 28, 2011)

Most tx the rules say you must have a working livewell but that can be a cooler as long as it has a aerator pump


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## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

Thank you Rivergetter. That will be something I will considering over the winter.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

You didn't say what kind of fish the tournaments you're interested in fishing are. I'm only familiar with the rules for bass tournaments. As Rivergetter said, all bass tournaments that I know of require a working live well that must be able to support a tournament limit of fish. For most bass tournaments that's the daily limit of one angler. For bass in Ohio, that would mean 5 fish. Personally I'd say you need something that can hold at least 20 gallons of water, and have a GOOD aerator. In other words, not something that is meant to keep minnows alive. In something like a cooler where you're probably not going to have an overflow set up to where you can keep bringing in fresh lake water, you're going to want to use a live well treatment like Catch and Release. It has chemicals that help the fish regenerate the slime coat, and replaces electrolytes. It also removes ammonia and chlorine. As well as a chemical that helps to calm the fish. 

I've read some of your other posts so I know you are a caring fisherman and are concerned about the health of the fish. You don't want them dying on you which can happen in too small of a live well. You also don't want dead fish at weigh in. Most all of the tournaments I fish have an 8 oz. penalty for a dead fish. Plus you can't cull a dead fish. And really ethically you shouldn't cull a dead fish anyhow, even if you were allowed to. I have actually fished a bass circuit that wouldn't allow you to weigh a dead fish. Which I thought was a stupid rule, but still..... it was one of the rules. 

Tournament fishing is fun. The boat you're in doesn't win fishing tournaments, so having a smaller boat shouldn't deter you from trying them out. I started in a small 14' aluminum boat as well. Do yourself and even more importantly......the fish a favor though........ make sure you have a good live well. And use Catch and Release. 

There is one other benefit to using Catch and Release that isn't printed in any literature about it. It can actually help your fish measure longer. When you catch a fish it tenses up, and can actually shrink in length. The calming effect of catch and release will actually make them measure longer than when you put them in the live well. Don't get me wrong...... it doesn't work on every fish, or every time. But I've seen it happen on my boat more than a few times. So I know from first hand experience as to what it can do.


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## Rivergetter (Jun 28, 2011)

Bassbme said:


> You didn't say what kind of fish the tournaments you're interested in fishing are. I'm only familiar with the rules for bass tournaments. As Rivergetter said, all bass tournaments that I know of require a working live well that must be able to support a tournament limit of fish. For most bass tournaments that's the daily limit of one angler. For bass in Ohio, that would mean 5 fish. Personally I'd say you need something that can hold at least 20 gallons of water, and have a GOOD aerator. In other words, not something that is meant to keep minnows alive. In something like a cooler where you're probably not going to have an overflow set up to where you can keep bringing in fresh lake water, you're going to want to use a live well treatment like Catch and Release. It has chemicals that help the fish regenerate the slime coat, and replaces electrolytes. It also removes ammonia and chlorine. As well as a chemical that helps to calm the fish.
> 
> I've read some of your other posts so I know you are a caring fisherman and are concerned about the health of the fish. You don't want them dying on you which can happen in too small of a live well. You also don't want dead fish at weigh in. Most all of the tournaments I fish have an 8 oz. penalty for a dead fish. Plus you can't cull a dead fish. And really ethically you shouldn't cull a dead fish anyhow, even if you were allowed to. I have actually fished a bass circuit that wouldn't allow you to weigh a dead fish. Which I thought was a stupid rule, but still..... it was one of the rules.
> 
> ...


Ya what he said. I can't type all that on my phone I get lost to easy. 


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## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

Bassbme,

Thank you for the detailed reply and the encouragement. 

I have no idea what tourney I would enter. Right now I am trying to understand and perfect my trolling techniques which has me targeting Walleye. I started the season casting for bass but I now find the troll to be more "exciting" because of all of the variables and navigation challenges. So if I stick to trolling I would probably look to trying my first tourney in a Walleye tx. 

I am watching for the results of the Walleye Madness tourney on Milton Sunday . I may even stop by the lake an take a shot at a few eyes myself if it is not too crowded with competitors on Sunday. My curiosity is peaked and want to see how high the bar is set by comparing the results this weekend to what my best day on Milton has been. 

I do not believe I am to the caliber of competition level fishing yet by any standard, but am working towards that goal. Your information helps me know what I need to be thinking about. I might start looking around for a pump and attempt to build my own recirculating 
system that I can easily put in and take out of my boat. It gets fairly cramped in there when I have all my gear and safety equip.


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## Bassnpro1 (Apr 6, 2004)

I won a small tournament today using a 14ft boat and a cooler for a livewell. We have it set up with two tubes that go over the side of the boat to circulate water. The intake is just a bilge pump that goes in the water over the side of the boat


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## lakeslouie (Jan 11, 2006)

Bassnpro1 said:


> I won a small tournament today using a 14ft boat and a cooler for a livewell. We have it set up with two tubes that go over the side of the boat to circulate water. The intake is just a bilge pump that goes in the water over the side of the boat
> 
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


That is the key!! Must have a way to replenish with fresh water.


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## crappiecat (Sep 7, 2010)

Like others have said. Cooler should be fine unless someone is being stupid about it. Really what's the difference between a cooler and a built in livewell? Not much other than the built in ones look nicer than a cooler. Until this year I used a cooler. Heck, even now I'll use the cooler or my big tub instead of the livewell in the boat. More room and works better for me.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

if you can find one like the one i have it would be great. i found a bracket that fastens to the bottom of the transom then it has a 360 gph sump pump that fits in it. it sticks down about 1/4" below the bottom of the boat and has slots cut in it, so when your running down the lake it will still pick up water. then a hose goes to my cooler and i cut a round hole close to the top of the cooler and use a 3" hose and glued it in the hole with silicone rubber. then i just hang the drain line over the back of the boat. and you can take everything out of your boat and just leave the bracket on the back of the boat. i found mine on ebay. but im not sure what i typed in to find it. live well pump or aerator or what. its been a long time. good luck.
sherman


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