You don’t need someone to tell you it’s hot out there, especially sitting in a boat with no shade. The following are some tips to help keep you and your fish alive during a fishing tournament, courtesty Outlaw Outdoors Bass Fishing Tournaments.
Fill your livewells early before the surface temperature gets in the high 80's. Carry a couple of extra bags of ice with you and add ice periodically during the day to keep the water temperature down in the 70's or low 80's (don't worry about the chlorine...the livewell additive will take care of this)
Be sure you have a livewell additive such as “Please Release Me” or “Sure Life” to add to your water to keep your fish healthy.
If you catch your fish in deep water, you will need to fizz them. If you do not know how to fizz a fish, then there are plenty of YouTube videos that show you how. The key to fizzing fish is to not wait long after you see them roll on their side in the livewell. Get them fizzed so they can swim around upright the rest of the day.
If you start noticing brown bubbles in your livewell, swap out the water. Fish release toxins throughout the day, and if you leave them in these toxins, it can be deadly to fish. Remember, if you swap out your water, you will need to re-treat it with ice and livewell treatment.
If you have a timer on your aerator, adjust it to where it comes on every couple of minutes. If you don't have a timer, then as the day starts to heat up, run the aerator on manual.
PUT A SET OF JUMPER CABLES IN YOUR BOAT! Running the aerators more than usual could run down your battery. It is okay. Just have jumper cables in your boat to give your cranking battery a jump from one of your trolling motor batteries.
Start hydrating your body the night before the tournament so you start the day out in good shape. Do not wait until you get thirsty to drink water while you are fishing. Stop fishing every 30 minutes or so and drink as much water as you can. We personally freeze water bottles and take with us. As it starts to warm up, I will take one out of the cooler and put it on the deck. As it melts, drink it. There is something about seeing that cold bottle of water at your feet that encourages you to drink!
Lastly, be careful on the water. There is no shame in quitting early when it comes to your health!
