Livewells should be filled early in the morning while the surface water is the coolest. Fill your livewell and then start your aerator oroxygenation system to saturate the water with oxygen prior to catching the first fish. Having your livewell ready prior to catching your first fish saves time and ounces! We suggest using a product called “Rejuvenade” to enhance your livewell system. Add the appropriate amount of Rejuvenade necessary to treat the volume of water in your livewell at the dock prior to take off and you're ready to fill your livewell and maximize the survival of your fish! After the first fish is caught, the aerator/oxygenation system should run continually. Follow manufacturer recommendations on oxygenation systems.

When water temperature exceeds 80 degrees ice should be added as needed to keep Iivewell water cool. Keep livewell temperature 8 to 10 degrees below surface water temperature. Using frozen bottles of water or another type of contained coolant will prevent livewell salinity from being diluted. When water temps exceed 80 degrees it is not recommended that you continually flow lagoon water through your livewell. Doing so will add hot water and hot water holds less oxygen. This practice will stress and often times kill fish. It is better to fill the livewell early and cool it periodically with ice to maintain cool livewell water temperature. This increases the oxygen carrying capacity of the water and minimizes heat stress on the fish. With a limit of fish in the livewell, you should replace half the volume of water in your Iivewell every 2-3 hours (in order to remove metabolic waste). Water should be replaced and recharged with Rejuvenade. lce should be added to lower the temperature of the incoming water to acceptable levels.

Livewell water should be cooled prior to the final run into the weigh-in site to reduce the stress on fish during this time of being jostled around in a fast moving boat. Prior to motoring into the dock area, check livewell water level (livewell should be full in order to optimize the environment for the fish). If additional water is needed, take it from the main body of water. Refill, cool, and treat with Rejuvenade before you come into the dock area. WATER SHOULD NOT BE PULLED IN AT THE DOCK, this water is hotter, holds less oxygen, and may contain petroleum by-products harmful to your catch. When docked at the weigh-in site and your creel is put in a weigh-in bag, the bag should be filled with the cooler, oxygenated water from the livewell rather than the surface water at the landing. Remember, the water at the landing is typically shallower, hotter, lower in oxygen, and may contain petroleum by products that are harmful to your catch.

At weigh-in, do not take your fish from the livewell prematurely. Wait until the scales are ready for your fish and then remove them from the livewell. Many fish can die while sitting in a weigh-in bad if left in the bag too long. These are suggestions for livewell management during tournament conditions and are designed to provide optimum conditions for saltwater (redfish, speckled trout, and snook) tournament anglers. Following these procedures will help to reduce the chances of water weight loss, regurgitation weight loss, and fish mortality.