Most sports are games of inches. Bass fishing is a game of ounces! Keeping fish alive is often the difference between winning tournaments and just fishing tournaments. Tournament organizations deduct penalty ounces for dead fish! Not only that, but dead fish give the tournament industry and bass fishing in general a bad name.
Legal tournament limits, usually five fish, are kept alive aboard in livewells, aquariums equipped with pumps and aeration systems. Now pro anglers, tournament organizations, and weekend anglers are sprinkling in “BassMedics Rejuvenade Next Generation”, revitalizing livewell water blue with life! Scientifically formulated, Rejuvenade improves fish health in tournament trail weigh-in tubs allowing release boats to carry out live releases. American Bass Angler (ABA) tournaments include official rules for the use of Rejuvenade: in livewells from the beginning of the day, replenish through the day, ensure aerators properly maintain oxygen levels. This is especially essential with fish stressed due to weather, injury, or being pulled up from deep water.
At FLW Championships, with a million dollars on the line, anglers and tournament organizers rely on responsible fish handling and Rejuvenade to put on a great show. Weighing fish on stage in a water-filled tank for all to see, fish slide in through a chute and swim around, much to the delight and excitement of the audience! In the hot August summers of 2008 at Lake Murray, SC and in 2009 in Pittsburg, PA, anglers and show officials backstage brought lively fish to the stage. Sweating it out with them were Columbia’s tourism officers who refer to their lake as the “Jewel of South Carolina”. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh was trying to convince anglers that Steel City fisheries are making a comeback. “Dead fish” kill tournaments and that’s bad for business!
FLW tournament director Bill Taylor insists fish survival is important to his company. “It proves to the public we can handle the fish and return them to their fishery to be caught again.” Before reaching the stage, they’re introduced into fresh water tubs and kept a few degrees cooler than the fishery, with oxygen and Rejuvenade added. Monitoring devices allow FLW officials to know when it’s time to beef up oxygen content. In addition, each competitor has an air stone placed into his or her bag. Specially equipped release boats, with more Rejuvenade, disperse live fish to random release areas. Nearly 100% are released alive!
Tournament fish held in livewells are stressed and need the best care possible. David Hagood, VP of ABA, observes fish for an hour, giving fish plenty of time to recover energy lost during a fight and from confinement. His trails boast 98% or higher release rate. “If they come to us alive they are released alive!” It’s more than just saving the fish and avoiding a dead fish penalty. When every ounce counts, live healthy fish can weigh more!
How much does it cost? If you don’t use additives? Dalton Bobo, a successful tournament journeyman pro, would have been a bass-household name had it not been for one fish that died with one hour to go. Losing the 1997 Classic in Birmingham by just a single ounce due to a “dead-fish” penalty, Bobo missed being forever introduced as BASSMASTER Classic Champion…endorsements, signature series lures and whatever money he could have garnered from this success. Instead, not many bass fanatics have even heard of this awesome angler. To this day, Bobo feels Rejuvenade, not available then, would have saved that fish and launched his pro career to legendary status.
While dead fish lose tournaments, for the organizers dead fish can put them put of business! ABA’s Hagood believes that part of the sport is keeping fish alive and returning them back to be caught again. “Tournaments are a business… with high delayed mortality the community sees it and won’t want that series coming back!” The problem lies in smaller groups that can’t or won’t take the same fish handling precautions. Fish survival could be as easy as following the directions on the bottle.
Little green Rejuvenade jars are found in most major bass, walleye, crappie, redfish, striper and speckled trout tournament trails
. Even professional photographers working with pro anglers note many astute anglers using Rejuvenade get better fish photos. Whatever your reason, keeping fish alive has been and will probably always be one of the foundations of the sport. Anything longer than “catch and release” would be a good indication for using Bassmedics Rejuvenade.
Potomac River Bassing in April
Don’t let a bit of wind or rain keep you off the water! Bass are easily trapped this time of the year by lipless cranks! Red/craw patterns of Lucky Craft LVR D-7 and LV-500! Chrome and gold for cleared water! Drag across bottom or over grass!
For Carolina rigs, Mustad 3/0 Mega Lite Ultra Point hooks allow Mann’s HardNose lizards to appear weightless. Garlic Jack’s Juice attractant penetrates plastic to keep fish holding on! Tru-Tungsten 1-ounce weights with Tru-Tungsten “force beads” make noise, alerting fish to lizard offerings!
Dust off Mann’s Baby 1-Minus and ¼ ounce Classic spinnerbaits for shallow presentations around grass, docks, rocks and wood. If water is clear, try Lucky Craft Pointer 78 and Pointer 100…Clown or baby bass colors!
For all crankbaits, especially lipless cranks, a new hook designed by Kevin Van Dam…the Short Shank treble from Mustad allows upsizing to a shorter shank triple grip hook…better hooks up over any treble!
Keep Mann’s Stingray 3-inch avocado colored grubs on ¼ ounce round jig heads, Punisher Hair Jigs and Mizmo tubes close to the bottom with multi-purpose 6’10” Quantum spinning rods spooled with 8-pound Trilene 100% fluorocarbon. Drop shot and shaky head with HardNose worms provide variety.
Capt. Steve Chaconas is a Potomac bass fishing guide and BoatUS “Ask the Expert” (www.my.boatus.com/askexperts/) Potomac River reports: www.nationalbass.com. Book a trip or purchase gift certificates:
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