Tips on how to keep you and your fish in good health

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!

Author: Tom Behrens

Tom Behrens has over 50 years experience in fishing and hunting across the United States. Much of this time was spent in Oklahoma and Texas where he became very familiar with the outdoor opportunities in these states. You may contact him by email at: [email protected]

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Wednesday

Partly Sunny

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Mostly Clear

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Fishing Report from TPWD (Sep. 17)

FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 1.05 feet below pool. Stripers are slow to fair with live bait in 20-40 feet of water. Put your baits down in areas that you have marked fish recently and slowly move around with your trolling motor. You will bump into smaller schools of fish, but it will take patience while you wait for a bite. Sand bass are still fair to good moving quickly in 5-10 feet of water on main lake points and sand flats. Chrome and white seem to be out producing all other colors. Catfish are still fair to good with shad in 10-20 feet of water fished on the bottom. Baited holes are your best bet to catch numbers but will not produce big fish. Bait with cattle cubes and wait 2-3 hours before fishing. Use punch bait for best results on baited holes. Catfish should be spawning, so expect a slower bite. Water clarity is 2-6 feet of visibility but slowly becoming clearer. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. The fall transition is in full swing, and fish are on the move! That means staying on top of the bite can be tricky, but the action has been worth the effort. Water temperature is 77 degrees with 3-4 foot visibility. The striper and white bass bite has been strong this week. Fish are stacking up on shallow points in 10–20 feet, with sporadic surface feeding early and late when there’s a little wind. Slab spoons, swimbaits, and downriggers are all producing, so keep a mix of gear ready. The eating size 1–3 pound catfish bite is absolutely on fire. Limits are coming in fast, often within just a few hours, using punch baits and dip baits. For channels and blue catfish baited holes in 20–25 feet near points and flats are paying off. The crappie bite has picked up nicely. Minnows are the go-to in 12–20 feet of water around structures and brush. Largemouth bass are crushing topwater at first light, then shifting to shallow crankbaits around dock legs as the sun climbs. Shaky heads are producing steady catches as well. Once the sun gets higher, a Texas-rigged

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