Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - February 2024

How to Keep Tournament Fish Alive: Vital Gear for Every Bass Boat Livewell by TH MARINE

Since the best tournament bass are the large and healthy ones, it’s important to remember how much we factor into them staying well for the weigh-in and ready for a live release. Especially since they can make or break your tournament standings, here’s where to start so your bass boat livewell is less like jail time and more like a fish spa. USE A HIGH QUALITY, PUNCTURE-FREE CULL SYSTEM

As soon as you catch some fish that might be heading to weigh-in, you should be confident that your cull clips are going to cause as little stress on them as possible. Whether those fish are clipped and resting in your livewell or hanging from a balance beam for culling, non-puncture cull clips help you hold tight to them without tearing up their jaw. And when you use the Conservation Cull System, you get that firm grip along with quality components and design. Then, after the tournament is over, those fish can live to fight another day, spawn another season, and avoid the life-altering damage caused by some other cull systems. STOP FISH FROM GOING BELLY-UP There are several reasons why a fish might go belly-up, but usually it’s caused by an imbalance in their swim bladder. This can right itself over time, but it can be hard for the fish to recover once it turns over and gets knocked around in the