Fish Weigh-in Bags

Is it just my poor memory, or are bass scarcer now than thirty years ago?
You might think with the emphasis on catch-and-release and more
sophisticated fisheries management practices that bass would be abundant,
but that's not the case. I'm convinced one reason for low catch rates has to
do with the numbers of bass caught and released in bass tournaments.

Fish caught and then immediately released have very high survival rates. Not
so, unfortunately, for those caught, confined, and then released after rough
handing in tournaments.

I just received an order of "Bas-N-Bag" weigh-in bags from Harper Custom
Products over in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I saw them at a fishing show in
Claremore, OK, and was impressed by their design and construction. I can see
why these are being adopted by some organizations as the only weigh-in bags
allowed in their tournaments. They are really one part of a system designed
to keep fish healthy during the final stages of a tournament. They have a
mesh section at the top closed by Velcro strips that permits water exchange
in a lake or holding tank as an angler waits his turn, and the Velcro seal
is open at the end to allow insertion of an oxygen bubble-wand into the bag.
Some organizations provide oxygen tanks with multiple rods, and the
competitors waiting in line use them to keep their bass well-oxygenated and
lively. See them at http://www.basnbag.com/basnbag/basnbag.html.

I called Bob Harper, founder of Harpers Custom Products, to commend him on
his product and ask a few questions. That led to a discussion of caring for
bass during a weigh-in to decrease mortality rates. Here's what he told
me...

Even today, many club tournaments have not adopted measures needed to keep
fish healthy. Mortality rates are hard to measure and are usually higher
than we realize. Too many bass (around 50% in the warmer months) die and
sink to the bottom and are eaten by turtles before they have a chance to
float back to the surface in the classic "fish kill-off" scenario. Even
mortality studies, themselves, can contribute to the death rate, since to
monitor the bass they're released into large, mesh holding pens where
they're kept for several days of observation. It seems probable to me that
allowing bass to swim freely, where they can hide up or eat, will help them
recover from their ordeal.

I've seen the following happen in hundreds of club and event tournaments in
which I've competed.... see if this sounds familiar to you:

The angler puts an average of two gallons of water -- seldom more, since
they don't want to lug around the extra weight -- in a weigh in bag along
with their one, two... often five keeper-size bass. How long will those bass
remain confined in that water? The angler takes about a minute to get all
the bass in his bag, sets the bag down as he closes hatches, shoves his PFD
under the console, etc. and then steps up on the dock or shore for the walk
up the hill to the weigh-in station. (1-2 minutes have passed since the
first bass was put in the bag.)

There, he joins a line of anglers waiting their turn. Everyone gets a chance
to eyeball and comment on each others' catch, and after some time passes,
the angler presents his bag to the director for weighing. (Now we're up to
5-10 minutes).

The director removes bass individually, measuring the smaller ones, weighing
the largest, and then places all the bass in the basket for weighing. After
that, they're dumped back in the same weigh-in bag for a walk back down to
the lake for release. (They were out of water or in the bag for another 1-2
minutes. We're around 6-12 minutes now.)

The angler carries them back to the lake and either dumps them in and walks
off or, if conscientious, works with the fish a few moments to help them
regain equilibrium until they swim off.

Having been out of the water, handled by one or two people, and in
oxygen-depleted water for some time now, what are the chances of survival
for those fish? As you might imagine, not that good. Bob pointed out to me
that the oxygen in those two gallons of water is depleted within three
minutes.

If you're infested in working with your tournament organization to improve
the health and survival odds for released bass, Bob referred me to two
sources of information that you will find very useful:
http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/FISHCARE.htm is by Gene Gilliland,
Oklahoma Fishery Research Laboratory. Gene received some money a ways back
that has funded his research, and most authorities in the country turn to
him for reliable data and advice. He is the resource for a tournament
planners' booklet put out by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency,
http://www.state.tn.us/twra/fish/Res.../livebass2.pdf. Secret
Weapon Lures sponsors a number of bass tournaments each year, and I'm going
to urge organizers and directors to adopts measures recommended by that
booklet.

I also spotted a little gadget on the deck of one of the boats in our last
club tournament. It was a prototype of an Electrolysis unit that you can
hook up to your boat's battery system, drop in your livewell, and split
water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules. In the water, you see what looks
like smoke rising from the electrodes -- tiny bubbles that add pure oxygen
to the tank. Have you heard of anything like that commercially available
now?

How many of your clubs or tournament organizations employ special measures
to keep bass healthy.... aerated waiting line tanks, salt-dip tanks, or
hospital tanks for stressed fish?

--
Joe Haubenreich
www.secretweaponlures.com
First real spinnerbait innovation in decades