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Short Wave Sportfishing

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 21:04:00 -0400, "JimH" ask wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 20:14:51 -0400, "JimH" ask wrote:

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 19:33:18 -0400, "JimH" ask wrote:

Lastly....how do you start up and then shut down a livewell after a day
of
fishing?

You turn it on in either recycle, auto or constant circulation, prime
the circulator pump which on my boat means backing up a little to
force a little water into the line, then let it run.

When you are finished, put it in Empty or Drain position and it
empties.

Ask Scott how it works - works pretty good.

With respect to keeping a fish fresh, live wells will keep a fish
alive until you get time to bleed and gut it. Much better than ice.

Makes sense. Our live bait (minnows) die from lack of oxygen in the
water
combined with rising water temps when kept in a bucket, even with a
battery
powered air pump in the bucket. A dead minnow is easier for a perch to
steal off your hook than a live one as the dead ones deteriote in body
flesh
integrity pretty fast and come off the hook easily.

Ah - well, there is a cure.

Ice and rock salt. You take a bag of ice (baggie, whatever) properly
sized for the bucket and add a little rock salt - say 1/4 - 1/3
handfull for a 5 gallon bucket.

Now you may ask why the rock salt. Well, three reasons. It changes
the pH of the water just a little which the little minnows like. The
minnows, odd as this may sound, like the water a little salty (not a
lot salty). The ice keeps the water cool which slows down their
metabolism keeping them alive longer. The salt also helps lower the
temperature of the water faster and keeps it cooler longer.

Now Grasshopper, go forth and fish in peace and harmony.

For our next lesson, we will discuss the proper rigging of a minnow
for maximum hook up. :)

We normally keep a perforated floating pail in the water to keep our extra
minnows alive and add to the on deck pail as needed. We add ice to the
water of the ones on the boat but they eventually die if the fishing is
slow.

Try the rock salt.

Another issue, sometimes not always, is that minnows will descale and
their waste will contaminate the water. One way to avoid that is to
circulate and filter the water. I just looked for a bookmark I had
for a small circulator and filter kit, but it seems I lost it somehow.

I'll take the time tomorrow and find it again. Cheap too - only like
15/20 bucks, but it does a great job. Works like an aquarium filter.

As far a putting the minnow on the hook...........perch will normally go for
the head. The minnow is therefore hooked through the back down through the
belley and back up through the head.

I never do that. I usually hook through the nostrils right below the
eyes.

Then again, I seldom use live bait. I've seen more ways to rig
minnows than you can shake a stick at and every one is as valid as the
other.