Most upper level tournaments now use state of the art fish recovery systems that employ oxygenated tanks treated with medicated live release formulas that help to calm the fish and to provide a protective film over its body to sooth any injuries and to help shield it from any further injuries. But not all tournaments do this as in my past twenty years of covering bass tournaments I’ve seen many of these groups fail to provide their anglers workable bass recovery systems for releasing their hard earned catches back into the lake.

Granted, the bass caught, weighed, and then released in today’s tournaments are far better off then say 10 to 15 years ago, stated, Dave Likens, of FLW Outdoors, but the survivability rate can still be improved upon and FLW Outdoors is working hard to decrease the mortality rate of our bass tournament fish.

"We used to shoot the bass down a PVC tube to the lake, Dave informed, but we now use a live release barge that we designed and built at a cost of $100,000 per unit. "Now, the cost may seem extreme for some, but at FLW Outdoors we look upon the cost as an important investment into the future of FLW Outdoors.

Just about every tournament that you go to anglers will catch these bass out of really deep water which makes their swim bladders bloat with air, so we needed to get them into a confined area to be treated before releasing them back into the lake. We also employ a special basket for those bass who are suffering from a form of the bends, which happens when the air bladder becomes so bloated with air that they cannot swim upright unless the excess air is relieved from their bladder. The old method was to insert an intravenous needle to release the excess air from the bladder, but this system probably did more damage then good. After receiving the bass into our holding tanks we’ll separate the stressed bass from the healthy fish and place them into a weighted basket to lower them down into 20 feet of water, where their bladders will then decompress and expel the excessive air. And after a few minutes of being submerged you can actually see the decompressed air bubbling up from the bass during this deepwater treatment. The bass will then upright themselves and swim out of the basket.

(Writers note; I’ve seen this in action during FLW’s Stren event on Rayburn and actually witnessed the bubbles being released from the bass as they decompressed…..amazing)

The pontoon barge has four recovery tubs on board that hold 150 gallons of water each as well as oxygen emitters that activate whenever the water makes contact with them. We also use an aeration system that circulates, and cools the water. This process helps to distill off any ammonia buildup that may have been released into the water by bass during high stress periods. Ammonia buildup is the #1 cause of bass mortality and it is extremely important to eliminate the ammonia buildup or the fish will die. It’s the same with people, Dave pointed out, if they breathe in carbon dioxide they’ll suffer extreme damage to their nervous system that can result in brain damage or death. This will also happen to bass with ammonia buildup, which causes the delayed mortality.

Our new live release boat also has an oxygen metering system that injects pure oxygen into the holding tanks when needed. The pure oxygen helps to generate energy in the bass to aid in its recovery, much like a caffeine jumpstart does for humans. Ice is also used in the tubs to help cool the water by at least 8 to10 degrees during the warmer months of operations which helps to ease the stress factor of bass. We also add Rejuvenade, a high quality food grade live release formula, into our holding tanks which helps to calm the bass and sooth any injuries that may have occurred. Rejuvenade also kills off any bacteria that may have accumulated on the fish during handing and puts a protective film on them to aid in their recovery.

We realize anywhere from a 98 to 99.9 % success rate in our live release program, Dave proudly claimed, but would really like to see 100% release. But unfortunately, some anglers will bring in bass that are already dead or near death, and we have absolutely no control over Mother Nature, or other anglers. So we just do the best we can with what we have. Several rules and regulations in our tournaments are designed to help protect the bass from abuse by anglers that levy penalty demerits for bringing in dead fish. Bringing in dead fish can have a negative impact on any financial income, tournament points, or titles that the anglers are trying to earn and accumulate, so the anglers learn to take great care of their live-welled catches.

Another important reason for having a live release boat is to avoid releasing all of the tournament bass into one area. With the boat we can go to different areas of the lake to release them, which gives them a much better chance of surviving. And we don’t just go out and randomly dump the fish, Dave stressed, as we always scout out areas of the lake prior to the tournament weigh-in looking for prime spots such as long deepwater points or grassy flats near deepwater drop-offs for releasing them into protective areas.

With our new "state of the art" live release barges, Dave informed, FLW has realized extremely successful live release percentages in our saltwater redfish tours, and our freshwater walleye competitions and bass tournament events. And we, at FLW Outdoors, will continue to test new fish handling and live release methods that would benefit the bass’ survival rate. After all, Dave finalized, living bass represents our living future.

For more info; on FLW Outdoors and its programs call 270-252-1561.

Wisconsin Bass Home Message Board What's New Presidents Message FLW News Industry News Event Schedule About Wis. Bass Directors/Officers WSBF Tournaments Forms Download Bylaws and Rules Youth Conservation WSBF Club List Political Corner Convention News Miscellaneous Open Tournaments Sponsors Links	The Hundred Grand Live-Well -State of the Art Live Release- Ed Snyder Most upper level tournaments now use state of the art fish recovery systems that employ oxygenated tanks treated with medicated live release formulas that help to calm the fish and to provide a protective film over its body to sooth any injuries and to help shield it from any further injuries. But not all tournaments do this as in my past twenty years of covering bass tournaments I’ve seen many of these groups fail to provide their anglers workable bass recovery systems for releasing their hard earned catches back into the lake. Granted, the bass caught, weighed, and then released in today’s tournaments are far better off then say 10 to 15 years ago, stated, Dave Likens, of FLW Outdoors, but the survivability rate can still be improved upon and FLW Outdoors is working hard to decrease the mortality rate of our bass tournament fish. "We used to shoot the bass down a PVC tube to the lake, Dave informed, but we now use a live release barge that we designed and built at a cost of $100,000 per unit. "Now, the cost may seem extreme for some, but at FLW Outdoors we look upon the cost as an important investment into the future of FLW Outdoors. Just about every tournament that you go to anglers will catch these bass out of really deep water which makes their swim bladders bloat with air, so we needed to get them into a confined area to be treated before releasing them back into the lake. We also employ a special basket for those bass who are suffering from a form of the bends, which happens when the air bladder becomes so bloated with air that they cannot swim upright unless the excess air is relieved from their bladder. The old method was to insert an intravenous needle to release the excess air from the bladder, but this system probably did more damage then good. After receiving the bass into our holding tanks we’ll separate the stressed bass from the healthy fish and place them into a weighted basket to lower them down into 20 feet of water, where their bladders will then decompress and expel the excessive air. And after a few minutes of being submerged you can actually see the decompressed air bubbling up from the bass during this deepwater treatment. The bass will then upright themselves and swim out of the basket. (Writers note; I’ve seen this in action during FLW’s Stren event on Rayburn and actually witnessed the bubbles being released from the bass as they decompressed…..amazing) The pontoon barge has four recovery tubs on board that hold 150 gallons of water each as well as oxygen emitters that activate whenever the water makes contact with them. We also use an aeration system that circulates, and cools the water. This process helps to distill off any ammonia buildup that may have been released into the water by bass during high stress periods. Ammonia buildup is the #1 cause of bass mortality and it is extremely important to eliminate the ammonia buildup or the fish will die. It’s the same with people, Dave pointed out, if they breathe in carbon dioxide they’ll suffer extreme damage to their nervous system that can result in brain damage or death. This will also happen to bass with ammonia buildup, which causes the delayed mortality. Our new live release boat also has an oxygen metering system that injects pure oxygen into the holding tanks when needed. The pure oxygen helps to generate energy in the bass to aid in its recovery, much like a caffeine jumpstart does for humans. Ice is also used in the tubs to help cool the water by at least 8 to10 degrees during the warmer months of operations which helps to ease the stress factor of bass. We also add Rejuvenade, a high quality food grade live release formula, into our holding tanks which helps to calm the bass and sooth any injuries that may have occurred. Rejuvenade also kills off any bacteria that may have accumulated on the fish during handing and puts a protective film on them to aid in their recovery. We realize anywhere from a 98 to 99.9 % success rate in our live release program, Dave proudly claimed, but would really like to see 100% release. But unfortunately, some anglers will bring in bass that are already dead or near death, and we have absolutely no control over Mother Nature, or other anglers. So we just do the best we can with what we have. Several rules and regulations in our tournaments are designed to help protect the bass from abuse by anglers that levy penalty demerits for bringing in dead fish. Bringing in dead fish can have a negative impact on any financial income, tournament points, or titles that the anglers are trying to earn and accumulate, so the anglers learn to take great care of their live-welled catches. Another important reason for having a live release boat is to avoid releasing all of the tournament bass into one area. With the boat we can go to different areas of the lake to release them, which gives them a much better chance of surviving. And we don’t just go out and randomly dump the fish, Dave stressed, as we always scout out areas of the lake prior to the tournament weigh-in looking for prime spots such as long deepwater points or grassy flats near deepwater drop-offs for releasing them into protective areas. With our new "state of the art" live release barges, Dave informed, FLW has realized extremely successful live release percentages in our saltwater redfish tours, and our freshwater walleye competitions and bass tournament events. And we, at FLW Outdoors, will continue to test new fish handling and live release methods that would benefit the bass’ survival rate. After all, Dave finalized, living bass represents our living future. For more info; on FLW Outdoors and its programs call 270-252-1561.

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