| Author | Message | ||
     carey eric broome (Bream_dangler) BOC INITIATE Username: Bream_dangler Post Number: 27 Registered: 4-2004 Rating: N/A |
Some friends and I have entered a tournement here in south carolina in september.Its a catch and release contest and I have had no experience at keeping a catfish alive in captivity.We have no livewell not that a regular one would do any good with a LARGE fish.Let alone five of them.I've learned that a lot of folks use stringers(through the jaw and only one per fish).Do any of you guys know how hard its going to be to keep these fish alive for the duration of the day or night for that matter.I've had 20 lb. cats stay alive for hours on the bottom of the boat,but somehow I dont think its going to be that easy.Anyone with any advice for a newbie to catch and release tournements?Eric. | ||
| Tim Lange (Doctor)  BOC SQUIREUsername: Doctor Post Number: 186 Registered: 6-2002  Rating: N/A |
Eric, Couple of ways it can be done, you never stated whether you are going to be on a lake or a river, the river fish are much easier to maintain. We have a large Igloo cooler on board the boat with a pump inside will hold a very large cat in it, we also use D rings or Carbine rings as I have heard some call them, we pop a small hole in the underside of there lower jaw then attach the d-ring to the fish, then tie them off to the side of the boat, this is an excellent method if you are on a river as it will allow water to flow across there gills, and they will sit quitely in the current. If you can find a large burlap bag or a large duck decoy bag, then you can put the fish in these and the duck decoy bag is great as water will flow thru it. Hope this helps you out and good luck in the tournament..........Doc Tim Lange Springfield, Ohio Flatheaders- We do it all night on the river!!! | ||
| mark johnson (Mark_j)  BOC KNIGHTUsername: Mark_j Post Number: 300 Registered: 9-2003 Rating: N/A |
yep, river fish are easier to keep alive. i caught 4 over 15 pounds about 3 weeks ago, i intended on catfish steaks on the grill so i threw them in a big cooler of ice water. when i got home the next morning i decided to put them in one of our ponds since they were kicking strong. i never would have thought those fish would still be alive when i got home, but all of them swam out of my hands after i slowly raised the water temperature close to that of the pond. at the point that i realized they were so alive in ice water after the entire night it became a science project of sorts. since its in september i would consider buying a 172 quart or larger cooler and rigging it as a mobile livewell if i planned to fish many tournaments. how big is the boat? If it aint a Stelling it aint loud enough. | ||
| carey eric broome (Bream_dangler) BOC INITIATE Username: Bream_dangler Post Number: 28 Registered: 4-2004 Rating: N/A |
We will be on santee cooper lakes.Sorry i forgot to mention that.As I stated before Ive had them stay alive for hours out of the water , so Im probably freaking over nothing but Id hate to have the potential winner in the boat and lose him due to inexperience.Thank you guys for the advice and thanks in advance for any more that comes.Will check this post often.Eric. | ||
| Paul Yanez (Kanheadhunter) BOC INITIATE Username: Kanheadhunter Post Number: 43 Registered: 3-2004 Rating: N/A |
Eric Please put them on a stringer 1 each and tie them on the side of the boat or dock. The cooler idea is the way to go but it must be a BIG cooler with a pump. If you just put your fish on the bottom of the boat you will lose weight. The fish will live a few hours but it will lose water weight. If this is a total weight tourney and you have 5 fish that weigh 10lbs(50lbs) each when you caught them. After they lay in the boat a few hours, they will lose weight. Now you have 5 fish at 8lbs for a total of 40lbs. Also there may be penalty for a dead fish. Way take that chance!! The main reason for the live well & strings is to keep them alive!! If they stay out of water in the HOT Santee Cooper sun and heat they will be cooked on the bottom of your boat. Please give the fish the better chances of suriving and to be released. Good Luck....Let use know how you do. | ||
| carey eric broome (Bream_dangler) BOC INITIATE Username: Bream_dangler Post Number: 29 Registered: 4-2004 Rating: N/A |
Hey kanheadhunter , I think you misunderstood me.I would never just leave them in the sun with money on the line.When I referred to having them live on the boat floor , I meant fish in the past that I intended to keep.I was just making reference to the fact that it was probably going to be easier than I was making it out to be.I will deffinately use the stringers at the very least , just didnt know if that would be sufficient.Thanks for the reply.Eric. | ||
| Paul Yanez (Kanheadhunter) BOC INITIATE Username: Kanheadhunter Post Number: 44 Registered: 3-2004 Rating: N/A |
Sorry about the misunderstanding Eric. I wondering about your tourney. I hear about them but never entered one. How much was enrty fee? How many hours can you fish? Is it limited to flatheads only? Good luck. | ||
| carey eric broome (Bream_dangler) BOC INITIATE Username: Bream_dangler Post Number: 30 Registered: 4-2004 Rating: N/A |
The entry fee was $150.00 for the team with an optional $25.00 for big fish pot.The fishing hours are kinda grey from the rules posted on their site.They have weigh in time windows , and they have a blast off time listed , as well as an end time.But no where does it say you cant fish all night and weigh in the next day.There are no rules posted about the type of fish eligible so I assume the big three are all accepted.This tournement is in september so the heat will have subsided by then, even in south carolina.It seems you can weigh in fish individually , so the keeping them alive part may be easy to skirt.I too am new to this as I've never fished a tournement before, but theres no better time than the present , and theres no better place than santee.I'll post our rankings in the fall.Thanks everyone for their responses.Eric. | ||
| Fred Ronald Lanning jr (Flatheadhunterx) BOC INITIATE Username: Flatheadhunterx Post Number: 15 Registered: 5-2004 Rating: N/A |
be careful with a stringer i would recommend the steel ones with a rubber coating they a very small in diameter and very srong. because the hole in their mouth cant exceed half an inch. and through the gills will damage the gills and they may die. as for leaving out of water thats not recommended either they put all fish in a heavily oxygenated tank and any fish that looks weak or unheathy will be deducted from your total . just because they may swim after being out of the water for awhile doesnt mean they dont swim off and lay on the bottom and die this is called post release mortality.they may seem almost unkillable but they are more fragile than they seem. a small diameter stringer through the soft skin right behing the bottom lips works great kept a forty ponder alive 6 days this yr at santee that way till wife got there to see it. then let it go kept it tied to a pier with a 15 ft stranger did almost pull me in when i tried to pull it up will the stringer though. or a large cooler or 55 gal. barrel works great aslo as long as the water is being circulated to keep fish waste down from stress of being in there so long.these tournies are strict so know what you are doing and have a real good game plan when fishing them and stick to it. and make the best out of your practice day. the are fun to fish but also can take the fun out of fishing if you allow it to. | ||
| leroy wilkerson (Newatcats) BOC INITIATE Username: Newatcats Post Number: 2 Registered: 2-2005 Rating: N/A |
hello a freind of mine always puts a water tank/feeding troth, ( from a tractor supply store)in his river john. he has converted an aquarium power head to an 12 volt plug an keeps the ovel tub airated an a stedy curent in it. dont know how big, nor the room avalable in your boat but this might help for an idea | ||
| Skip Nantz (Skiptomylu) BOC SQUIREUsername: Skiptomylu Post Number: 169 Registered: 8-2004  Rating: N/A |
I know a commercial fishing guy that keeps his catch alive and he uses a plastic cattle trough. His is 70 gal, but I am sure a smaller one would also work. He uses a pump to bring in fresh water and pump out the old (same Pump). He has the incoming line feeding into a pop bottle and then it forces the water out into the trough to make it a home made aerator. Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy) | ||
| Shane Williams (Turtle1173)  BOC PALADINUsername: Turtle1173 Post Number: 474 Registered: 3-2002  Rating: N/A |
I appreciate this thread. I've been having the same thoughts recently about HOW to accomplish keeping fish alive during a tournament. Since I never keep a catfish, I am not setup for anything like that. The stringer idea, seems to be an easy idea but how would the fish handle the constant "in and out" from the water to the bottom of the boat? That's where it seems like maybe the burlap bag that Doc was talking about would work even better. When you put the burlap bag in the boat to change spots, the fish would stay in the dark and still be cool from the water. Anyone have any additional thoughts on this? Shane | ||
| colby alexander (Tank200) BOC INITIATE Username: Tank200 Post Number: 7 Registered: 2-2005 Rating: N/A |
i tell ya what guys if you catch a flathead of any size and dont want to bother lifting him up all the time when you move we always have 3 or 4 gallon milk jugs we fill up with water and freeze so it will keep sandwiches cold and drinks and stuff bait ect... but anyway we caught a 50 pounder when we first go fishing one morning so i cut the milk jug and slid the chunk of ice out in the flatheads mouth and covered him with a wet towel and just resoaked the towel ever half hour or hour he stayed alive from 6 that morning till prolly 7 or 8 that night and he was still kicking when we got home it would prolly work on a good sized blue also | ||
| James J Helring (Jim) BOC PALADINUsername: Jim Post Number: 567 Registered: 9-2002  Rating: N/A |
If you intend to fish the Randolphs tournaments you better come up with a good system because Nate inspects the fish very carefully.There are many ways to go about it and you can see some pretty ingenious rigs at the tourney.Not many people were prepared when Nate switched from catch and kill to total catch and release and quite frankly it has cost us some entries because people aren't prepared to keep the fish alive.Stringering will work but it is hard on the fish if you move alot.Don't be fooled that a fishes gills are still moving after 6 hours on the floor of a boat, the question is will it swim normally after 30 minutes in a holding tank. JIM HELRING JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA | ||
| Shawn J Dostie (Loanwizard) BOC INITIATE Username: Loanwizard Post Number: 37 Registered: 1-2005  Rating: N/A |
I have always used the old fashioned rope stringer, and never thought about the gill damage. How long does it take thet hole that y'all are talking about to heal? I am no fish protectionist, but it does seem a little inhumane to put a hole where the good lord didn't intend, not any more so than a rope on their breather though. I am just thinking, in my waters, the Muskingum, the Ohio, or even Buckeye ocean, a fresh open wound would open the possibility of infection on the fish? Any thoughts? Shawn  Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime! | ||
| Zach Detherage (Sunburntagain) BOC SQUIREUsername: Sunburntagain Post Number: 117 Registered: 7-2003  Rating: N/A |
As far as piercing their lower jaw just inside the lower lip with a stringer being inhumane... I use a small stringer with a pointed metal tip about 3/16" in diameter on C&R cats to facilitate weighing them. It leaves a small hole. As far as it leaving them open to infection, its definately a posibility, but the stringer I use does less damage to a big cat than my hook does as Im reeling him in. I think the posiblity of infection is no geater than the risk you subject them to by hooking them in the first place. You could always just noodle em out if your too worried about hurting em, then u just have to worry about them hurting you..lol. | ||
| David Michael Dalton (Senor_siete) BOC INITIATE Username: Senor_siete Post Number: 5 Registered: 4-2005 Rating: N/A |
I found this thread to be very interesting, as I was thinking about inquiring how to kill a catfish before cleaning. I've seen people club them, stab them in the head etc. and they were still thrashing around while they were skinning them. This give me the creeps. Rock and roll means well, but it can't help telling young boys lies. | ||
| keith sword (Fwmud)  BOC ROYALTYUsername: Fwmud Post Number: 1945 Registered: 11-2004  Rating: N/A |
David, I don't. Just throw in a little kiddie pool to help flush em out, pull em out,nail em to a tree and go to town!  Why is it that everytime I go fishing,I swear I can hear laughing coming out of the water? | ||
| Michael L. Smith (Mcflat) BOC PALADINUsername: Mcflat Post Number: 540 Registered: 6-2004  Rating: N/A |
I knock 'em in the head with a hammer and let them sit long enough to die. Doing this allows the fish not to have to be filleted alive and also dries most of the slime off them making them much easier to handle. Another method is hanging them up and cutting the tail off to bleed out. It takes longer for them to die that way, so I usually give them the "carpentry anesthetic" before cutting the tail off. As for keeping them alive, a mesh bag works great. No holes, no stress, no dead fish.  Grip it and rip it! | ||
| David Michael Dalton (Senor_siete) BOC INITIATE Username: Senor_siete Post Number: 23 Registered: 4-2005  Rating: N/A |
Thanks Michael. I'm gonna try the tail cuttin' method the next time I catch a mess. Rock and roll means well, but it can't help telling young boys lies. | ||
| vernon parrish (Vlparrishb) BOC INITIATE Username: Vlparrishb Post Number: 91 Registered: 2-2005  Rating: N/A |
Lol, this post went from how to keep cats alive for a tourney to knocking them in the head with a hammer. That's what I love about the BOC. Vern | ||
| Charles Parrish (Charlie40006) BOC INITIATE Username: Charlie40006 Post Number: 69 Registered: 8-2004  Rating: N/A |
Your right bro; but all joking aside I think (bream dangler)got his answer and then some this site not only entertains but also edjakates,LOL,just a 'lil pun .Eric we keep our fish on a rope 3/8" I think.Pushed through right behind the lower lip ,doesnt seem to effect them caught the same fish before with scar but still alive ,no worse than piercing an ear.LOL corse dont know if fish remember the pain for more than a day. | ||
| SUSAN DIXON (Rainbows6270) BOC INITIATE Username: Rainbows6270 Post Number: 1 Registered: 6-2005 Rating: N/A |
i'm new, so thanks for all those nice tips  ~*~We are not bodies with souls, we are souls with bodies~*~ | ||
| Patrick Roberts (Catfishpat) BOC INITIATE Username: Catfishpat Post Number: 19 Registered: 7-2004 Rating: N/A |
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO HERE ON THE B.O.C. I LOVE IT. | ||
| Jarett Yuknalis (Webster_catman) BOC INITIATE Username: Webster_catman Post Number: 5 Registered: 6-2005 Rating: N/A |
take a metal stringer with those clips u can just open the clips and stick the the point through the bottom lip and theyll stay alive and u can hold more then one fish (Message edited by webster_catman on July 2, 2005) | ||
| FRANK CRADDOCK (Craddock1) BOC KNIGHTUsername: Craddock1 Post Number: 272 Registered: 9-2002  Rating: N/A |
i use a 3/8 rope through the lower lip. i have lost more fish on metal stringer when the fish force the clip open. i discarded all mine. i would rather just release them rather than think i had a stringer full and them get away. | ||
| Danny Mcclure (Danfish) BOC SQUIREUsername: Danfish Post Number: 181 Registered: 5-2005  Rating: N/A |
LOL LOL LOL Danny If It Swims It Must Be Caught | ||
| Joe Lutey (Jroc777) BOC INITIATE Username: Jroc777 Post Number: 13 Registered: 7-2005 Rating: N/A |
When I fish the Ohio River we use a rope stringer with the plastic rings that go through the fish. These have a plastic piece that slides up over the point that goes throgh the fishes mouth ensuring they cant get off. When we move to a different spot we pull them up and put them in a bucket until we get to where were going then put them back into the water. We have kept them alive and kicking this way from about 6p.m. until 11a.m. the next morning.  |
