CTFishTalk.com: Mansfield 8/5 - Connecticut Bass Fishing Reports ( CT Bass Fishing Reports ) - A Community Built for Connecticut Fisherman.

Johnny Skeeter · Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 700 Location: Vernon Ct

Thanks dusty that clears things up a bit.
_________________
I love rippin on the river!
"How much can ya bench?"

Just4fun · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 1389 Location: Saybrook

Great info Dusty,..thanks!!
Looks like that POS ramp at Bantam is probably the secret to why it stays such a good fishery!! Confused

_________________
"If people concentrated more on the really important things in life there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."
Mark

Dusty · Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 140

chuckc · Forum Police Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 1440

come on guys that's a great ramp!!!! Razz

slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Dusty, Thank you for the super detailed breakdown, it does make sense.

Did the DEP take the future probability of increased tournaments and their mortality % into account, when they decided to drop fingerling pike into the mix, or are the 2 items unrelated as it affects the overall bass fishery?

Basically in hindsight, do they wish they had left the fishery alone, because the bass had enough problems with mortality rates and other issues you've mentioned, without the pike squeezing in?

I'm not trying to be a smart ass, just curious and looking for answers. Smile

_________________
Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing

Bass Addict · Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 2:16 pm Post subject:

dam tournament anglers ruining my fishing.
_________________
Sorry honey, looks like we will be late again due to motor problems.

Justin

Dusty · Joined: 06 May 2007 Posts: 140

newguy · Joined: 31 Jul 2008 Posts: 21 Location: Manchester

WOW! I'm very impresses Dusty. slime coat once mentioned 2 me that there is a guy who does electrofishing on this forum, but I had no idea what a guru you were in this kind of subject. It makes sense ofcoarse.

I just recently started bass fishing and have been impressed and thankfull with all of these guys knowlage and willingness to share it, but the level of info you just cranked out is god darn mind blowing to me.

Anyway, thanks for clearing that up.

Justin Tralli · Joined: 05 May 2007 Posts: 656 Location: Glastonbury, CT

Nice work Duster! Amazing as always!

Well, from what it sounds like, we as tournament fishermen need to do a much better job at keeping our fish alive. Not only for the weigh in but alive enough to live when returned to the water. Last year I was really upset with myself after the "Call in Sick" tournament.....

We had 6 fish not one under 4 pounds and they all survived to the weigh in. I figured they we all going to make it back to the water and live....well

I went back down to Haddam to fish the grass bed two days later. While there I noticed at least one hundred dead bass lying in the grass..... They obviously were all tournament fish released back and didnt survive.....

I felt pretty bad killing the fish just to make a buck....... Now I dont know if any of those were my fish but it still stunk.......

What Dusty says about the fish mortality rate makes sense....

We need to do better
_________________

CT RIVER
Every Tuesday Night @ 5 p.m.
EAST HARTFORD LAUNCH
$10 Per Person
Winner Take All!

racingjd · Joined: 17 May 2008 Posts: 10

I don't post often, but the write up was interesting from Dusty, and fish mortality. I have only fished Mansfield Hollow a couple of times and not with very good luck.

I know that as tournament fisherman we should be looking at better ways to ensure that we aren't killing the fish that we are catching. Unfortunately a lot of those systems are expensive and out of reach of the casual fishing club. I guess what I am saying is what is the right answer to ensure we are doing everything we can for the fish and the fishery itself.

slimecoat · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 1576 Location: Newington, CT.

Racingjd,

As you stated, most small bass clubs cannot afford the type of fish tanks / systems like BASS and FLW Tours use, to make sure almost all of their fish are juiced up and rejuvinated before returning to the lakes.

What we need to do at our level, is to take more steps than just running our livewell pumps every once in a while.

For an example, my regular partner (pointing dog) and I go a couple of steps further, as do many other seasoned tournament anglers. Not only do we run our live well pumps almost continuously, but we always have them on recirculate with air being mixed with the water much like a jacuzzi tub operates. We always add a chemical to our livewell water, such as bassmedics, rejuvinade, or please release me powder. These chemicals promote slimecoat (hence my screen name) Very Happy

, and lowers the metabolism of the fish to keep them calmer while in the livewell, so they don't beat themselves up too much .We also, when the water hits 70 degrees or higher, and especially during hot weather, make up a few 1 or 2 liter water bottles, with the green rejuvinade powder mixed in, then freeze them before hand, and introduce them into the livewells with the cap removed to slowly release the green healing water as it melts in the livewell. This brings the water temps down to slow their metabolism and calm them down, as well as again promoting slimecoat growth.

We try not to handle the fish too much either because the oils from our skin damage the slimecoats of fish. We have a grease pencil board to record the weights of the fish as their caught, so we always know which fish, by the colored lip clip, is the lightest and thus we don't handle our fish much. We also try not to leave them in the livewell too long at the end of the day, we weigh them in ASAP to get them back into the lake ASAP. Then we always make sure they swim away towards deep water when released. If we have a fish that doesn't look good or is looking sluggish we move the fish through the water by hand running water thus oxygen through it's gills, and with any luck the fish will come to and swim away. If the fish sadly goes belly up right there at the launch, and wether there are people around or not, we take the fish and put it in our weigh bag, as not to leave a dead fish floating for all the public eyes to see and pass judgement on. Take the fish home, eat it, throw it in your garden, or in the trash. We as a group, have enough issues with PETA and other animal loving groups, that we don't need to give them any more ammunition to use against us, as to close waters down to fisherman.

I'm sure there are some other fish saving techniques out there, this is the extent we go to to help our fish survive to be caught again.

Hope this helps, Tight Lines, Slimecoat Very Happy

_________________
Life's Short - Fish Hard - Take a Kid Fishing