# Live Well Tips



## combatcatcher (Sep 17, 2003)

lately we've been doing alot of live-lining spot and perch for rock and blues. We keep running into a problem though, the WP never make it more then 10 to 15 minutes while th e spot and minnows used for flounder last all day. I've even started using a dehooker so I never touch the perch but within minutes there in there sides in distress. The spot last all day. Our livewell has a overflow so I keep fresh, oxygented water constanly. any tips? By the way we've been tearing up blue's to 8lbs and Rocks between 22 and 30 just north of the power plant while live-lining.


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

Couple of possibilities you might want to try to eliminate. Number one, the perch may be sensitive to salinity change, two, it could be that they can't handle being in the livewell with certain species, three, it could be that the waterflow coming in is either too strong or too weak.

I know nothing about white perch, but I know some fish can't be in the same livewell as other species because one kind will beat up on the other. Killifish, or mudminnows, will attack the eyes of anything they can take on.


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## justinfisch01 (Feb 19, 2006)

Tempature maybe? Is the livewell in the full sun? Try throwing a little ice in there it has been real hot lately


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## combatcatcher (Sep 17, 2003)

*Things I've tried*

Tried throwing ice cubes in to keep temp down on hot days, live well is shaded but gets sun , not alot. temp seems ok. The perch literally start going belly up minutes into being placed in livewell. The spot or bull minnows dont harrass them, like I said Ive tried using a dehooker so I don't touch the fish, the water we catch them in is the same water in the livewell since I keep the inpt running the whole time. Any other idea's, Ive heard there are additives for livewells anyone try these? Anyone else have this problem with perch?


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## jhmorgan (May 16, 2007)

I know with croaker I often have to poke a small hole in their stomachs to release the air pressure. Perhaps the perch need the same treatment??


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

This is odd. In the colder months, white perch are the hearty ones so I think it is a temperature thing. Perhaps less fish in the tank would help too.


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## okimavich (Nov 13, 2006)

jhmorgan said:


> I know with croaker I often have to poke a small hole in their stomachs to release the air pressure. Perhaps the perch need the same treatment??


That would depend on how deep they came from and how fast they were pulled up.

Last week I was catching Perch in 10ft of water. Since I was in a yak, I didn't have a livewell. I used a mesh laundry bag that I tied to the side of the yak. 

I didn't have any issues with this setup. The one floater was the one that had been a gut hook. 

If you are running the pump, the water should be the same as where they came from (pH, hardness, etc).

Is the intake clear and clean?

Have you tried running the water at a slower rate? Maybe the flow is too fast for them?


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## jrocket567 (Mar 14, 2007)

90% of the time, dead fish in a livewell comes from not enough oxygen, too much ammonia in the water, or too hot.

Make sure your lines going into and out of the well are wide open and free (In and Out). You might want to consider bumping up a pump size (what size is it now?). The only way too much flow will hurt the fish is if they get stuck in a whirlpool and start flying around the tank. 

Water needs to flow out just as fast as it flows in- stressed fish release a lot of ammonia, which is toxic. 

Instead of throwing ice cubes into the well, (lowers salinity) try filling some water bottles with salt water and freezing it (salt water will freeze lower) and toss one in every so often. 

I'm no expert on white perch, but theyre not all that salt-dependant, right? Seems like they are caught more up in the tributaries where the water is fresher.

How big is the livewell? the fish need enough room to "mill" around, and swim freely. If it is too small for them to move freely, that could cause em to belly-up.

They do make 'additives', but most are for big offshore fishing, and probably rather expensive.

Good luck
Jay


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## okimavich (Nov 13, 2006)

jrocket567 said:


> Water needs to flow out just as fast as it flows in- stressed fish release a lot of ammonia, which is toxic.


That should be easy to tell. Is the water level really low or does it spill over?



> Instead of throwing ice cubes into the well, (lowers salinity) try filling some water bottles with salt water and freezing it (salt water will freeze lower) and toss one in every so often.


Good idea.



> I'm no expert on white perch, but theyre not all that salt-dependant, right? Seems like they are caught more up in the tributaries where the water is fresher.


They still need to make the adjustment over time to either release salt or ingest it. An instantaneous osmotic pressure change will kill just about any fish.

But the issue still remains. He stated that the other types of fish (spot, minnows, etc) don't have a problem.  

Are the spot and white perch of the same relative size?


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## Anthony (Jul 3, 2002)

You could always get a livewell that you keep in the water to put the perch in. Just throw the perch in the livewell on the boat when you move to another location.


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## LiteTackleChamp (Jul 29, 2005)

if u ever have sun screen on your hands then put them in the livewell , some fish will never live in there again, on charters we never let clients touch anything near the live well, a kid played in a livewell on my old boat once and that livewell never held pogies again


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## PJDSR (Apr 2, 2002)

Would a bellyup WP work to catch blues/rock? With artificials, you always want to get the lure to look like a crippled baitfish. I would think a bellyup WP would achieve that as soon as he goes into the water.


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## combatcatcher (Sep 17, 2003)

*45 gallon live well*

It's a 45 gallon livewell, with a 400 g/pr pump on board. We do catch the spot and perch in pretty deep water between 45 and 70 ft but i've never had a problem with air bladders or stomachs poking out. 

Livewell is clean, both lines and tank itself. All the fish are being caught in the same spot but the perch just seem to go belly up as soon as there added. I have 3 large fish tanks at home and I know the DO levels are fine and I dont think there is any chemical reisidue in the tank itself. Wouldnt it bother the other species like spot croker or minnows. 

Im stumped?


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Based on your description and you are catching them that deep, it should be a temp thing...spot handle warm (surface) water much better is my experience...but this is still odd cause perch are hearty and handle low oxygen better. Temp. More ice (a block).


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## crappietracker (Mar 31, 2006)

i'm with all the temperature guys on this one. i know when i keep wp in the spring or fal, they live much longer than in summer. i think lip is right on with the depth issue. the deeper water can be 10 or more degrees cooler at that depth. maybe the spot can just handle the change better.


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