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By Stan Fagerstrom
Part 2
Few anglers are more qualified to tell walleye tournament fishermen how to care for their catch than Chad Richardson, of Milford, Kansas.
Regular visitors to the Mack’s Lure web site will recall I talked about Chad in my last column. If you read that column you know that Chad, besides being a winning walleye tournament angler, is also a wildlife biologist for the United States Department of Agriculture. He knows the angling game from the scientific angle as well as that of a tournament angler.
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| Wildlife biologist Chad Richardson knows what a good walleye looks like. He is a winning tournament angler himself. As a biologist he also knows what it takes to make sure these fish survive tournament fishing conditions. |
Does this well qualified biologist-angler think walleye tournament fishermen usually handle their tournament catches in the best possible way prior to their release? Not always. Again, that opinion comes from a man who knows a whole lot more than most of us about what’s required to keep fish healthy.
“There are so many different opinions among tournament fishermen about caring for their catch,” Richardson says. “I’ve talked to many of them and sometimes the opinions I hear are not biologically sound.”
The Kansas biologist figures one of the most common mistakes is in the way live wells are used. “Sometimes anglers new to tournament fishing haven’t had much experience in keeping fish alive,” he says. “They’re used to just putting fish in their live wells that they plan to later clean and eat.”
The requirements for taking care of fish that you’ve invited to dinner, as opposed to those that are to be returned to the water in the best shape possible, are a good bit different. This is especially true when a cold water fish like the walleye is exposed to the warmer water temperatures so common in summertime walleye tournaments.
“Anglers who want to do the best possible job of taking care of their catch,” Richardson says, “must know the capabilities of their boat’s aeration system. Just setting the aeration system to automatic often won’t work when you’re dealing with water temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees. With water that warm you may have to run your aerator at full blast to keep adequate oxygen in your live well.”
As this winning Mack’s Lure pro points out, running your aerator at full blast to provide the necessary oxygen helps the fish, but while it solves one problem it may create another. “Nobody wants to get stuck with a dead starting battery,” Chad says, “and that can happen if you’re running your aerator at full blast for extended periods.”
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| The walleye this tournament pro is showing to the crowd has survived so far. Will it still be in good shape once it is released? Biologists like Chad Richardson say we don't have all the answers in that regard. |
Chances are your boat, like most, came equipped with only one battery for your aerator. “A second battery will really help,” Richardson says. “We do lose fish because some tournament participants aren’t prepared for what their boat batteries are required to do, especially in those tournaments held when the water is warm.”
Another time when your livewell may provide potential problems is when you have to run long distances are full speed. Some aeration systems simply won’t suck in sufficient water for successful operation. Richardson says tournament anglers needs to be aware of this.
“There are units you can purchase that remedy this problem,” Richardson says. “They aren’t expensive and they are easy to install.” He recommends that tournament anglers who don’t have them should remedy that problem.
Richardson doesn’t pretend to have all the answers where fish livewell care is concerned. In fact he’ll tell you just the opposite. The use of ice to control livewell temperatures provides an example. “There has been some research where anglers have used ice,” he says. “Using ice to cool the water does allow the water to hold more dissolved oxygen. But there are biologists who are of the opinion the use of ice is not the best way to go. They think the temperature change may result in more stress to the fish.”
Chad knows there are anglers who are convinced that using ice is a good idea. He thinks you’re better off with a good oxygen injection system. “Just because a released fish swims away and appears to be in good shape doesn’t assure its eventual survival,”
he says. “We know that sometimes there is a delayed mortality among fish that have been subjected to too much stress.”
How about this business of “fizzing”walleye taken from deeper water? The Kansas biologist has some definite thoughts about this practice. He’s going to share his thoughts in the Mack’s Lure Pro Team publication a bit later.
There are other things any tournament angler should consider regardless of the species he’s after. “Number one,” Richardson says, “is to minimize the time the fish is out of the water. If you’re taking pictures of your catch, put the fish back in the water until the person taking the picture is ready. You don’t want a picture of a dead fish.”
He also warns anglers to avoid removing the slime from the body of the fish they catch. This slime is a protective coating for the fish. The more the fish is handled, the more slime comes off and the more the fish is subjected to infection.
Finally, Richardson thinks it would be wise for warm weather tournament producers to consider possible changes in their tournament formats. “ If they can’t change tournament dates to assure cool water conditions,” he says, “they might consider decreasing the length of the tournament day. Creel limits could also be reduced. Both would mean less mortality among the tournament catch.”
I enjoyed my visit with the Kansas fish biologist. He’s up front and honest in what he has to say. He is also eager to see additional research that may provide definite answers for some of cast-for-cash fishing’s unresolved problems.
In my opinion the tournament-fishing world could use more like him. And I’ll be surprised if we don’t hear more from and about him on down the line.
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