Bass Tournament Help

[batoathome]

question is when trying to keep track of what you have in the livewelll(size or weight). I have two livewells where the 3 bigger are in one livewell and other two smaller are in the other. But as the day goes on and if you get lucky and can upgrade a few times. What is the best method to keep track? I write down length of the fish, but trying to pick out the smaller one from the tank is challenging and puts lots of stress on the fish. Is there a tag system available in the market? For example something fish friendly that can clip on with colour or number code? I thought this forum would be the best place to ask since the community has some very knowledgable members.

 

Thanks in advance..

 

OH first year doing tournaments and I am like a kid at Christmas eve.LOL!!

Edited July 14, 2010 by batoathome

[troutologist]

I have been using small aligator clips with different colour tubing on them. Keep the cullers in 1 well and make a ongoing notation of each fishes weight. I've been fishing slot tourneys for walleye out here and length is not always the deciding factor so its important to get every ounce out of your fish.

 

I still have a lot to learn myself

 

Good luck

[uglyfish]

yes there are many different companies that make culling kits. consisting of a colored ball attatched to a clip. the ardent smart cull system is great but slightly higher in price then others. berkley makes a couple different kits, i grabbed one for 12 bucks at fishing world.

 

one thing to keep in mind when selecting a kit, some tournament organizers have banned the use of the large stringer style clips. the kits that have these can be converted to use other clips. berkley again, has a new clip that goes on the fish's lip and is much safer to the fish.

 

then when ur on the water, get a fish, weigh it, tag it, and record the weight and color for each fish, then u can easily cull fish during the day. a balence beam is also good for fish that are very close in size.

[alexcba]

tons of stuff on the market. heres one from bass pro.

 

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_30217____SearchResults

[Harrison]

After trying various things... here is what works for me.

 

I use the clips as well and a balance beam.

 

Any fish over 4lbs get Black or Red clip (or waht you consider big fish for the water you are on i.e Simcoe would be 5 +). Those are my big fish clips. They get put in one side.

 

Smallest fish gets the green clip(casue its got to go). I do not clip the other fish and put them on the other side.

 

So when I am moving and have to cull, I beam all the others unless it is obvious by eye. Smallest fish goes back on the green.

 

This works for me, except sometimes on Simcoe or Erie and you have wells of 3.5 to 4 lbers, culling takes some time!

 

Good Luck with your T fishing.

Edited July 14, 2010 by Harrison

[misfish]

After trying various things... here is what works for me.

 

I use the clips as well and a balance beam.

 

Any fish over 4lbs get Black or Red clip (or waht you consider big fish for the water you are on i.e Simcoe would be 5 +). Those are my big fish clips. They get put in one side.

 

Smallest fish gets the green clip(casue its got to go). I do not clip the other fish and put them on the other side.

 

So when I am moving and have to cull, I beam all the others unless it is obvious by eye. Smallest fish goes back on the green.

 

This works for me, except sometimes on Simcoe or Erie and you have wells of 3.5 to 4 lbers, culling takes some time!

 

Good Luck with your T fishing.

 

 

Good advise Phil.I was going to say the beam was a quick way aswell.

 

 

 

You have to cull on Simcoe? LOL

 

 

Good luck Bat,and have fun.

[charlesn]

I knew I was doing something wrong. You're allowed to catch more than 5?! Then why do they call it a limit! Geez, English not being my native language seems to have really cost me... No wonder I keep getting spanked.

 

 

bato, I like the Quik-Cull clips (the white clips). They are the best of the clip style that I have see, they come with tangle free floating rope and the colours match up well with the Accu-Cull system. I use a Chatillion scale and I frankly don't even bring a beam anymore because I have unwavering trust in the Chatillion.

 

Good luck and remember - having to spend time culling is a good thing!

[Dutch]

I made my own culling tags:

 

1) Five $1 store floating lures - remove the hooks

2) Five lengths of weed eater line small enough to go through the reaer hook eye of the lures

3) Attach the weed eater line with aluminum compression fittings used with cable (small size)

4) Five old stringer clasps attched to the other end of the weedeater line

5) Write numbers 1-5 on the lures

6) Black china marker and 5" X 8" clear plastic clip board from staples

 

Total cost was about $8-$9 and about 20 minutes of labour - had the weed eater line sitting around along with the old stringer.

 

Much better than $40 or more from the fishing stores.

 

Got the idea from BBC boards.

[SRT8 smoker craft]

I was told by another tourny angler that instead of putting the clips through the gillplate, to punch them through the skin in the lower jaw right beside the tongue. sounded kinda mean but I tried it and no reaction at all from the fish and it pierces the skin very easily.I think that a small hole in the lower jaw would be way less stressful or damaging than having there gills damaged we use a BPS set and a beam works good I will be looking at a good scale in the near future would hate to lose by a ounce or 2 and question your own culling at the end of the day. it is tough keeping track especially when your talking about 3-4 fish that weigh and look identical but like was said earlier culling is good and means your putting more weight in the well.

[TC1OZ]

I was told by another tourny angler that instead of putting the clips through the gillplate, to punch them through the skin in the lower jaw right beside the tongue. sounded kinda mean but I tried it and no reaction at all from the fish and it pierces the skin very easily.I think that a small hole in the lower jaw would be way less stressful or damaging than having there gills damaged we use a BPS set and a beam works good I will be looking at a good scale in the near future would hate to lose by a ounce or 2 and question your own culling at the end of the day. it is tough keeping track especially when your talking about 3-4 fish that weigh and look identical but like was said earlier culling is good and means your putting more weight in the well.

 

haha yet you don't feel bad about jamming a hook into its mouth?

[uglyfish]

as said, before u fish a tourney, check out the rules... lots of tournament organizers are making the big safety pin/stringer type clips ILLEGAL to use. the CBAF was the first club to do it, and others are following suit. its not necessarily because they are harming the fish, when put in properly, but some guys fail to take care putting them on the fish, and others use them to pick up the fish causing damage. culling tags are used to identify which fish is which, not to pick up the fish!

[misfish]

was told by another tourny angler that instead of putting the clips through the gillplate, to punch them through the skin in the lower jaw right beside the tongue

 

Im not sure about close to the tongue,but yes the lower jaw through the thin skin.

Edited July 15, 2010 by BrianB

[SRT8 smoker craft]

Its under the tongue to either side were the skin is the thinnest you will know what I mean when you see it as close to the thick cartilage of the jaw as possible. TC if I felt bad about poking a fishes mouth with a sharp object I wouldn't catch much LOL they say fish don't feel much inside there mouths because they eat bait fish with sharp fins all the time and could you imagine eating a live crayfish pinching your tongue as you swallow it