Science: Bass On Gas

Pro athletes do it.

Do what you ask?

Receive oxygen when they are overly stressed or exerted during competition. Now that we’re headed into the summer months and water temperatures are rising, it’s time to think about doing the same with the bass we catch and hold during tournaments. A recent press release has some good data on using oxygen injection systems hooked into bass boat livewells.

Different bass boats have different livewell configurations. Most of them work similarly when it comes to keeping oxygen at an adequate level when a small limit of bass is in the livewell and the water is still relatively cool (<75F). Once temperatures start rising above that level, or you start catching Elite Series size limits of bass, they usually become woefully short when it comes to supplying enough oxygen to stave off delayed mortality. One way that solves this problem is to install an oxygen infusion system into your existing boats livewell system.

“Dissolved oxygen is the single most important factor for keeping bass alive,” said Randy Myers, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Inland Fisheries biologist from San Antonio. For as little as $250, you can rig your own setup with the instructions provided from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. Check out their PowerPoint style presentation for a do-it-yourself application that will make certain your bass don’t suffer from delayed mortality this summer.