TexasKayakFisherman.com

I was thinking about fishing the KATS Inshore Tournament August 5th in Corpus & Aransas Pass area. This is a live heaviest 2 slot red minimum weigh in. There is a 1/4 lb penalty assessed for a dead fish. I know dragging fish behind a kayak on a stringer causes stress & even death for some fish especially in the heat. If they do stay alive on a stringer, what would be the easiest & cheapest way to transport them in to the weigh in? Again I’m looking cheap..
Thanks again for your great ideas!
Adam


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Back when I fished the LSKS, I'd put them on the stringer after catching and then when i got back to launch i would put them in a large ice chest partially filled with the water they came out of. There would be a good 12 volt aerator forcing jets of air and water in with the fish. I'd also put in a frozen sealed gallon jug of water to cool down the water some.

When the fish were on the stringer I'd periodically check on them and make sure they were not in any bind and to keep separate. I also never had to paddle hard and fast to get back to the launch. Kept up a leisurely pace and didn't cut the times close to ensure I made the weigh in cut off.

Never lost a fish, had 2 per event, in four events.

Back when I fished tournaments this what I did for reds.

I used a nylon stringer so I could tie knots. I would tie a knot 16-18" below the float, string the red from the top and through the bottom lips, then tie another knot to keep their mouths closed to prevent drowning the red. I would consider using a different stringer for each red. If not, add another knot to keep the reds separate.

At the truck bring the largest cooler you have and fill it with water. I used two mr. Bubblers though one would be sufficient. I also added fish doctor or croaker saver to the water and frozen bottles of water during the summer months.

I never lost a red doing this. Even had one on the stringer for over 5 hours in July.

What Neumie says is key - string from top to bottom. This keeps them upright while in tow.