Too hot to fish – man or fish?

The recent subject addressed man’s ability to withstand the heat, while I would like to focus on the fish.

Live wells on sport fishing boats have been around a long time, and serious LMB fishermen, and tournament fishermen have contributed to the development of these systems. Even though I harbor a dislike for this type of fishing, they do a pretty good job of keeping their fish alive in summertime.

My boat livewells over the years have all been equipped with circulating lake water, cooled with ice in the hot weather months.

Live bait striper fishermen have developed hi-tech live well systems to keep their bait alive on Lake Texoma, and offshore sport fishermen have developed sophisticated systems.

So, I don’t recognize a problem with using this technology on our ponds during the hot heather months.

I have used an Igloo cooler with bubble aerator on our ponds since the beginning, sometimes to hold a fish until I could get a photo, or to transfer fish from one pond to another.

My utility vehicle had become my transport instead of a boat.

With current 100-degree temps not fit for man nor fish, I am fishing only in the early morning and have converted air aeration to oxygen.

It has been insinuated that perhaps the oxygen bottle is for me rather than the fish, and being 81 years old of sound mind and not so sound body with serious health issues, perhaps that is a good idea.

Our fish are too valuable to catch only one time, but it is necessary to thin the population from time to time on a selective basis.

Do not let recent negative comments on the forum deter anyone from utilizing HSB in their ponds – they are the greatest sport fish ever for small ponds.
They do not reproduce, eliminating the excessive reproduction and “catchability” problems associated with LMB.

My opinion – for what it’s worth.

George Glazener
N.E. Texas