I'm planning on taking some 8-10" LMB and some adult BG from one lake to another for the first time, distance is about 4 hours away, any tips for successfully transporting and transplanting fish?

thx
John in Dallas

Hey John good to have ya!

That's a ways for fish to travel. I have gone about 100 minutes but that's it. How big of a tank are you looking at putting these fish in? And how many fish that will determine what and how long you can go for sure. I have a 70 quart cooler I use and I have put up to 50 copper nose blue gill in it with 2 OTABS and they were fine. You can rig an airline too to use off of your cigarett lighter in your car if you have one? Some guys use battery to run an air pump in their coolers. Like I said I have never gone that far maybe someone else can give you a little better advice for going 4 hours. Check out these otabs though they work great for me and each tablet lasts about 4 hours I believe. I have also transported 4, 15 inch bass using the same cooler with these otabs and it worked fine. Here is the site. www.otabs.com good luck buddy.

John, depending on the number of fish, I would transport them in a large oxygenated cooler. I have a portable unit and you are in Dallas, you are welcome to use it if you have a large cooler.
I don't believe I would risk them with a livewell air pump unless very few fish.

My O2 unit is at home in Plano but large cooler is at my son's place in N.E.Texas.

I've kept 30 small LMB in an aerated cooler in 90+ degree weather for over 4 hours with no problems.

I transported between 50 and 60 6"-7" BG out 3 hours in a 120 qt. igloo cooler using 2 of the two "D" cell battery aerators that I bought from Wal-Mart. The fish were looking stressed when I got there, so that's about the limit for that amount of fish for me. Water temp plays into it too. Cooler is better.

George, would clove oil help?

I have a 300 gallon tank I plan to use do you know how many I could safely keep in there?

Thanks

Not to get too off topic, where does one find out the legalities of having undersized gamefish in your possession? I have wanted to do the same thing but only about a 30min trip at max but have been worried about the legalities.

I'd check with your state fish and game department.

Be careful. In Indiana a while back, if you were to stock your pond with fish caught from public waters, or if the state stocked your pond for you, you supposedly had to let anyone fish it because it was stocked with "public owned" fish.

I'd think that posessing undersized fish (i.e. catching and transporting them), for whatever reason, was illegal, and a ticket could be written.

In Texas there are neither rules nor regulations regarding private property fish. I occasionally trap from my forage pond and haul them elsewhere. I talked to the Game warden and he said no problem.