Keeping bass alive in your livewells is a crucial link to your tournament success and the preservation of bass fishing. Adding Please Release Me or Catch and Release (recommended) Formula to your livewell will increase the opportunity of your catch surviving long after they leave your livewells. The new formula reduces stress and stress hormones, called cortisols, in captive fish. The new formula also improves the natural immune response of the fish. Using garlic based products in your livewells, which rejuvenate fish, is not good for bass, smallmouth to an even greater degree. Garlic based products are strong irritants and can damage gill filaments and mucosa (skin), which often leads to bacterial and fungal infections.

You also need to pay close attention to the temperature in your livewell and the amount of dissolved oxygen. Smallmouth bass need to maintain at least 6.5 ml/l of dissolved oxygen and largemouth must maintain at least 5 ml/l of dissolved oxygen. Cheap meters can be purchased at various locations to easily monitor the amount of dissolved oxygen in your livewells. A great way to increase the amount of oxygen in your livewells is to add 3% hydrogen peroxide to your livewells at a rate of 6oz per 20 gallons of water. It is very important not to put too much hydrogen peroxide in the livewell so if you're not sure of the actual amount of water in your livewell then always add less than 6oz per 20 gallons. To calculate the amount of water in your livewell multiply length times width times depth (all in feet) times 7.5 and you will get the amount of water (in gallons) that your livewell holds. Finally, in the summer you should always add ice to your water to keep the temperature between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
   

 Hopefully these tips will help ensure the survival of your catch during the fishing season.