after fishing in various makes and models of bass boats i have discovered that with lighter colored livewells the fish tend to bleach out some color...to prevent this i was told to put a blk rubber mat in the bottom.. low and behold it works.. the fish keep their color and seem to be calmer..any other ideas would be appreciated ..
TY. zoomer
LIVEWELLS
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Cancatchbass
- Gold Participant
- Posts: 1692
- Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2003 4:30 pm
- Location: 1000 Islands
Hmmmm ...
Hey, zoomer:
Although the inside of my livewells are light grey, I've never had bass bleach out on me.
Once the lid is closed, no light can enter, so I don't see why the colour lining of the livewell would make a difference. Wouldn't every closed livewell look the same to a bass?
I have fished boats that have black livewells, and it can be tough finding fish for culling if you don't use a float system. The fish are VERY hard to see.
Bass can change their colours in a matter of less than a minute, depending on their mood or stress. This seems to be even more pronounced in smallies. I've seen smallies at rest that have no vertical bars (just one solid colour) become agitated just before feeding and develop distinct markings right before my eyes (in an aquarium setting- no reason to believe this doesn't happen in the wild). Neat to watch.
If you've seen a noticeable difference by using the black mat, keep doing it. I might give it a try myself this season.
CCB
Although the inside of my livewells are light grey, I've never had bass bleach out on me.
Once the lid is closed, no light can enter, so I don't see why the colour lining of the livewell would make a difference. Wouldn't every closed livewell look the same to a bass?
I have fished boats that have black livewells, and it can be tough finding fish for culling if you don't use a float system. The fish are VERY hard to see.
Bass can change their colours in a matter of less than a minute, depending on their mood or stress. This seems to be even more pronounced in smallies. I've seen smallies at rest that have no vertical bars (just one solid colour) become agitated just before feeding and develop distinct markings right before my eyes (in an aquarium setting- no reason to believe this doesn't happen in the wild). Neat to watch.
If you've seen a noticeable difference by using the black mat, keep doing it. I might give it a try myself this season.
CCB