Quote Originally Posted by sweetwater View Post
I think a 3 fish limit in the warmer months of the year is a good compromise for both sides of the issue. But then you could carry around a fish in the live well for most of the day and then replace it at the 11th hour with a larger one and more than likely the smaller fish would be toast. No telling how many die that way every weekend and it's never noticed because the fish could be miles from the weigh-in area.
We caught 2 of ours in the first hour and those fish swam away strong. They were kicking and flopping right before we put them back and we're looking very healthy. I know several teams used ice in their wells and there fish also seemed good and healthy. This was a very small tournament though. Only 11 boats with 3 fish for each student team and 1 fish for each adult driver. So in all, only 44 fish were at risk. I'd say it was a good compromise.