Reducing Trauma
Our 3/4" Military-Grade Closed Cell Polyethylene Foam Mats provide protection for jumping and excited fish, or turbulence in rough water, where impact on the livewell lid or the rough edges of the interior latch may cause injury or casualty.
Allowing Oxygenation
Fish need dissolved oxygen, and pool noodles cover the surface of the water and do not let livewell systems work properly. The hole patterns in Bass Bumpers allow aerators and recirculators to agitate the water as intended, which allows oxygenation as well as breaking up harmful ammonia build-up that fish excrete.
Preventing Jail Breaks
Sized to your boat, these Bumpers fill the opening in your livewell to prevent fish from jumping out when your lid is open. Whether culling, adding G-Juice, or just checking on your catch's health, almost every angler has had an experience where a fish saw daylight and leaped towards freedom.
The Search for a Better Solution
As an angler who frequents Lake Erie and participates in many smallmouth bass tournaments, I have always strived to protect the resource and care for the fish as much as possible. With cold water and short growing seasons, big smallmouth are OLD and I have seen way too many perish from angler neglect. Pool noodles have been a cheap and easy solution for years, but present a problems of their own:
- Pool Noodles can be annoying; culling with pool noodles rolling across my back deck is frustrating, especially on turbulent and windy days. Plus, you almost have to pull some out just to access your fish. Bass Bumpers fill your livewell to prevent fish from jumping out, but can be easily removed as one piece per side and laid on your deck, seat, cockpit, etc.
- Pool Noodles prevent your livewell from working as intended. The spray bars on aerators and recirculators agitate the water to increase dissolved oxygen and break up ammonia. Pool noodles cover the entire surface and do not let either of these happen. As the day goes on, fish utilize dissolved oxygen and excrete ammonia, turning livewell water into poison. G-Juice may be like an energy drink to give fish a temporary energy boost, but they NEED OXYGEN. The hole pattern in Bass Bumpers allows harmful gasses to escape and your livewell to work as intended.
- Pool noodles need to be cut to fit, and may never lay right or move around. Bass Bumpers are sized to your specific livewell; they are larger than your lid's opening but just smaller than your interior wall-to-wall dimensions. This gives you complete coverage at all times, but still gives you the ability to bend or pull them out of the way (or the livewell).
Once you receive your Bumpers, simply place them in your livewell. The closed-cell foam is hydrophobic and will float when you add water. No maintenance is required, but occasional cleaning is recommended. When you see a buildup of crud, crawfish pieces, and other dirt in the bottom of your livewell then it is probably time to give your Bass Bumpers a little wipe down with a non-toxic, bleach-free cleaner. The Bumpers can withstand strong chemicals, but we do not want traces of those cleaners left on the material when you fill your livewell the next time out.
Custom Bumper set for a Bass Tracker that had a bait bucket cutout. Also displays the flotation and ability to let water circulate.