Real-life experience helped spark the idea for the new Fish Guardian, a patent-pending accessory that may make tournament fishing easier, more productive and more profitable by facilitating the distribution of livewell additives to help decrease fish mortality.
Rodney Hairgrove, a veteran Kentucky Lake guide and tournament angler, said the idea was born on the water. He and his wife, Jamie, are fishing industry veterans and owners of the company.
“I’ve always used Catch and Release® in my livewells,” he said. “But it’s messy, especially if it’s windy, and it gets on your hands and on your boat carpet. If it gets any moisture in the jar, it gets hard, too.”
As a result of those past inconveniences he sought a way to liquefy the additives. After several attempts, Hairgrove developed the Fish Guardian simple pump system that takes liquefied Catch and Release® and distributes it to the livewell in precise quantities.
“It works flawlessly,” he said. “The nozzles are metered so all you do is hit a momentary waterproof switch for 3 seconds and it dispenses exactly enough Catch and Release® for 20 gallons of water. That’s a pretty standard sized livewell. If yours are bigger or smaller, you can add or take away as necessary.”
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The Fish Guardian can be installed in the bilge compartment of any bass boat in less than an hour by a reasonably mechanical angler. Wires need to be fished up toward the dash of the boat where an existing auxiliary switch can be used to activate the sprayer nozzle. If no such switch exists, the button can be mounted under the dash or at any other spot on the boat the owner prefers.
The Fish Guardian is worth its weight in gold. Besides saving time on the water it ensures me that I've added the perfect amount of livewell treatment to my livewell without the mess. I guarantee if you give Fish Guardian a try you won't be disappointed.
The Fish Guardian is currently available for purchase exclusively through FishGuardian.com