Sprite!!!

[NHBull]

Folks,

i have seen a couple pros and a few old-timers carry a bottle of sprite to help a stop the bleeding of a fish prior to going in the live well.

i know there are live well products for such things, but wonder it the soda is a wives tail?????

 Thanks 

[A-Jay]

No doubt Sprite is the world's leading lemon-lime flavored soft drink. It has a crisp, clean taste that really quenches your thirst.  All of that and only 140 calories a can.   

 

I've not seen any actual scientifically supported data that indicates pouring it into a bass for any reason offers any benefits; other than the 'bro-science' we've all heard & read. 

 

Sure-Life products might be a better option.  For example according to  the husband and wife team of microbiologists that offer it, with backgrounds in chemistry and biology, respectively. With training and experience in the field of ultra-sensitive aquarium fish, the founders of Sure-Life turned their attentions to keeping tournament fish alive and well. With Sure-Life Catch and Release, you can "keep your fish and your profits alive."

 

One teaspoon of Sure-Life Catch and Release will treat 10 gallons of water, keeping bass calm with an all-natural sedative. It also stimulates and protects slime coating, reduces weight loss by preventing regurgitation, prevents shock and restores electrolyte balance. Catch & Release instantly removes harmful chlorine and other toxic chemicals, boosts oxygen transfer, and protects against post-release infection.

 

Just say'in.

A-Jay

• Calms Bass & Walleye With All Natural Sedative
• Stimulates And Protects Slime Coating
• Reduces Weight Loss By Preventing Stomach Regurgitation
• Prevents Shock And Restores Electrolyte Balance
• Instantly Removes Harmful Chlorine And Other Toxic Harmful Water Treatment Chemicals
• Boosts Oxygen Transer
• Protects Against Overall Post Release Infection

[Team9nine]

I was one of the first to research and write about this, and the best answer, recently supported by a fish physiologist (Dr. Bruce Tufts), is that it's the carbon dioxide in the drink, which means it doesn't matter which brand of cola you use, as it simply could be carbonated water. The higher the content, the better.

 

Regardless, CO2 is weird in that in nearly all cases, it acts as a vasodilator in people. The one exception is the lungs, where it acts as a vasoconstrictor. The belief is that the gills in fish are acting like the lungs in people, and the blood vessels feeding them immediately constrict when met with high CO2 contact.

 

This is the best "scientific" answer I've seen, though no one has addressed if there are any negative consequences to the practice.

[Angry John]

Never believed any of the tricks.  I get them back in water as soon as possible because, that is there NaturAL environment.  In air I think they bleed a lot more and no question the stress is a lot more.  In a tournament situation where there is a death penalty I would leave in the hook until after weigh ins.  Then release all the others and take out the hook and let them recover in the well.  If there good off they go.  If not then I give them to a dinner plate no reason to waste.

[AndrewJ]

18 hours ago, A-Jay said:

No doubt Sprite is the world's leading lemon-lime flavored soft drink. It has a crisp, clean taste that really quenches your thirst.  All of that and only 140 calories a can.   

 

I've not seen any actual scientifically supported data that indicates pouring it into a bass for any reason offers any benefits; other than the 'bro-science' we've all heard & read. 

 

Sure-Life products might be a better option.  For example according to  the husband and wife team of microbiologists that offer it, with backgrounds in chemistry and biology, respectively. With training and experience in the field of ultra-sensitive aquarium fish, the founders of Sure-Life turned their attentions to keeping tournament fish alive and well. With Sure-Life Catch and Release, you can "keep your fish and your profits alive."

 

One teaspoon of Sure-Life Catch and Release will treat 10 gallons of water, keeping bass calm with an all-natural sedative. It also stimulates and protects slime coating, reduces weight loss by preventing regurgitation, prevents shock and restores electrolyte balance. Catch & Release instantly removes harmful chlorine and other toxic chemicals, boosts oxygen transfer, and protects against post-release infection.

 

Just say'in.

A-Jay

• Calms Bass & Walleye With All Natural Sedative
• Stimulates And Protects Slime Coating
• Reduces Weight Loss By Preventing Stomach Regurgitation
• Prevents Shock And Restores Electrolyte Balance
• Instantly Removes Harmful Chlorine And Other Toxic Harmful Water Treatment Chemicals
• Boosts Oxygen Transer
• Protects Against Overall Post Release Infection

A-Jay, if you arent a spokesperson for Sure-Life, I think you need to call them and set up a meeting.  That was one heck of a sales pitch

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, AndrewJ said:

A-Jay, if you arent a spokesperson for Sure-Life, I think you need to call them and set up a meeting.  That was one heck of a sales pitch

Thanks for the kind words - 

However,  I have to admit that I 'borrowed' most all of that from their web page.

Wanted to make sure I had it right.

Either way - the results speak for themselves.

A-Jay

[WRB]

Sprite...it's usually Mountain Dew that gets the nod as being a fish life saver.

As A-Jay correctly observed Sure-Life Labs are a creditable and reliable source for fish protection livewell products Catch & Rekease and Please Release Me to specifically to help bass survive. 

The proof is in the statistics of C & R tournaments and not 1 professional tournament organization promotes pouring carbonated water, Sprite or Mountain Dew in a livewell or into a basses bleeding gills.

Tom

[TOXIC]

The absolute best medicine is to keep the fish in as close to their natural habitat while in the live wells.  Recirculate fresh oxygenated water often.  The downside to live well additives is that while the fish appear lively and healthy for weigh in, once they are released and the chemical wears off they crash and there is a delayed mortality.  How many bad press pictures have there been showing dead fish after a tournament scattered around the release point? None of those fish were dead at weigh in and you can bet there were a majority of them in treated live wells.  In the big tournaments they have release boats that take the fish to parts unknown for release.  Is that for the health of the fish or to mask any that have delayed mortality?  Probably both.  Summer tournaments in hot water and catching fish deep without fizzing before release add to the problem.  We are all about preserving the resource and I think we have a ways to go.  

[WRB]

Opening up a whole can of worms when it comes to how organized bass tournaments handle fish at weigh ins or how anglers handle bass caught and stored in livewells.

Bass post mortality rates are a direct result of ignorance, poor handling practices and poor livewell management techniques.

The Classic Ike melt down throwing the American flag into the water when he discovered his limit of bass were belly up due to a livewell pump failure shouldn't of happened. If Ike knew that 1/2 cup of 3% over the counter hydrogen peroxide mix into 15 gallons of livewell water would have saved the day.

Gene Gilliand the fish biologist that bass hired down played competitors using hydrogen peroxide as a livewell additive based on problems with fish transport trucks having issues using 20% solution hydrogen peroxide to add dissolved oxygen in the water. Comparing 3% to 20% solution was misleading and his advice not to use it was simply wrong.

Under Bassmasters giudelines the fiasco to Falcon lake event weigh in took place with one of the highest post morality rates ever recorded occurred. Big bass in confined small livewells with poor management, water temps too high and DO levels too low, was the cause. 

I would hope everyone reading this thread take the time to watch Sure-Life livewell management vedio's and educate yourself so misleading statements can be avoided.

OK, I will get off my soap box, this topic tends to wind me up!

Tom

 

 

[NHBull]

 

 

 

[TOXIC]

My opinion is just my opinion and Tom is right there are a lot of worms getting out of the can on this subject because there are a lot of hired guns promoting livewell additives, treatments, etc.  My only point is that no matter what you do that alters a bass' natural state is going to have a repercussion.  Cause and effect.  Simply loading the well with fish causes stress so you start in the hole so to say.  Add temp, depth caught, dissolved o2, rough water runs, etc., and you get the picture, the odds are stacking up against the fish.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not against tournaments (I've fished plenty of my own) but I'm still not convinced additives are anything more than a stimulant to keep them lively until release.  The repair of slime coat claims and others, I'm even more skeptical of.  As for the peroxide, there's no doubt it alters the livewell chemistry and probably for the good but what happens when you put that fish back in its natural habitat?  In all the years I fished tournaments in all seasons, I had 3 fish die and all were from gut hooks.  When guiding, my sponsoring marina always wanted pictures of bigger catches so I routinely carried bigger fish around in the wells before pictures and release at the end of the day.  I never treated my livewell water.  I am getting close to retirement and may hit the tournament trail again but the only thing I'll be adding to my livewells are vents on my livewell lids to help expel the toxic gasses that build up in a sealed well.  I haven't added them yet because I do not well fish.  

[Glenn]

No sales pitch here guys; no affiliation with any manufacturer....

 

Don't ever, ever, EVER use any kind of soda on an animal! 

 

And if you feel comfortable giving an animal something that is not designed for their consumption, then feed your baby dogfood.

 

'Nuff said.

 

[scaleface]

If   Busch Light doesnt work then any bass I catch is out of luck .

[RHuff]

Wonder if Cherry Sprite would make them feel better....Just kidding

 

 

I use Please Release Me powder in my livewell.