Fizzing fish

[NHBull]

Folks, I have never fizzled a fish, but looking back there are times that I should have.

I have seen techniques of going through the mouth, the side adding weight to the bottom fins to keep them right side up.

This is more for tournament fishing, but guess it also applies  to catch and release.

Any thoughts on the matter are appreciated 

[Glenn]

All work if they're done right.  However, there's a risk of injuring them - even killing them - if you make a mistake.

 

The techniques, from safest to most risky (and potentially lethal) are:

1. Weights on the bottom fin

2. Going through the side

3. Going through the mouth

 

For this reason, I never recommend the 3rd method.

 

There's a 4th method too, but you need to be more prepared, and that is using a weighted clothes basket. Invert it, tie a long rope to it (at least 40'), and tie some weights to it so they hang off the rim.  Add bass and lower the basket quickly.  It will drop him to the depths where he can swim away safely on his own.  Or, at least that the theory. 

 

[Spankey]

Not to ask a dumb question. But how deep are fish when that happens? I don't recall that ever happening to me with a bass. Thanks. Would like to know. 

[J Francho]

The Sure Life folks have a pretty good video.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Not to ask a dumb question. But how deep are fish when that happens? I don't recall that ever happening to me with a bass. Thanks. Would like to know. 

 

I start to see issues around 30'.  If immediately released, there is no problem, and no need to fizz.  I've only had to do it a few times with tournament fish in a livewell.

[NHBull]

12 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Not to ask a dumb question. But how deep are fish when that happens? I don't recall that ever happening to me with a bass. Thanks. Would like to know. 

30 ft

[Spankey]

1 minute ago, NHBull said:

30 ft

Thanks, after hear this or at least giving it some thought of ever have it happening to me maybe I should put a kit together for this condition. 

 

13 minutes ago, J Francho said:

The Sure Life folks have a pretty good video.

 

 

 

I start to see issues around 30'.  If immediately released, there is no problem, and no need to fizz.  I've only had to do it a few times with tournament fish in a livewell.

Thanks for all the info. Hope I don't have to deal with that. 

[Team9nine]

Good info above. While there are some variations among species, in general, studies show 20 ft is typically the depth at which symptoms start showing, with a quick increase in percentage of fish affected at just over 30 ft. By 70 feet, incidence is 100%. Studies have come to differing conclusions, but generally accepted is that immediate C&R requires no treatment, and mouth fizzing shouldn't be done at all. If trained and comfortable, side fizzing is best overall option for deeper caught fish. Weights work well for fish at the lowest levels of incidence.

[WRB]

It's all about fast pressure changes that inflate the bass airbladder. If you take a inflated ballon that is 6" diameter and submerse it 2 atmospheres or 29 feet down into the water the ballon shrinks to more then 1/2 it's size or about 3" dia. Bring the same ballon back to the water surface it's inflates back to it's original 6" dia.

A bass airbladder is similar to the ballon and has gas to inflate the bladder so the bass is nuetral bouyant like a astronaut in space so it floats at a specific depth. If the bass has it's airbladder inflated for nuetral bouyancy at 30' and you catch it and bring it up the the surface it's airbladder expands doubling in size pushing it's stomach out the throat and causes the bass to roll over stomach up.

The only things that reduces the over inflated air bladder is the bass goes back down to where it was at nuetral bouyancy or puncher the air bladder to release gas pressure.

Clipping on weights to roll the bass over in a livewell does nothing to help reduce over inflated airbladder because bass don't have gas valves to release pressure, it takes over 24 hours to consume small mounts of gas pressure.

If the bass was at neutral bouyant at 50' depth, swam up to 30' feet to strike your lure and you bring it up to the surface the air bladder expands more then a bass acclimated to 25 feet and swam down to 30' to strike your lure do to higher pressure changes.

Tom

[WRB]

I use a 8 oz torpedo sinker clipped onto my line and put the weight gently in the basses throat and release the bass with the weight pulling it down to the depth it was caught, then lift the rod upright and start reeling the weight back up, the bass comes off easily, no harm, no fizzing.

My personal depth limit to fish for bass is 40' and that is during the cold water period.

Tom

[Team9nine]

33 minutes ago, WRB said:

 

Clipping on weights to roll the bass over in a livewell does nothing to help reduce over inflated airbladder because bass don't have gas valves to release pressure, it takes over 24 hours to consume small mounts of gas pressure.

Correct - the clips have nothing to do with quickly relieving gas pressure. However, they do appear to help in mild cases where you will be holding the fish for a period of time by stabilizing the fish in an upright position, allowing it to conserve its energy instead of exhausting itself quickly, trying to fight to maintain its normal upright position. There are still many professionals who suggest the best fizzing is no fizzing, and the weights can help in that regard.

[NHBull]

36 minutes ago, WRB said:

I use a 8 oz torpedo sinker clipped onto my line and put the weight gently in the basses throat and release the bass with the weight pulling it down to the depth it was caught, then lift the rod upright and start reeling the weight back up, the bass comes off easily, no harm, no fizzing.

My personal depth limit to fish for bass is 40' and that is during the cold water period.

Tom

Tom, there is a video on doing this with the weight of a toss bouy.....Think wired to fish made it

[WRB]

Agree that  fin clips may help to conserve energy. Bass roll over when stressed because they loose equilibrium, basically they are dieing. Over stressed bass would benefit from fin weights to help conserve energy so they may be able to servive. 

The tournament anglers goal is not to be penalized for dead bass in the livewell, what happens to the bass after it's released isn't their problem. Post mortality rates are high for bass caught from 30'+ depths for a few reasons, stress from water temperature change, DO level and pressure changes. 10 degrees fast water temperature change is also fatal and summer surface water used to fill livewells can be more than 10 degrees warmer then water at 30+ feet deep.

Not a fan of fin clips! Good livewell management offered by Sure-Life is a better option IMO.

Poking holes with a needle in the stomach, airbladder or other organs  all must heal without infection before they are functional so agree clips are better then fatal wounds.

Tom

[Glenn]

22 minutes ago, WRB said:

what happens to the bass after it's released isn't their problem.

A mildly offensive comment.  I trust you're not a tournament angler, hence the jab.

 

Truth is, nobody wants to fish to die after they release it.  So let's get that out of the way now.

 

In fact, many states will shut down a tournament if the mortality rate exceeds 10%.  And will ban an organization for repeated violations.  This often includes post-release mortality as well.              

[WRB]

Glenn the comment wasn't intended to be offensive and more tournament organizations are working to educate thier anglers to improve livewell management for catch and release to improve survival rates.

I was a tournament angler and still fish a few events and know first hand how poorly some events are run and the attitude or belief that bass are nearly indestructible.

I know tournament anglers who use ice picks in lieu of fizzing needles because it's fast and works for them to get fish weighed in. A few is the minority, the majority are just as concern as you are.

Tom