Why do some dead bass float to the surface?

[fin]

I assume because they died with their air bladder full, but it seems like fish that die of natural causes don't float, so why the difference? 

 

 

[thediscochef]

Depending on the stage of decomposition, it could be bacterial  byproducts of that process. May also be an air bladder that remains full because the muscles froze during death. Do bass get rigor mortis? I don't know. Someone more learned probably does ?‍♂️

[Trox]

6 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

Do bass get rigor mortis?

Oh yeah, I've pulled one out of my livewell before that could have been used as a 2x4

[thediscochef]

8 minutes ago, TroxBox said:

Oh yeah, I've pulled one out of my livewell before that could have been used as a 2x4

A learned one appears! That sounds like it could be used in some interesting ways. I've always wanted to get a carp and act like I'm fighting it out of a mud puddle downtown while people are walking by...

[Bird]

All the bass that I've lost due to foul hooked end up floating but I'm no biologist and have no idea why some would sink to the bottom.

 

The fish that I'm responsible for killing, end up in the frying pan, best I can do for not paying attention.

[fin]

47 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

Depending on the stage of decomposition, it could be bacterial  byproducts of that process. May also be an air bladder that remains full because the muscles froze during death. Do bass get rigor mortis? I don't know. Someone more learned probably does ?‍♂️

 

The ones I see floating are usually bloated, but I don't know if they bloat before or after they float. I rarely see any floating, fortunately. I saw a couple nice ones the other day, that's what got me wondering.

[A-Jay]

Have to imagine the fishes swim bladder at the time of the deal 

plays some type of role here.

Swim (or air) bladder

This hollow, gas-filled balance organ allows a fish to conserve energy by maintaining neutral buoyancy (suspending) in water. Fish caught from very deep water sometimes need to have air released from their swim bladder before they can be released and return to deep water, because of the difference in atmospheric pressure at the water's surface. Species of fish that do not possess a swim bladder sink to the bottom if they stop swimming.

A-Jay

[WRB]

Some fish like trout and salmon have pressure release valves in the air bladder, bass don’t. 

When fish die the stomach contents decay into gases that bloat the fish, plus the air bladder expands from decay and the dead fish floats belly up.

Dead whales to dead fish all tend to float unless a animal, turtle, bird etc pokes holes in the bloated fish.

Tom

[king fisher]

     I can't say about bass, but I have lots of experience with Goggle Eyes I keep for bait in salt water.  I go through hundreds of baits a season, and when I'm in between trips, I keep them in a bait receiver by the boat in the marina.  Many of the bait die the first day from the stress of being moved from the bait tank, to the receiver.  When they die they sink.  After a couple days they float to the surface.  I assume bass do the same.  Maybe you don't see the dead bass because something eats them during the time they are dead on the bottom.  I might be completely wrong.  Just my personal observation of a totally different fish, in a completely different environment.  Please correct me if any one has a more scientific explanation.  

[Team9nine]

Most fish have body density slightly higher than water, so they tend to sink when dead. Air bladder also tends to lose function aiding this process. However, biological decomposition quickly creates gases that will fill body cavities (and some organs) that haven’t been breached (think scavengers) causing the fish to float after a period of time. 

[N Florida Mike]

I very rarely see a floating , dead bass. Based on that, I assume the large majority of them sink when they die. I mean, like more than 95% of them…

 

[fin]

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

     I can't say about bass, but I have lots of experience with Goggle Eyes I keep for bait in salt water.  I go through hundreds of baits a season, and when I'm in between trips, I keep them in a bait receiver by the boat in the marina.  Many of the bait die the first day from the stress of being moved from the bait tank, to the receiver.  When they die they sink.  After a couple days they float to the surface.  I assume bass do the same.  Maybe you don't see the dead bass because something eats them during the time they are dead on the bottom.  I might be completely wrong.  Just my personal observation of a totally different fish, in a completely different environment.  Please correct me if any one has a more scientific explanation.  

 

That sounds plausible. Based on what most everybody is saying, all bass will float unless something eats holes into the organs that bloat. I’m guessing the period of sitting dead on the bottom must be longer than a couple days for a large bass compared to Google Eyes, maybe like a week, otherwise we would be seeing more floating dead bass. That would give scavengers more time.

 

If that is the answer, it still doesn’t explain why scavengers aren’t getting to the ones that float to the surface. What is it about those bass that is different? Are they just sitting on the bottom in areas where there are no scavengers?

[DinkDreams]

I’ve seen a couple bass in my life dead on the surface, with a bluegill stuck in their throat. Not sure if it has more to do with the bluegill being there or what, but I’d imagine that most of the time dead bass don’t float unless there’s another factor involved.