How long is too long keeping a bass out of water?

[BoroBass]

I had some trouble getting a hook out of a bass's mouth today, it'd somehow managed to get it through it's jaw and out, then back in through it's lip from the outside. It was really in there good and to make it worse it'd picked up a ton of weeds just before I got it in the boat so I had to spend time picking all those off so I could even see in it's mouth.

Details aside, it took me a really long time to get the hook out without hurting the fish too bad, maybe 3-5 minutes or so. I let him go easy back in the water and it looked like he wasnt going to make it. He just started to float off, so pulled it through the water to get it going through it's gills and it swam off and seemed to be alright.

After it was over I thought I probably handled the situation badly leaving it out of water for too long. Any tips on what to do in the future? Should I hold it down in the water a little with the hook still in if I'm having trouble? Any tips or pointers would be appreciated...

[Fish Man]

fish can live for remarkably long periods of time from what ive herd. ive herd some up to an hour,but for a bass i would call 10 minutes to long and if it ever got to be that long i usually put them in the water and move them around for several seconds if they are out for around 2 minutes in order to let em get a breath or two and i always move em around back in forth or in a circle when i release them to get em recooperated

[linesider7]

I would like to believe that since you pulled the fish through the water and he swam away on it's own, that it will be fine.  Although, I just don't know for sure.  Would like to hear more responses.  

[Marty]

I'm no expert, but just because a fish swims off doesn't mean it will survive. That's why they have the term "delayed mortality." I read a comment by a respected biologist/writer who said keep them out of the water no longer than you can hold your breath.

[BoroBass]

I usually dont take nets out with me unless I'm with someone else or I know there are big fish or cats where I'll be fishing. Would it be alright in the future if I'm having trouble I put the fish in a net and lower it into the water and let it breathe a bit before trying to work on it some more? Or would that create too much confusion for the fish?

[FL_fisher]

If your having a hard time getting a hook out of a fish you can put the fish in the water every once in a while with the hook still in it to keep the fish good and wet.

[Pond-Pro]

it'd somehow managed to get it through it's jaw and out, then back in through it's lip from the outside.

I hate it when I hook them like that!!

Somtimes I just get my plyers and power the hook out.  Im not sure if would pay off to be more gentle, but take longer, or not.  I also would be intrested in knowing how long is a safe time to keap them out of the water.

[Guest avid]

Getting the bass back into the water ASAP is, of course the recommended procedure.

I think that we have all had instances like yours where it takes us longer than usual to get the hooks out.

I'm no bass biologist but I have seem them swim away with a big healthy splash after being out of the water for 2-3 minutes.  Longer than that I try to revive them.  

The best method I have found is to hold the bass gently with my thumb lightly on the lower lip.  I don't want him rolling over or swimming away in a weakened state.

It's important NOT to swish the bass back and forth in the water because the gills only operate in the forward direction.

It's acutally kinda cool.  The bass will sort of "suck your thumb" and you can feel his pulse beating.  Then after a minute or so, he "comes to"and swims off.

PS > a good pair of needle nose pliers is important and will get those hooks out fast.

[BucketmouthAngler13]

I've been there before. I've cought a bass, kept it out of the water to remove hook for around 4 minutes, slowly swirled it in a forward motion around 20 times, and it released with a splash and swam off. I'm not expert but I say anything over 5 minutes can do them damage and anything over 10 minutes would be fatal. If you bring pliers you can usualy get the hooks out in a matter of secconds (even the bad ones) and in the worst case you can cut the hook below the barb and pull it out. I always have a scale and pliers in my pocket and the usual catch, weigh, and release takes about 30 secconds. If I want a picture it takes around a minute and mabye a half.

My first fatal C&R for this year was today. The fish was foul hooked in the gill, and it took some time to get it out. One of his gill string things was torn and bleeding bad. He flopped and floated for several minutes after release then just.... floated. Damage to the gill usualy results in the death of the fish.

[CATCHnRELEASE]

I don't think there is any clear cut answer for how long you can keep a fish out of the water. Like someone mentioned above I have also heard that you should not keep them out longer then you can hold your breath. Here's my take on the situation though. Think of it this way, when you hook a bass it is going to use a lot of energy fighting and trying to get away. I would imagine this burst of energy use is much more than it ever uses in its regular daily life. Now that it has used tons of energy it is then yanked out of the water and can not breathe.  This would be like making someone sprint 100 yards at full speed then putting a plastic bag over their head. I would suggest getting the bass back into the water within 30 seconds to one minute which can easily be done even with a picture or two.  Also, if the hook is incredibly hard to get out you can still put the fish back in the water with it hooked and allow it to breathe, or rest it inside a net like someone else mentioned.  Also, when you are releasing the fish make sure you dont just throw it back, gently place the fish back in the water and you can move it from side to side to get oxygen to the gills. Like Avid said make sure you do not move it forward and backward in the water to revive it because it will actually damage the gills having water move through the gills backwards.  Also, take extra care of the larger lunker bass, think of them as senior citizens and be extra careful with them. Younger bass can recover quicker then the larger fish can. LASTLY,  someone previously mentioned "delayed mortality". Just because a bass has been out of the water for 3-5 minutes and kicks and splashes hard and swims off DOES NOT mean it is going to live at all.  There have been numerous studies about delayed mortality which are often focused on tournament fishing but the idea is the same.  Many tournaments release caught bass that die all the time and these bass were in livewells and holding tanks etc.  One of the problems is that these fish were not kept in water with proper oxygen levels.  These fish were all released and swam off but eventually some did die. Just some stuff to think about but I would basically try to get the fish back into the water as soon as possible to ensure that it does survive.  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

fish can live for remarkably long periods of time from what ive herd.

You heard wrong.  A fish can breath out of water as well as you can breath under water.  With this in mind, how long can you hold your breath?  Next time you lip one, take a deep gulp, when you need to exhale, get her in the water w/ forward movement.

Repeated dunking is a must if time is needed to remove hook.

[snapperd1]

Guys,

 I am no Marine Biologist believe me but repetedly putting the fish in the water and removing them stresses them a great deal.  If they are hooked that bad take your side cutters and cut the hook to remove it.  Hooks are cheap.  Get the fish back in the water ASAP.  And as the above mentioned swim them in a circular motion if you do need to revive them.  Also remember to correctly hold your fish.  Do not try and hold the bass horizontal by its mouth.  You can and will break it's jaw.  If you are going to hold a bass horizontal for a picture be certain t support it.

Good luck out there and be safe.

TD

[senile1]

Here's an interesting summary of how fish take in oxygen.

http://www.geocities.com/aquarium_fish/how_fish_breathe.htm

This is a quote from the above article about how fish suffocate.

When fish are taken out of the water, they suffocate. This is not because they cannot breathe the oxygen available in the air, but because their gill arches collapse and there is not enough surface area for diffusion to take place.

[Guest avid]

Delayed mortality is sadly, a event that does occur.

All we can do is try to our best to minimize the damage done from our hooks and having the bass out of water.

When I release a bass and there is strong healthy splash as he swims off, I like to think he is revitalized and will survive.   When they slowly limp off and head straight for the bottom is when I have my doubts.

My favorite release method for average size fish is to quickly remove the hook and getnly toss them back in the water with a little flip so they go in head first.    This sends a rush of oxygen into their system and they swim away strongly and confidently.

Of course a few have been know to "give me the fin" before swimming off.  ;D

[George Welcome]

Study Osmosis and Difusion to understand how a bass's respiration works.

Basics: The bass clears its gill area by closing its mouth and pushing out water out through the lower operculum area - The bass opens it mouth and water fills the void - the bass closes its mouth and pushes the water out through the lower operculum. (Note that when you have the bass's mouth open by depressing the lower lip, the operculum is also open.) As the water surrounds the gill surfaces Osmosis occurs. (movement of a highly concentrated substance moving through a semi-permeable substance to an area of low concentration; disolved oxygen.)

So you see: if the bass's mouth is hung open with your fingers you cut the bass's ability to respire quite a bit. Hold the bass by the tail firmly until it swims forcefully from your hand. I say forcefully because the initial surge to freedom in many cases is only a nerve induced reaction to flee. It is much the same as you, when you are severely hurt, trying to get to your feet.

Different fish breath through different means - for example, catfish, mudfish, and gar can breathe oxygen from the air, which is why you find them thriving in areas of low oxygen. Bass, a member of the sunfish family have unusually large gill surfaces which is why they are able to wander in and out of these areas.

[Tucson]

One advantage of using a net is that you can drop the fish back into the water if you're having trouble unhooking it.  I don't use my livewell because I always C&R but having it full of water might serve to keep the bass alive during hook removal.  

[Raul]

How long is too long keeping a bass out of water?

Imagine yourself getting choked for 3-5 min.

If you can 't remove the hook immediately don 't keep the fish out of the water too long, put it back on the water, hold for a few seconds and continue the unhooking process for a few more seconds and back to the water again.

[flechero]

I use the hold your breath as a guide but remember that the fish just "ran a sprint" while trying to escape capture.... so run a wind sprint or two and then time yourself when you hold your breath. If you plan to have the fish out for even 1 whole minute... break it up by giving the fish some time back in the water.  You might just save a few this way.

[G3 Fan]

  One thing I will do when I have a fish that is really hooked is to flatten the barb on the hook before doing the "power out".

  Actually, I flatten the barbs on a lot of my hooks before I even fish with them. Spinnerbaits and buzzbaits seem to cause a lot of problems when bass are aggressive and really crush them. I don't fish very many baits with gang hooks but the ones I use most often have the barbs flattened on at least the rear hooks.

  I can't think of one lost fish where I felt that if I would have left the barb on the hook I would have landed it. Besides, I am not getting a paycheck for catching a fish so to me the occasional lost fish (which happens anyway) is better than killing or seriously injuring one.

 Just MHO

[RoLo]

Am I the only the one who's annoyed by TV bass handling?

First we see the proud angler holding the bass up for camera....that part is fine,

then he rolls it over for a starboard shot, then he flips around for a back shot, then a belly shot...Okay, no problem.

After That...he stands there holding the bass while telling the viewers some long-winded story.

That kind of inconsiderate fish-handling sometimes finds me talking to the television set:

"RELEASE that fish...THEN tell us your story!".

Roger

[linesider7]

Am I the only the one who's annoyed by TV bass handling?

First we see the proud angler holding the bass up for camera....that part is fine,

then he rolls it over for a starboard shot, then he flips around for a back shot, then a belly shot...Okay, no problem.

After That...he stands there holding the bass while telling the viewers some long-winded story.

That kind of inconsiderate fish-handling sometimes finds me talking to the television set:

"RELEASE that fish...THEN tell us your story!".

Roger

Oh man!  That does drive me nuts!  The BIG fish too...

Glad you mentioned that...