[oldschool]

When you are fishing in deep water, anything over 30 feet is deep water for bass, you should immediately release the bass so it can return down to the depth it was caught while it is still has the strength to swim back down. If you take time to admire or photograph the bass, it weakens the fish. If you are a tournament fisherman and place the bass in the live, that weakens the fish. What you need to do before releasing a big bass that you have kept out of the water few minutes or before placing a bass in your live well, is fizz the fish.
Fizzing is letting the air out of the air bladder by puncturing the bladder with a needle. The easiest method is to use a specail needle kit made for this purpose. The needle has a plunger to keep the hollow needle from plugging.
To needle a bass, you can use it's pectoral fin laid flat against the side of the body and insert the needle 1/4 inch behind and above the tip of the fin. Slip the needle under a scale at 45 degree angle towards the head. Push the needle in about 1 inch or until your hear the air comming out. If you place the bass under water the air "fizzes"out in a small stream of bubbles. Gentle push up on the basses belly to aid the air exiting. Then release the bass and watch to see if the fish swims down under it's own power or place it in the live well and watch to see if it can swim upright. If you don't fizz deep water bass, they will die.
Tom
Ps; Fizzing kits are available fir $2 to $3 at veternary supply shops or Don Iovino products.

 

[dkinder605]

Good to know Tom. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Guest]

I didn't know that as well. Thanks for sharing that information.

 

[Ouachita]

Until you get into fizzing, here's the way I've been doing it. Carry a roll of trotline and a couple of 1 pound sinkers made from stones with wire cradles. You just twist some bailing wire around a rock and leave a loop somewhere. I always carry a roll of wire. These sinkers are disposable. Tie off one end of the line to the boat. Run the free line end through one of the sinkers then through the bass lip, then through the second sinker. A little extra tear there won't hurt anything. Let the fish into the water, feeding free line so the sinkers force the fish down. Let it sink at a rate about equal to how fast the fish surfaced. When you reach bottom or wherever sonar shows a school, hold the fish there until it begins to revive. Release the free end of the line, then roll up the tied end up, dropping the sinkers to bottom.

It's easier to fizz :grin:

Jim

 

[dkinder605]

I will have to keep both methods in mind...Does it work the same for all game fish..smallies and largemouth alike, I know i pull smallies in from deep water way more than i do largemouth..........and do the fizzing kits come with detailed instructions...wouldnt want to do more damage than good?

 

[oldschool]

I believe Iovino's kit has a diagram that illustrates an imaginary line drawn from the split in the dorsal fin or end of the spines on the dorsal fin where the round fin starts, then going down to basses vent, then counting 5 rolls of scales below the lateral in pore scale row. It's easier for me to use the pectoral fins flatten on the basses side and 1/4 beyond and up to locate the place on the outside of the bass to insert the needle. You need to use caution not to go too deep. If you see blood and don't hear air, then you have injured that bass. This takes a little practice. All bass have air bladders that don't have valves to release the pressure.
We covered this topic in Deep Water fish mortality back in 10 Dec '06 under General Discussion and should move it to this forum.
Tom

 

[dkinder605]

Thanks tom i will check that thread out

 

[Guest]

Fizzing bass has some risk and thus is slightly controversial. Jim's method is a little safer method though. Fizzing a bass can lead to death of the fish more times then descending them safely down to the depth they came from.

Check out this product video of a man releasing a Rockfish with his descender he invented: http://www.sheltonproducts.com/SFD7.mov

This is the safest method available.

For me, I don't have to worry about it as I don't have water that deep to worry about But if i did and I was catching bass in really deep water I would prefer to lower them back safely to the water depth I caught them from without poking a hole in their body to let air out.

But, poking a hole to let air out is better then just letting them go. They have less of a chance to survive that way.

 

[redranger188]

Thanks for the video... I wish we could get a fizzing video....BTW I love the video from above especially the music.. I never would have thought to use "God Bless America" as background music to a fishing video ... LOL

 

[champion_206]

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/diagram.htm

 

[Unknown04]

Great information. There are a few lakes around here where that is knowledge to be used and had. I have never personally caught a bass deeper than 15 ft., I would say, but I hope to be able to find some decent structure this year and get a few deep bass.

:thumbup01:

 

[flipclip]

I've been to lots of tournaments where they were "fizzing" after weigh in and before release. This means the fish probably spent all day upside down in a live well, and is already weak. If you haven't done it before, and you are not sure about needle placement, be careful, the liver and intestines are just above and just below the air bladder. Also, fizzing a weak fish at weigh in puts the fish at risk for infection, it's resistance is already diminished. Personally, I would never do this but I know many folks are comfortable with it.
I designed, applied for patent and had manufactured a clip that flips them back over. Attached to the anal fin, it allows the fish to turn over in the livewell and use it's own bloodstream and respiratory system to lower air bladder pressure. Take a look at:

http://www.flipclipfishing.com

If all goes right they should be available at Cabela's, Bass Pro and LandBigFish very soon.

 

[jakefisherman]

we do this when i go deep sea fishing in florida

 

[jrbasser]

If you want a fish to live that you caught deep, it almost always needs to be fizzed. Unless you do it within the first 30 minutes, it doesnt have a whole lot of a chance. I have two different way to get to the air bladder
The first way is to get a pretty big gauge needle and stick it in the fish 2 scales behind the fins near the gills
The second way is to stcik them between their chompers, but that is a lot riskier because their is a vein right next to it, and if you hit the vein they dont stand a chance

 

[UGA Bassfisher]

I have saved many a fish when I lived in So Cal.

 

[waynec]

In tournaments when catching bass deep put them in the livewell for about 15 minutes, then fizz them, keeps them strong in the livewell, but we all have to remember that over fizzing can result in the fish staying at the bottom and drowning as well, the best way i have been shown is draw a imaginary line between the back of the dorals fin and behind the anal fin, 4 scales down and 2 over, 45 degree angle.
Here is a pic showwing this, notice the guyz left hand, index finger behind dorsal, thumb at anal 4 scale down 2 in(pic looks desiving needle is 3 inches long), remember fizzing is not easy to do so if in doubt ask for help or practise on smaller fish

 

[Guest]

http://rattleheadbaits.com/AirBladderR.wmv

One way to do it. Three scales back from the pectoral fin and one scale up.(LM)
On Smallmouth back one and up three scales.
There is still a difference of opinions on how to do the fizzing or even to fizz at all.
Some say through the gullet is better because of less chance of injuring vital organs.

 

[Pond Jumper]

I don't think I will ever need to fizz a bass with the shallow waters I fish but still a good thing to remember.

 

[delawarebass]

very important if you fish deep anywhere in the country.

[smg id=865 type=av]

 

[TeegStouffer]

That Sure Life video is words to live by - Recycled Fish stands behind them and their product and methods.

Here's two cents that nobody probably wants to hear, but I'll say it for the record.

If you REALLY want to know that you're doing your part and being a responsible steward, fish in less than 20 feet of water. If you can't find 'em there, target something else or find suspended fish, but when you're pulling fish out of more than 20 feet, your post-release mortality rates are going to go up no matter what.

Now if you're fishing for the frying pan, it doesn't matter anyway...