You can use 30 feet safe limit in most lakes. The real issue is how far the bass traveled from it's neutral air bladder pressure.
If the bass as neutral balance at 50 feet and came up to 25 feet and you hooked the bass at 20 to 25 feet, then drought up to the surface, the pressure change to that bass is 50 feet. It's hard to set absolutes.
The other unspoken issue is pressure change also affect the basses brain, fizzing doesn't help brain damage.
Tom
I agree with Oldschool. I dont think you can really set a depth at which mortality rates increase. For example, every year a local bass club has a tournament down at Amistad. It normally brings in 200+ two man teams. This year, the limit was changed to three fish. But anyway. I normally work behind the weigh in stage, in the tanks, fizzing fish. I have seen fish swim away that have been caught 50+ feet deep. Actually, most of them end up being fine. The secret is, that if you catch a fish that deep, you just have to bring it up slowly, so it has time to adjust its air bladder. The fish will still probably need to be fizzed, but it greatly increases its chance of surviving
I agree with Oldschool. I dont think you can really set a depth at which mortality rates increase. For example, every year a local bass club has a tournament down at Amistad. It normally brings in 200+ two man teams. This year, the limit was changed to three fish. But anyway. I normally work behind the weigh in stage, in the tanks, fizzing fish. I have seen fish swim away that have been caught 50+ feet deep. Actually, most of them end up being fine. The secret is, that if you catch a fish that deep, you just have to bring it up slowly, so it has time to adjust its air bladder. The fish will still probably need to be fizzed, but it greatly increases its chance of surviving
I want to welcome Carl (AnlgersLodge) to the Site I have invited him from another forum. He just recently finished helping with a Study on Fizzing Fish with Texas parks and Wildlife Department he recently gave a presentation to theTexas B.A.S.S. Federation Nation State Directors and Club Presidents Meeting about this study.
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