Montana > Ice Fishing Montana
Fizzing
wyogator:
We used to fizz reef fish in saltwater. I don’t think it hurt them at all. I don’t do it to perch because I have heard they get infected. Maybe the saltwater heals the wounds.
pmmpete:
--- Quote from: wyogator on Jan 24, 2022, 06:06 PM ---We used to fizz reef fish in saltwater. I don’t think it hurt them at all. I don’t do it to perch because I have heard they get infected. Maybe the saltwater heals the wounds.
--- End quote ---
Earlier in this thread I posted this link to an article by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife about rockfish recompression: https://myodfw.com/articles/rockfish-recompression. That article includes the following paragraph:
"Some anglers may have heard about “venting”, or puncturing a fish’s body or the protruding esophagus to allow gas to escape and the fish to swim down on its own. This is not recommended as it can cause serious injury or introduce infection to the fish. Keeping the fish intact and sending it down below 66 feet gives it the best chance of survival."
MatCat:
Touchy subject, my thought is if you are fishing deep enough that fizzing is required to release a fish, either keep them and eat them or fish shallower. The other side of the story, to actually fizz a fish, there are few who can do it correctly and not damage the fish. Done correctly the fish has a greater chance at survival than not in deep water. You do not puncture the "airbag" that is sticking out the fish's throat. That is actually the stomach, the airbladder expansion just pushes the stomach out the orifice of least resistance. The actual airbladder is just forward and above the anus. We used to practice on fish in the summer just to see how they would react after fizzing. The fish that were belly up and bloated in the livewell after a few minutes, we would fizz with a small gauge venting needle, immediately they would flip upright and still be alive and "happy" in the livewell at the end of the day. We never have fizzed a fish we intended to release. Also mortality will differ in species, obviously pike, walleye and perch are much hardier fish than trout or salmon and have a better chance of recovery. Once again, if you are agonizing about what happens to a fish after you release it in deep water, eat it or don't fish there, those who don't agonize, don't really care and aren't worth your time to argue with anyway.
stripernut:
Only fish (in freshwater) that I fish for that deep are Lakers and they can control the air in their bladder... In salt, I use a decent tool and set up an electric reel for just that use (and my 75-year-old father)... Cusk have a hard time when you pull them from 350 ft... I had not heard of using a bungy, sounds great thanks!
missoulafish:
Good advice MatCat!
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