I'm sure glad this post came up. I had no idea that a bleeder had half a chance at surviving. I've been disgusted more than once to put a bleeder on the stringer because I wanted to release it so it could finish its spawn. I'll gladly waste a whole 7 up to let a female large mouth go that is full of eggs.

This^^^^. Just get them back in the water quickly. Don't watch them bleed wondering how to stop it or taking the time to grab a Sprite to pour on them.

Wow mind blown!!

Bleeders usually die, maybe not right away but soon after. Gills are mighty delicate.

Catch and release, and the soda good help, but it depends on time of year..May - june on tough on fish...We rely heavily on catch and release and frozen Litre bottles in live well..Bleeders go into shock..bad deal..

Not sure why anyone thinks that pouring an acidic soda into a largemouth's gullet and through its gills is a good idea. Its going to cause more damage than any good it's doing. It may appear that the bleeding clots off but that's the same thing that happens when they're back in the water. Their blood chemistry is built so a wound quickly clots in their natural element. They can sometimes survive with a detached gill. Most of you can probably recall catching a few over the years with a previously wounded or detached gill.