Texas Fishing Forum

Deep water fisherman

Posted By: FigureEights

Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 07:12 PM

What's the best way and technique to fizz a big bass caught in deep water. What size needle do you use? How do you prevent it from getting clogged up and not releasing the air? Do you use a certain type of needle? Or what?
Posted By: C.C. Near Nuthin

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 07:55 PM

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Fish_Life_Fizz_Needles_2pk/descpage-FLFZN.html
Posted By: tsspencer2887

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 08:22 PM

I haven't had to do it in a long time but I believe that any 18-gauge needle would work. I don't remember them ever getting clogged but they're cheap enough that it shouldn't be a problem to keep a spare in the boat.
Posted By: J-2

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 08:24 PM



^^ this is a good one
Posted By: fouzman

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 08:25 PM

Jason, you can google this subject and find out all you ever wanted to know. There are excellent videos out there on the how to, etc. I fizz them through the side using an 18 gauge needle you can get at any feed store. I keep the caps on the needles and keep them all in a water tight container. Never had one clog up on me. Folks say fizzing them through their throat is easier, but I was taught the other method so that's what I use.
Posted By: leethefishking

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 09:40 PM

I use the bendz mender and go thru the mouth
Posted By: PEDRO H.

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 09:44 PM

^^ this
Posted By: ChrisPowellFishing

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 10:15 PM

What depth of water do you normally have to fizz fish? I heard of several people having to fizz em... but 2-3 weeks ago I caught em 37-40ft and they where totally fine. I would let em go and they would swim right off without an issue. None of this floating on there side or nothing like that.
Posted By: Chris Borden

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 10:38 PM

Originally Posted By: ChrisPowellFishing
What depth of water do you normally have to fizz fish? I heard of several people having to fizz em... but 2-3 weeks ago I caught em 37-40ft and they where totally fine. I would let em go and they would swim right off without an issue. None of this floating on there side or nothing like that.


Let them go right away and yes they are usually fine.
Posted By: B.Hollingshead

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 11:22 PM

Originally Posted By: leethefishking
I use the bendz mender and go thru the mouth
this is the best way, a lot of big fish this is the only way to get the air out due to the bladder forces to the front and behind the dorsal will not work. It's good to know both methods.
Posted By: ZxrBOOTEN87

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/21/17 11:23 PM

Through the mouth is really easy. There's videos for both on youtube so which ever one seems simpler to you.
Posted By: dlrz71

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/22/17 02:22 PM

Several videos on Youtube showing how to perform through the side and through the mouth. Also another option is using a weight to get them back down to depth and then pulling it free. I've never done it but just sharing what I have seen.
Posted By: Ken A.

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/22/17 03:27 PM

Originally Posted By: fouzman
Jason, you can google this subject and find out all you ever wanted to know. There are excellent videos out there on the how to, etc. I fizz them through the side using an 18 gauge needle you can get at any feed store. I keep the caps on the needles and keep them all in a water tight container. Never had one clog up on me. Folks say fizzing them through their throat is easier, but I was taught the other method so that's what I use.


Agreed. Go to any Tractor Supply and buy them for 50 cents each. Put a few in your tackle box.
Posted By: Ken A.

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/22/17 03:29 PM

Originally Posted By: ChrisPowellFishing
What depth of water do you normally have to fizz fish? I heard of several people having to fizz em... but 2-3 weeks ago I caught em 37-40ft and they where totally fine. I would let em go and they would swim right off without an issue. None of this floating on there side or nothing like that.


It depends on how long you keep them in the boat. If you livewell them in a tournament, you may have to fizz them from as shallow as 10 feet. May sound a little odd but I think these are fish that were deeper that pulled up onto the ridge I was fishing to feed.
Posted By: Bruce Allen

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/22/17 04:07 PM

It goes way beyond fizzing for just being caught in deep water.

Fizzing is also required any time they are floating on their side or upside down. This can be because they are caught deep or more so from being stressed out riding in a live well all day long.

All of the overs caught in Mega Bass in March (cold water) an hourly tournament, so you know they were not in the live wells very long, had to be fizzed. Most had signs of spawning. So you also know they were not caught deep..

Fizzing requires a #18 needle. 1 1/2" long for side fizzing and 1" for mouth fizzing. For mouth fizzing take an plastic ink pen, pull out the ink pen part, take the empty tube and super glue it onto the needle. When you push the needle in the mouth under water it will be long enough so you can see the bubbles coming out. Big fish really require this needle.
Posted By: JCHANDLER

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/22/17 07:29 PM

Bruce, can you "over fizz" a bass, where the fish will sink to the bottom, if not swimming? And how long does it take for the hole in the bladder to heal, so it will work properly again?
Posted By: Bruce Allen

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/23/17 04:32 AM

You certainly can take out to much air. When that happens the bass will be sitting on the bottom for up to two days (as I have been told by a fisheries biologist) immobile. The fish probably can swim some to get away from all of the large animals that swim around in the lake like gar, big turtles, flatheads, gators etc, If not they just get eaten.

I do and teach our volunteers to just take 3-5 seconds of air out. If the bass is then swimming upright I think that is fine. If it is still sideways or upside down I will repeat. Big girls hold a lot of air and get stressed out much easier so we take more out until they are up right too.

Some years back when the lake was low we had the LRB set up by the ramp at Lake Fork Marina and the tournament weigh in site was over by where the McDonald usually sets up. The anglers were walking the fish to us in bags with water. One lazy AH decided it was to far and dumped his bass off of the gas dock. That big fish fish struggled for at least 30 minutes upside down on the surface in that hot water. I got a ride in an anglers boat and netted it. Put her in our cool oxygenated water and when she recovered some fizzed her. When we released the fish she swam away.

I don't know how long it takes for the hole to mend But I do know if we don't fizz them they will surely die from the continued stress of trying to right themselves.

Ten years ago when Cheryl was fishing on the Women's Bass Tour I volunteered on the BASS LRB. And what they did was take all of the air out. I figured that perhaps they figured that no one would see any "floaters" because they were all on the bottom. I did not do it their way and was asked to "not" volunteer. For insurance purposes. Yeah right.



Posted By: Ken A.

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/23/17 03:00 PM

Originally Posted By: Bruce Allen
You certainly can take out to much air. When that happens the bass will be sitting on the bottom for up to two days (as I have been told by a fisheries biologist) immobile. The fish probably can swim some to get away from all of the large animals that swim around in the lake like gar, big turtles, flatheads, gators etc, If not they just get eaten.


Good write up Bruce.

I know I killed a 10.77 years ago that I fizzed and took too much air from after I weighed her at LFM. I made the mistake of squeezing (gently) the fish to remove more air after the trail of bubbles had stopped coming form my needle. I held onto her for a few minutes then when I released her she sank like a rock. I am almost certain that fish became turtle fodder the next day.

Made me sick. frown
Posted By: texasbassdude

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/23/17 04:37 PM

My $0.02....

Here's a video where TP&W talks about it and demonstrates the procedure:
https://youtu.be/pEeQrsHcwf8


I was surprised that I had to fizz a 7-pounder a few months ago that came out of 15ft of water. I've caught them deeper and didn't have to fizz them, so I didn't check on her until weigh-in. So lesson learned there is to just regularly check on your fish, even if they didn't come from real deep water.

To clear the needle after each use and keep it from clogging, I keep the syringe in a bag with the needle and right after fizzing one, fill the syringe with water, attach the needle, and push all the water through the needle to clear it.
Posted By: Bruce Allen

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/23/17 06:44 PM

we just blow the water out of the tube using mouth pressure. Nobody has died yet and we have been doing it for at least 15 years.
Posted By: tsspencer2887

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/23/17 07:34 PM

In my experience, it has a lot to do with stress. Fish that have endured a long fight, too much time out of the water and/or too much time in the livewell tend to be at greater risk. Just my 2cents
Posted By: JCHANDLER

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/23/17 11:00 PM

Thanks Bruce for all the valuable information. Glad you explained the the balance of not fizzing, and too much fizzing. I believe the 3-5 second rule is important, or watch carefully when the bubbles start to slow, pull the needle. Glade you and Cheryl are doing well.
Posted By: B.Hollingshead

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/23/17 11:45 PM

Best rule of thumb I go by is 3-5sec on 6lbs and under & 5-8 sec 6lbs and bigger.
Posted By: WAWI

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/24/17 12:31 AM

And don't wait till weigh in. By then the fish has been struggling all day. Do it as soon as you see it's struggling to right itself.
Posted By: Bruce's

Re: Deep water fisherman - 06/24/17 01:06 AM

Back in the day when i fished Squaw Creek. My partner and i would spend hours at the ramp fizzing fish. We would count the bubbles as we always placed them under the water and did the needle insert. Big fish would be 5 bubbles. Small fish would be 3. I think we saved a lot of fish back than. We would hold the fish ybder the water on her side and the other would insert the needle under the scales.
Those were the days.
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