like i said before, i think carl should be put up for an award like sportsman of the decade or something, after all, this man has gone way past the "im a concerned angler" he is top of the list +6 carl, keep it up

great post indeed!

Thanks folks. I do try ! Also , thanks guys for PM'ing me with your questions ! One thing I did forget, you can buy this set-up at your local feed store. Very cheap, clean and effective.

Great job Carl! Everyone needs to practice bleeding fish when they are fun fishing or practicing. It's scary fizzing them in a tournament if your not experienced at it. I think most of us (myself included) are guilty of not fizzing them in a tournament for the fear of killing them. Besides, if you don't fizz them they will usually make it to weigh in alive. However, if they float upside down all day in the livewell, they will not be in good shape and they have a lot greater chance of dying. We can put a lot of blame on tournament organizations but I believe that the biggest part of the survival rate is in the hands of the anglers. We all need to do our part in protecting our resources.

I saw Aaron Martens do a Smallmouth through the throat area on Lake Erie. I was watching a last years BASS Elite series on Lake Erie. What size needle to you use?

I use a 16 gauge 1 1/2 hypodermic for going through the side. I don't go through the mouth. Too many veins, capillaries and a main artery going through that area in my anatomical experience. We have seen that you hit that artery and 10-15 minutes later, dead fish. Some people, however, are good at it. Tim Cook, Cameron from Lake Fork Marina, Bruce (works the release boat at Fork/Ex president of the lake fork association) just to name a few. Those would be the people to ask for that application.

Frequently we get VERY good info on techniques that most people should learn. IMO this is one of them. Is there any way the MOD's can Pin to a new forum/location/department/(?) so that it will always be there for new people visiting and asking the same questions? Maybe an IMPORTANT TIP forum??? There have been others, like Tim Cook and Sure Life threads on "keeping fish alive tips".
(Now if there is already a place where this is happing and I am completely oblivious, "please forgive me of the error of my ways" and point me in the "true path" of enlightment. )

ttt

Ron, if you would like, I can make you a power point presentation of it and email it to you . Or once I get a good Video camera, maybe do it that way.

So Carl, is there like a time limit or window that lets say you put them in the livewell, and you notice they need fizzing to help them. Basically, lets say I catch a fish and it was in 18' of water. Not deep, but could need fizzing. Is there a time limit that the bladder loses air but too late for fish, or how long do I have before I have to make that decision?

Also, for me I have never done it, so what is the probability that doing this the first few times prove fatal? I don't want to kill the fish, Why don't you design a rubber bass with inflatable bladders that you can practice fizzing

thanks for all you do.

I usually check my fish 15-20 minutes after they are caught. Usually you will see it by this time frame. I also check them and the livewell temps every hour just to make sure everything is right. Your best option is to actually get hands on training. Watch someone who knows how (it really isn't that difficult) then mimic what they do. It is no biggie. The rubber fish idea has been thought of, I can assure you. Best way I know how you can practice is on a dead one. When you see someone filleting some to keep, see if they will let you practice. If going through the side, you can open that fish from the bottom of the belly and actually see where your needle went when you inserted. That way there is no more damage done due to the fact they are gonna hit the skillet anyway.

If you release these fish immediately, they usually go right back down. The time frame I am talking about is for a livewell insertion. Now, if you pull one from 70 ft. like we do here sometimes, you will see it immediately. Their eyes are bugged out and they float immediately.

yes officer. I only use that needle for inflating fish...........

Carl,
I'm good. You don't have to go through the trouble. Thanks for the offer though.
ron

What if the fish wasn't caught in deep water? The fish i saw fizzed was caught in shallow water and the guy said they need to be fizzed due to stress too?