How do you bleed an air bladder

[SuperSprint007]

If you go to Google, type in "fizzing a fish or bass" there are a ton of articles on it.
Just a question to all those out there who run tournaments big or small, do you offer to fizz a bass for someone at weigh-in?

[MASBASS]

I was at the Renegade Tourney Saturday night at Nolin and I will have to say that Sherbert Vanmeter and a couple of other guys worked really hard to save some fish. I have never seen someone work as hard as Sherbert to keep these fish alive. Several of which they fizzed, or what ever you want to call it, and seemed to do well at it. After seeing what changes it made in a lot of the fish I started to research it really hard the past few days. There are several really good articles and a couple of studies on fizzing fish. Here are four links on fizzing fish and other information. The best one is the last article because it describes several precautions needed to keep tourney fish alive, not just Fizzing fish.
If you are just catching and release, fun fishing, from what I have read there is NO NEED to fizz a fish, they will return to the depth they need to. The problem is not something that happens in minutes but over several hours. From all of the articles I have read one thing I have learned is it is not the actual air bladder pressurizing that causes the need to Fizz the fish. They swim every day of their lives vertically in the water column with no ill effects from the greater pressure in the air bladder. It is all because they can return to they depth they left. The problem is the STRESS from being in a live well for several hours that makes them too weak and disorainted to return to they depth they need to.
I am going to learn how to fizz fish and think everyone should, but I would be reluctant to use it unless I observed the fish for some time.

Well that is my opinon good or bad right or wrong and hope this helps.


www.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/pubs/Fizzing.pdf

www.ladybassangler.com/id28.htm.

http://focusedfishing.com/blog/?p=79

www.leggettscreekbassmasters.com/conservation/Keeping%20Bass%20Alive.pdf



Fizzing Kit can be purchased at

www.iovino.com/fizzkit.htm

[CraigGipe]

All the big fish i have caught have been floating on their sides from the time i put them in the livewell until they are released. I thought the floating was from the air bladder

[SuperSprint007]

All the big fish i have caught have been floating on their sides from the time i put them in the livewell until they are released. I thought the floating was from the air bladder

No that was because of the dynamite, LMAO, sorry man just had to say it....

[tracker4stroke]

i use to have this problem when fishing deep water for crappie. i started useing heaver line and take my time reeling them in. dont know if they got a case of the bends or not but it did help them when i slowed down bringing them to the boat.

[CraigGipe]

I checked all the weblinks and they all show a method of going in through the side of the fish. At BASS tournaments they go through the mouth. So i just called Chris Bowes with BASS and he is going to get me some information on fizzing the air bladder going in through the mouth. He also informed me that is the preferred method for fizzing. I will post here what information he provides me with

[alwysfshn]

locate the fin on the side of the fish .go about 2-3 scales back or the width of 1 finger slide the needle in under the scale then stand it up . then push it in with a short quick jab .put the fish back in the tank and gentle sqeeze the air out. if it is in the right place you will be able to see air escape out if not repet process--- it does work as i have saved several fish this way as a tournament director----- to get a good needle you should go to a vetenarian and get a good gauge needle that will work as not to get plugged up --- hope this helps. just trying to put it in laymens terms

[MASBASS]

I checked all the weblinks and they all show a method of going in through the side of the fish. At BASS tournaments they go through the mouth. So i just called Chris Bowes with BASS and he is going to get me some information on fizzing the air bladder going in through the mouth. He also informed me that is the preferred method for fizzing. I will post here what information he provides me with

Sounds good please relay the info if you do not mind. Would love to read it.