Folks at the Bass Research Foundation recommend a few simple and effective methods for safely releasing largemouth unharmed.
BRF studies demonstrated that properly released fish will survive to be caught again...and again...and again.
To help reduce stress, minimize the time the fish is out of water, says BRF.
When handling a bass, grip the lower jaw securely between the thumb and fingers to minimize struggling and prevent the fish from injuring itself. They advise against squeezing the fish by its mid-section or gill plates.
Carefully remove hooks to avoid unnecessary injuries and do not try to remove deeply embedded hooks. Instead, cut the line at the hook and release the fish.
Rather than roughly throwing a fish back into the water, they suggest that we gently release it at the water's surface.
If holding bass in a livewell for a later weigh-in and release, use the boat's aerators frequently. If the water temperature exceeds 72 degrees Fahrenheit, as it often does during summer and early-fall tournaments throughout the South, it may be necessary to run the boat's aerators continuously while frequently inspecting the livewell to make certain the fish are in good condition.
BRF advises against using commercially available additive formulations in livewells designed to reduce stress and to stimulate mucus secretion. Instead, use salt. They suggest that sea salt is best, but that rock or un-ionized table salt is also effective. Salt should be added to the holding tank or livewell at a rate of 0.5 percent (0.7 ounces of salt per gallon of water).
When the water in a boat's livewell is too warm, the addition of ice will cool it down and prolong fish life.
Largemouth caught from depths exceeding 30 feet create special problems for the fish and decreases survival rates.
"The problem is one of decompression; the same problem SCUBA divers call the bends," says the BRF report. The bends occur when fish become acclimated to deep water and are brought to the surface faster than they can adjust to water pressure changes.
According to studies, the body organ most obviously affected by too rapid decompression is the fish's swim bladder, a gas-filled sac located just above the stomach which is used to regulate buoyancy. A black bass hooked in deep water is usually reeled to the surface too fast for the fish to remove gas from the bladder, thus the gas expands as water pressure decreases distending the bladder and often forcing the stomach out of its mouth.
"More serious but less obvious damage occurs in the blood vessels," BRF continues. "Blood gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, also expand. Bubbles of these gases grow so large that blood is forced out the blood vessels causing gross tissue damage and hemorrhaging throughout the fish."
If released immediately, the report concludes, many decompressed black bass can escape back into deeper water to reverse the condition.
Copyright (c) 1996 Herb Allen. All rights reserved.
Home | Library | Fishing | Freshwater Fishing