Burping Flatheads

[howellcanufish]

As most of you know I'm fairly new to catching big cats. One thing that I've noticed is that while I'm holding them they start to...for lack of a better word...burp! At first I was really nervous that due to my several minutes of measurements and pic taking that I might have been keeping the fish out of the water for too long. I don't think this is the case however, because after a very short revival the fish is firing away from the boat. The time on board has never taken longer than 4 or 5 minutes before the fish is placed back into the river.

Any insight on this one guys?

[pureinsanity]

They are breathing air. That is the burping sound you hear. I know some catfish can breathe out of water. In fact I think any fish can breathe out of water for a little bit.

[pureinsanity]

Think about when your batteries die in your bait bucket. The bait surfaces for air since their is not enough oxygen in the water.

This is just what I am guessing... No scientific proof to back it up. However there is a catfish called the walking catfish. This catfish originally occurred in eastern India and Southeast Asia.

It can travel across land to areas of deeper water during dry spells. It is able to breathe air by means of a modified gill that forms an air chamber.

Maybe a good ol river rat can give us some more info. But I am almost positive that "burp" is a fish trying to breathe air.

[DTro]

It's actually the fish expelling air from their air bladder,this happens more often when you bring them up from a deep hole.

Burping would be a good way to describe this.

[pureinsanity]

See I knew a rat would know the answer

[kingfisherpat]

i was down at st cloud state dam last saterday catch three cat fish not what i was hope ing to catch but thire still fun to catch on four lb test but right that all im catching down at state dam when i want to catch crappies down thire

[HossFisher]

Kingfisherpat, I'm new to SCSU and the area, but I try and fish around baseball as much as I can. If you every wanna share info or reports let me know.

[howellcanufish]

It's actually the fish expelling air from their air bladder,this happens more often when you bring them up from a deep hole.

Burping would be a good way to describe this.

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[Ed Carlson]

Lake Trout and Catfish and a few others will expel air from there buoyancy bladders when stressed or to stabilize pressure. A normal deal but do not try to induce this, as it may hurt them. Big Blue Cats like that one in the video from the James River, are known to be burpr's. I have seen sumo channels do this in late fall up on the Canadian end of the Red too...Sumo Burps.

What also can happen is them bucket mouths get full of water and gulp down air when trying to puke up there stomach contents while hooked..rolling behind the boat for instance...this will temporarily trap air in there sumo belly's and then they urp it up in the net or when you handle them. Seen this a lot at the Lockport Dam.....not a depth issue..just gulping water.

They fart too by the way..well at least I blame it on the cats.

As far as fish being out of water, the general rule is they can hold there breath about as long as you can...so be quick as you can about releases.

An added comment on this would be on the ice, fish eyes and gills freeze quickly and are permanently damaged by freezing..(The cells explode internally from expansion)..so lessening time the fish is exposed to freezing air temps is critical to protect the released fish.

Big walleyes for example get there eyes damaged very easily so I keep them in the water tell I need to take that picture or cover there eyes with my bare hands to protect the outer membrane from freezing.

Use a net as a boat-side or bank-side live well, or on the ice in open cold air situations put them in the hole tell it's pic time...than shoot them back unharmed. We all know how wicked on the hands it can be in cold sub freezing air...just imagine those sensitive eyes and gills.

[ec30_06]

Sturgeon will expel air too