Reviving crappies.

[Iceseeker]

Did a search and did not locate any info, I recently had the fortune of catching some deep 30'+ water crappies. In order to keep fising for a while I was wondering if there is a way to revive and return some of the fish with confidence that they will survive.

Iceseeker

[DTro]

You can try slowing down when you reel them in, but I think if you look at the scientific facts, fish just don't really survive coming up from over 30ft. If they do, its at a low percentage.

[bobbymalone]

You can try slowing down when you reel them in, but I think if you look at the scientific facts, fish just don't really survive coming up from over 30ft. If they do, its at a low percentage.

that's what i've always heard and that's what i've seen. I don't fish that deep because of the outcomes i have seen Worked out well for the frying pan though

some fish can handle it. pull a laker up from the depths and you'll see the bubbles from it releasing the pressure in its swim bladder. sturgeon don't seem to have a problem with it either.

pull a crappie or a walleye up from 35 feet though... good luck.

I've heard talk of releasing the pressure with a syringe on bass, but ehhh, i don't know about that. I've stuck needles all up in peoples arms and once directly into a live rabbit's heart (legitimate purpose, btw), so it's not the needles i'm worried about. just not convinced it's a practice worth the risk and it's easy to fish shallower water.

[TruthWalleyes]

You can try reeling slower as Dtro said. But if you put them back in the hole and they float upside down or sideways, put them in the bucket.

I've done the needle method on walleyes before, and it works, but i've also read studies on the same subject that claim suvivor rate is less than 50% when released. If your fishing for the pan, catch them at whatever depth, but if your fishing for catch and release its better to find fish at shallower depths.

Once you see their stomaches in their mouthes is a done deal for sure.

[blue_healer_guy]

Interesting discussion. I have caught fish lets say in the morning. Throw them down the hole and by the time i come back in afternoon, 100% of the time they are gone. Do 100% of them make it, I dont know.

[B-man715]

Interesting discussion. I have caught fish lets say in the morning. Throw them down the hole and by the time i come back in afternoon, 100% of the time they are gone. Do 100% of them make it, I dont know.

I've noticed the same thing when spending the night on the ice. By the time I wake up the little ones that wouldn't swim back on their own right away, have swam down throughout the night.

I guess I would like to think that they made it?

Also, when I set the hook on an obvoiusly small crappie, I try to let them shake off while they're still near the bottom. Seems to work about half the time.

[Iceseeker]

The reason I was asking was that we were catching good numbers of good size fish and was looking to extend the day but I did not want to return possibly dead fish.

Iceseeker

[Eric_Kruger]

fish a fly reel or schooley......cant bring them up any slower than that out of deep water...

I heard a story of a fella and his sun fishing early ice in 35 foot of water, they were catching good numbers and throwing them back. about three hours into it the guys son started shoveling the snow away to put up the house and through the thin Ice he could see a few dead fish floating on the bottom side of the ice. they shoveled more and ended up counting over 50 of the fish that they had caught that where against the bottom of the ice. Point is.....Just because it goes down doesnt mean it makes it far.

[skibass]

I don't know if the fish survived after swimming off or even if it's the right thing to do, but I have been able to get crappies to swim away by slapping them on their side in the water. It seemed that when they hit the water, the slap woke them up (or burped them???) and they took off. You obviously don't want to throw them down too hard or smack their heads off the ice but it might be worth a try if you have attempted everything else.

[Cyberfish]

I wonder if you could clip a depth bomb to the bottom fin and sink em to the bottom and pop it off if that would work?

i would just bag what you want to keep, then go fish for some gills, perch,or whatever is shallower...

[magnum mike]

Try to rub the underbelly near the pectoral fin. Push fairly hard and rub toward the head. It's almost like you are burping the fish. I've seen it work.

[ClownColor]

I'm certified in B.A.R.T (basic animal rescue training) and the correct ratio for smaller fish 120 chest compressions to 1 rescue breath....larger fish it's 100:2, unless using two people then both are continous, but be sure to send someone to activate 911!

JK...good stuff here!

[Iceseeker]

Clear Shock repeat as needed

[Summett]

I don't know if the fish survived after swimming off or even if it's the right thing to do, but I have been able to get crappies to swim away by slapping them on their side in the water. It seemed that when they hit the water, the slap woke them up (or burped them???) and they took off. You obviously don't want to throw them down too hard or smack their heads off the ice but it might be worth a try if you have attempted everything else.

+1...this works for me as well.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I wonder if you could clip a depth bomb to the bottom fin and sink em to the bottom and pop it off if that would work?

i would just bag what you want to keep, then go fish for some gills, perch,or whatever is shallower...

My group did this on LOTW last year. Anyone who has fished up there knows the little saugers can be a nuisance. If we hooked one we would try to shake 'em off. If they didnt come off and we had to bring them up, if they were to small to keep we would do the depth bomb trick. Hope it helped but I dont know.

Like some said, most these fish are going to die. Once that air bladder is bulging out their mouths they're more than likely toast. Come up with whatever magic technique that helps you feel better, but these fish are likely dead.

Ive read that reeling slower is not an option unless your taking well over 5 minutes to bring them up. From what Ive read fizzing seems to help some but delayed mortality is pretty high still.

[fishnhuntnboy]

Try to rub the underbelly near the pectoral fin. Push fairly hard and rub toward the head. It's almost like you are burping the fish. I've seen it work.

This is something I kinda do. If they don't go down the hole I will lay the fish on the ice and push down on the side/stomach area to help release the air and when I put them back in the water air comes out of the gills and they swim away. It always seems to work and gonna hope that it does

[slurpie]

Been in your situation i will keep every fish i pull from deep. I've been getting 13" craps and if i pull up a 8" ill keep it. I'm not a meat hunter but if the fish is going to die i'll just keep it, the moral thing to do I think. You can try to shake the little ones off but dont always work. If you want to catch and release time to head shallow and try to figuire out a new bite pattern.

[pathogen]

Very interesting info here on 'fizzing' and also info on how to return a fish to the depths (note: 'fizzing' not allowed in Minnesota):

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@mnr/@letsfish/documents/document/228130.pdf

[bobbymalone]

Try to rub the underbelly near the pectoral fin. Push fairly hard and rub toward the head. It's almost like you are burping the fish. I've seen it work.

Hmmmmm? I'm just not sure how that works anatomically. Crappie, walleye, etc their swim bladders aren't connected to some sort of gas release valve like a lake trout so I'm not sure where that gas is going.

Can't burp a balloon, but you can pop it...

[Baitchaser]

If I get one that won't swim down the hole, I will grab it like I'm taking a sunny off a hook (start at the head and slide my hand down over the fins to the main body of the fish)then give it a gentle squeeze. The fish will start to "shake" then I toss it in the hole and it swims off like a champ. A good friend that lives on LOW taught me this trick a few years back. works everytime! But I would agree with most people that fish caught over 30fow have a low survival rate anyway.

[Reservoir Dawg]

I saw this a while back. I haven't tried it but it is an interesting video.

[magnum mike]

I don't know HOW a computer works but I know it does. You don't have to understand everything, just believe ...I think it's called faith.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

So just believing that all those fish are going to swim away and survive makes everything ok? Right...

[matthothand]

Hold the gills closed, put your mouth over the fish's mouth, and blow. Apparently that is the technique used by In Fisherman's Gord Pyzer.