Deflating crappies?

[Carp-fisher]

I read in an In Fisherman article a few months back that if a plastic hose is stuck down a blue cat's mouth and into the stomach, this will release air from the air bladder. The catfish can then be safely released with a much higher survival rate. Why couldn't the same be done for crappies--just use very small plastic tubing? Has anyone ever tried this or heard of it?

[CrappieJohn]

I have not seen a crappie that would need this done. I've only seen a handful of crappies that needed any time at all in going right back from where they came. Personally I don't think that crappies have air bladders as large as some of the more streamlined predator fishes like walleyes, catfish or lake trout

[Carp-fisher]

I pulled a few crappies out of 30 feet of water and they looked like inflated balloons when I put them back in the hole. They kind of floundered around in the hole for 3 or 4 minutes and eventually made it back down. I've heard that the inflated air bladder can significantly reduce the recovery chances of the fish. But maybe I'm overstating the problem.

[CrappieJohn]

Crappies are actually quite fragile fish. Putting anything in their mouths with the intent of pushing a distented air bladder back down into the guy cavity would do more harm than good.

I don't want to send the impression that crappies will not eject the air bladders when reeled up quickly from deep water, I am sure they do. I guess I don't see this happen in the lake I normally fish and 26 feet isn't all that different. I just haven't witnessed a bunch of this bladder ejection to worry about it.

I know this same issue came to light a year or so ago at a DNR meeting and they didn't recommend any action as radical as forcing the bladder back doewn the gullet. Actually the air bladder lies behind the stomach and that is what is seen protuding from the mouth of the fish. Their stance was that anything being used to do this can scratch or puncture the thin membranes either killing the fish or causing a source for internal infection and then death.

I put these fish in a seperate hole and watch them. If they don't come around ina half hour, they hit the fry pan.

[Blue Kayak]

The Web has some information about using a hollow needle to "vent" fish that have been caught in deep water. These are mostly saltwater fish. It is important to use a hollow needle (cannula) and also know exactly how to perform the procedure. The results seem mixed. Edit after original post: THIS MAY BE ILLEGAL IN MN.

Another technique that seems interesting is to "recompress" the fish rapidly. In Oregon they used a barbless hook (upside down in the upper jaw) and a heavy weight to get rockfish down below 33 feet quickly. I think this would be better than venting, but there is no easy way to tell if it works.

If you google "Release Methods for Rockfish" you'll find the article. Actually there are two articles, the larger one is a pdf file and has the complete article with photographs and instructions. It would be really easy to make the recompression device pictured in the article.

I also learned on one of the saltwater release sites that often it is better to use a needle nose through the gills than through the mouth on deeply hooked fish. I tried it on a deeply hooked crappie and was surprised at how well it worked. Going in through the gill you get a better angle on the hook, and it is easy to keep the pliers away from gill.

[Blue Kayak]

Another interesting web page is from Ontario and published in November 2001. The title is, 'A review of "Fizzing" - A Technique for Swim Bladder Deflation.' This article discourages the use of "fizzing" or "venting" to release deeply caught fish.

In the article, Table 1 has the survival rates for various species caught at various depths. Crappies had the lowest survivial rate when caught in deep water. At depths greater than 12 meters (about 39 feet) the crappie survivial rate was only 23 percent. The only depth for crappies reported on was greater than 39 feet. It's possible that crappies have low survivial rates at even shallower depths.

Table 2 is a summary on "Adminsitration and regulation of competitive fishing activities" from Canadian Provinces and each state. The question in the survey was, "Do you advocate fizzing?" Minnesota's response was, "No - not allowed." That's why I edited my post above.

The article also has some additional "recompression" gear and techniques. Recompression is recommended, especially over venting. This is a worthwhile article for those fishing deep water and planning to release the fish.

[hanson]

Perch are notorious for coughing up their air bladders as well.

The best thing you can do, is bring the fish up slow giving them a little chance to adjust to the changing pressure.

Within a couple seconds of setting the hook, you should know if the fish is a decent fish which you may keep or a smaller fish which you wish to toss back. If it feels like a smaller fish, just bring it up slower. That should give them a little better chance of swimming off quickly.

[DEADhead]

The ice fishing issue of In-Fisherman suggested giving the crappies mouth-to-mouth....

I would advise against both 'fizzing' and 'air-venting' fish in Minnesota. Those are not practices the DNR condones.

[crappie todd]

whats works for me is.... This begins about turn over time thru the winter months from water deeper than 25 feet. I work their jaw a few seconds. Actually opening and closing their mouth a few times and tossing em back in the lake. Actually Away they go. Sounds kind ah fishy,? well, try it.

[Fishin Beast]

Trying to shut their mouths works usually. 9 out of 10 that have that problem for me head right back down after I have shut their mouths a few times. Must do something to the fish that helps and that has got to be one of the safer ways of getting them back down.

[oil painter]

Closing their mouths work great and if that fails I grab the tail and gently move them back an forth for a little while that usally works for me!