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Crappie release question


LwnmwnMan2

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What is a guy supposed to do, when fishing a deeper hole on a lake with a minimum size restriction on a species of fish? Fishing Green Lake (Chisago) and it's got a 9" minimum on crappies. If you're fishing the deeper holes, and you're pulling up fish from 20'+, you always get those smaller ones that the bladder blows, or lungs, or you all know what I'm talking about. Anyways, what do you do with them? You can't throw them outside, cause if DNR man walks up, they're not 9". You gotta get them back in the hole, right? Any suggestions when there's 18"+ of ice other than getting the auger and pushing them down that way???

Lwn

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Most of the time you can wiggle the jaw back and fourth a few times and that seems to knock some sense back into them. It works almost nine out of ten times. If the air bag is actually spit, you can shove it back in and try this, but it doesn't work nearly as well.

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this always works for me when pulling panfish from the deep.
Usually one can tell if their sack is blown up...
you take the fish in your hand sideways putting your thumb and index finger around the fish and gently squeeze the air sack,therefore emptying it, then i put them back in the hole nose first to help them get back oxygen in em...good luck...most of the time this works...


CM

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first i drill an extra hole for releasing fish. no sence in them splashing in your hole your tring to fish. while holding the gills shut, close the mouth shut. when done right you can see the bubbles coming out. it only take a few seconds. then release them into the hole. it might take a few min for them to revive them selves. alittle tap on the side and the take off.works for me.

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What you are actually seeing is the stomach.Don't try to push it back or you could damage it. The DNR recommends simply returning the fish as quickly as possible. They also state that this does not harm the fish ( I question this). Bringing the fish up slow is the only answer to the problem and it is darned hard to do when you are fishing deep for fish with tender mouths. The DNR sets the rules on these lakes...abide by them and if the lake shows the need formodification of the rules the DNR will change them. Have at it.

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Plastics...making better fishermen without bait! Good Fishing Guys! CrappieTom
[email protected]

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I know bass guys do this down south in the big deep impoundments. I dont know why it wouldnt work here.

have a seperate rod, with heavier line and large sinker on the bottom...about an ounce I believe. Maybe a ice fishing depth finder would work nice. Above the sinker about a foot have a long shank hook tied upside down and file the barrb off. Hook the fish loosely in the top lip and drop it back down the hole, when the sinker hits the bottom shake the rod and the fish should opo off the hook.

The fish just needs a little help to get back to the pressure from which it was brought. This is one way of doing that. It has worked for the bass guys down south.

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Here what I do when im cathing suspended crappies in 40' of water.
After you unhooked the fish, take the fish and close its mouth. While holding its mouth closed shake the fish (not lightly either). Then put it back in the water. And 90% of the time they will go back down the hole.
Try it once, it really works!

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AKA PikeEye 300

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I'm not sure I agree with the stomach thing. You should be seeing their swim bladder (ballast). Their swim bladder cannot adjust fast enough when pulled up quickly. 30 feet is about the equivalent of 1 atmosphere of pressure. It would be like us going from ground to 40,000 feet (or more) in 10 seconds and seeing how we adjusted to the pressure drop.

I always have a spare hole handy. Pitch them in so they can still get oxygen through their fins. A few minutes of laying in the water and their bladder will adjust and they'll take off.

This is a common problem with small perch on Millacs too.

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"What should I do...I think he's probably got the hook, I'd set the hook...PLINK....ooohh, I would have gave him some more time"

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I have been fishing with my step dad this winter and learned something new. We were catching crappies in about 30' of water, there were many small ones being caught. I noticed "dad" was blowing into their mouths with a firm blow, so far all the crappies I have caught and releases that hung around in the hole immediately swam away!

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I call it a decompression stop. Bring em up half way let em swim for 15 seconds or so and bring em the rest of the way up. This seems to aviviate most of the problem.

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