Interesting smallie article

[kevinb]

Saw this in In-Fisherman and found it worthy to toss in here.
What are your thoughts/opinions?

http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/ar ... index.html

[SPARKY101]

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bass ... _procedure

[tagwatson360]

Great article/topic, Kevinb. It has been my experience that a VERY small percentage of anglers truly know how to properly care for deep caught smallmouth bass in the fall and winter months. There are diagrams online which explain the proper way(s) to fizz the swim bladder of a deep caught bass to safely retain the fish in a livewell during a tournament situation. I personally believe that when done properly, the delayed mortality of fizzed bass is very low. I have caught countless numbers of smallmouth bass that have been previously fizzed correctly at some point, as evidenced by a small discoloration (healed) where a needle had been inserted in the correct area in the side of the bass.

I personally prefer fizzing through the side but you must be very accurate to miss any vital organs. There is a sure fire method to hitting the swim bladder every time but you must follow the directions to a "t". Draw an imaginary line between the anal opening and the where the two dorsal fins meet on the back of the smallmouth bass. Then find the point where this imaginary line intersects with the lateral line. From this point, count 3 scales down and 5 scales towards the head of the bass. Carefully insert your needle under this scale, into the body of the bass angling ever so slightly towards the head, and you will hit the air bladder every time if you follow this template. Gently massage the belly of the bass to release some air from the swim bladder, but only for a few seconds. There is no need to deplete the air bladder completely. When you become more skilled at fizzing, the procedure is so noninvasive that you cannot tell by looking at the bass that it has been fizzed.

If you are uncomfortable trying this for the first time, try finding another tournament competitor who is familiar with fizzing fish and they should be more than happy to teach you. I have seen a few tournament anglers turn a big smallmouth into a pin cushion because they had never been taught the proper way to fizz. Vital organs were likely hit and that fish is as good as crawfish food hours after the tournament.

Some anglers prefer fizzing through the mouth. It is a method I have not utilized personally but is becoming very popular. A customized needle is necessary for this method due to the length that is required to perform this technique properly.

In conclusion, it is best to immediately release your deep caught bass this time of year when recreational fishing, and learn how to properly fizz and care for your deep caught fish in a tournament situation.

Great article link, Sparky!

Good fishing!

[SPARKY101]

"In conclusion, it is best to immediately release your deep caught bass this time of year when recreational fishing, and learn how to properly fizz and care for your deep caught fish in a tournament situation."

Well said Tag...The club we just joined is going to hold a bass fizzing qwik orientation next year on one of our smallie lakes im sure."at least thats what was said,but i will bring it up again next season"Through the mouth technique..

[2000subaru]

Since it is the time of year I saw this article on another site about the "Mouth" technique. Use at your discretion, just remember to be a responsible angler when handling these deep water fish.

http://www.azbasszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45128

[kevinb]

Great information Tag

Thanks for the links Sparky and Subaru.
I received a diagram for this technique at the Auburn Sports bass clinic,its very useful but I still don't feel comfortable
in doing this procedure since I have never done it before. So as long as you c&r the bass quickly you should be ok?

[tagwatson360]

That is correct, Kevinb. The quicker you get them back in the water the better. They always swim straight down immediately upon release. Once they get past 12 or 15 feet they are home free. In the dead of winter you will get the occasional fish that will need to be fizzed even when it is released quickly. This is rare but these fish will usually just lay fairly motionless on the surface. In this case, net them up, release some gas from from the air bladder and they should be just fine. It is neat to see anglers taking an interest in properly caring for their catch.