Allot of little guys are being caught on many area Lakes, seems like many more than talked about the last few years.

Seems like many are in agreement that single hooks are one way to help minimize the damage done to these little guys or any fish that is released for that matter.

An interesting questuion was brought up today by my son John (The Bass Man) he asked if Salmon had an air bladder like most fish, including Bass. He saod t can be a problem for some Bass caught in as little as 30 feet down.

Now if we are bringing up fish from 30 to 60 feet (or more) are we doing them great harm if we intend to release them ??????? We have all seen an Ocean fishes bladder come out it's mouth whan brought up from 200 feet or so, I have never seen it on fresh water fish to that extent at all, but is ther a risk of internal damage to these deep dwellers ???????? We worry about hook damage, maybe we need worry about oher damage as well ????

John S.

Being a more experienced bass fisherman I can atest to catching smallmouth from deaper water in Winni and bringing up some balloons.

I carry a hypodermic needle with me in my boat and fizz the bladder for bass that want to do the back stroke. It is a weird process but once you have done it a few times, you can save a fish's life. A friend of mine used to clip them on the lip and lower them down with a heavy weight then slowly bring them back up to the surface allowing their bladder to naturally return to its normal position.

I have no clue on salmon or trout but think that they could be subject to the same. If you are concerned about the only thing that you can do is to reel them up slow and not be too forceful.

My hunch tells me though that if you are catching fish that are sitting in 50-60 feet of water coming up to 30 to hit a lure that they are already taking care of themselves on the way up. I could be wrong but I have not caught any salmon or trout that did not swim away a happy fish. Laker in 50 feet of water looked fine and went back like she was told.

Interested in hearing more on this.

-Brian

I'm pretty sure most fish have an air bladder. They say that popping it does no harm.

Last week I had one that went belly up for a while (maybe took too long to release him ?) so as he was a 3 pounder I turned the boat around and preceeded to pick him up. Just as I got back to him he he flipped himself over and with a flash he went back down, hope he made it.

I think if I got one with a bladder hanging out of his mouth I wouldn't release, it as Salmon seem so delicate once out of water, I can't see how it would survive.

John S.