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David Campbell, Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist and head of the new hatchery and fish study center in Athens, prefers a different location for air bladder removal than what is shown in charts from the department. I use his method on all large bass, but have used the other location on some smaller bass in colder months.
David Campbell's Recommended Location for needle insertion
Draw an imaginary line from the fourth spline (dorsal fin points) straight down to meet an area even with the point of the gill flap and straight with the center of the tail. This is your starting point, however some fish differ just like some humans and you may not hit your mark the first time, but feel rib cage, push the needle in no farther when you feel bone. Remove needle, count one or two scales down and back and try again.
The reason I prefer David Campbell's method is that the rib cage is a less dangerous area than the lower spot used by some biologists. David uses this method because sometimes an over-inflated air bladder does so from the head down causing the intestines to become misplaced. Also, a fish that just had a large meal may have misplaced intestines, especially with an over-inflated air bladder. Vital organs in the lower area include kidneys and the fish can be killed immediately should you hit them. Below is a diagram of both David's method and department standards. 'I'his procedure is one of the most important ones you'll ever learn, but remember it's only done as a last resort, not simply done because you want to do it.
TP&W standard recommended location for needle insertion
Point of insertion with this method is to draw an imaginary line from the notch (A) separating the
spiny-ray and soft-ray portions of the dorsal fin downward to the anal opening (B), insert the
needle along this line approximately midway between the lateral line (C) - not the coloration
line, but the actual lateral line, and along the anal opening 3 to 5 scales below the lateral line.
Continue to: Trouble Shooting
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