Can smallmouth get barotrauma if so how can I prevent it/help it and what other freshwater fish are affected by it

A topic that always spawns much debate - on a few levels.

My version is a bass that’s landed relatively quickly and then released quickly

will have enough energy to fight the buoyancy and go back under.

If it swims down to the approximate depth where it was caught, the air bladder will deflate and symptoms will go away.

A bass that’s held in a livewell, for a derby or otherwise, might struggle to stay submerged.

After some time, it gets exhausted and rolls upside down.

If released in this condition the bass usually flounders at the surface and

then runs the risk of being clipped by a boat or eaten by predators.

 

 Some of the methods employed by anglers to combat this include:

Side fizzing, where a hypodermic needle is inserted in the swim bladder just behind the pectoral fin.

Mouth fizzing, where the needle is inserted at the back of the mouth.

Deep release or “caging.” Instead of being released at the surface, fish are placed in a weighted cage with an open bottom. The cage is lowered to the desired depth and pulled up, leaving the fish behind.

 

I have no opinion on any of the above as to it's level of effectiveness or safety to a bass

as I do not have the experience to form one. 

I just let the deepest bass go and they seem to swim off strong never to be seen again.

YMMV

A-Jay

 

 

So since i catch and release I shouldn’t be concerned  also  it would also seem like a longer fight and allowing it to swim up on its terms would be fine 

1 hour ago, Esox pro said:

So since i catch and release I shouldn’t be concerned  also  it would also seem like a longer fight and allowing it to swim up on its terms would be fine 

Catch and near immediate release. A lot depends on the depth caught, as barotrauma incidence increases with depth. Fish from 20 ft and less rarely show signs of barotrauma based on some study results. The 50% threshold for smallmouth is around 35-38 ft. Most fish caught from less than 30 ft survive, but fish caught deeper, even those released that appear to swim off fine, often don’t survive if truly affected by barotrauma unless “aided” by one of the extra measures mentioned by @A-Jay Length of fight appears to make no difference in whether fish do or don’t get barotrauma.

Using a release weight to unhook it i pull the rod as if i were going to set the hook on a fish

also what other species are affected

If i make a release weight myself how heavy of a weight should I use 

On 9/6/2020 at 8:05 PM, Team9nine said:

Catch and near immediate release. A lot depends on the depth caught, as barotrauma incidence increases with depth. Fish from 20 ft and less rarely show signs of barotrauma based on some study results. The 50% threshold for smallmouth is around 35-38 ft. Most fish caught from less than 30 ft survive, but fish caught deeper, even those released that appear to swim off fine, often don’t survive if truly affected by barotrauma unless “aided” by one of the extra measures mentioned by @A-Jay Length of fight appears to make no difference in whether fish do or don’t get barotrauma.

I can't argue with any of that but I know what the math says. From the surface to approximately 34 feet of fresh water the pressure doubles. So a flexible container filled to a given volume at 34 ft will double in size when brought to the surface. Depth/34 + 1 = pressure in atmospheres...not adjusted for elevation. What you can see is that the greatest change as a percentage occurs near the surface. 100% in the first 34, 50% in the second, 33% in the third and so on.

 

For reference the air spaces of a person like the middle ear, sinuses or lungs can be damaged with fairly small depth changes if pressure isn't equalized. For human divers equalization must be done more often near the surface.

On 9/7/2020 at 7:05 AM, Esox pro said:

also what other species are affected

http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/newsletter/2013/05/let_em_down_easy_returning_a_fish_to_deep_water.html

Read the 4th and 5th paragraphs

Are pike affected 

And is there a size weight that will work for most fish

On 9/6/2020 at 6:22 PM, Esox pro said:

Can smallmouth get barotrauma if so how can I prevent it/help it and what other freshwater fish are affected by it

Yes. You can help prevent it for certain if you don’t fish deeper than the accepted 35 foot range. The one fresh water fish you don’t have to worry about fishing deep for is lake trout. Lake trout can regulate the air pressure difference ascending from the deep by burping air as they ascend. You can see the air bubbles rise to the surface as your bring them up boat side. I have caught them as deep as 120 feet down with no problems. They are actually part of the Char family not the trout family. 

5 hours ago, Esox pro said:

Are pike affected 

 

5 hours ago, Esox pro said:

And is there a size weight that will work for most fish

Pike do not seem to be affected to the same degree as some other common fish as they have a pneumatic duct that lets them control air bladder expansion to some degree.

 

Most devices use between 8 oz and 2 pounds of wt. depending on design.

What size weight can i get so i only need to use one weight and not need a variety 

Also how the heck can you revive a fish then