Tips & Tricks: Fish Care - How to fizz a bass

Post date: Mar 28, 2017 12:46:10 AM

As the fishing season nears, an important aspect of any tournament is fish care, especially learning how to properly fizz a fish caught from deep water. Fish, just like humans, will suffer from barotrauma when they come out of deep water too quickly. Their swim bladder's inflate with air and it prevents them from swimming upright or returning to deep water. If untreated, this will ultimately end up killing the fish due to their inability to swim and push water/oxygen over their gills. There are two different approaches to fizzing a bass; both will be covered below and both involve use of a large (18) gauge hypodermic needle.

The first method is to fizz a fish through the side of the fish. The location of where to insert the needle varies by species and one of the best diagrams I have found shown below, compliments to MI BASS. Click on image to enlarge:

One of the best videos on why/how to fizz a smallmouth can be found here on Bassmaster.com. Here is an additional picture tutorial from Bassmaster.com.

The second method is to fizz a fish through the mouth. This is a little more delicate but if done correctly is one of the easiest ways to identify where to insert the needle. Note: a longer needle or specific fizzing tool, such as the Bends Minder, will help you reach deep into the bass' gullet/crunchers. Here is a quick picture of where to insert the needle. Essentially, you insert the needle just under red "crushers" in the top portion of the bass' mouth.

Regardless of your preferred method, the key is to submerge the fish once you have inserted the needle. That way you will see the bubles come out of the needle. It's important not to squeeze the fish or remove all the air from the swimbladder (this will cause the fish to sink to the bottom of your livewell). Typically 4-6 seconds of bubbles is sufficient. Additionally, one should continually check one's livewell 5-15 minutes after catching a fish. If you see any signs of fish floating sideways, you need to fizz that fish to maximize that fish's chance of survival.

Learning to fizz a fish may take a few tries for someone who has never done it but it's essential for every tournament angler to know as well as our responsibility to fish conservation.

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