Lar wrote:
Fishing for deep smallies I know is different, but in tournament or even pleasure fishing when we bring them up we "fizz" them.
Fizzing is a how we release the bladder pressure, and has no ill effects on the fish as well as negates the "the bends and it's effects".
We insert a needle from a shringe about a half an inch back of the side fin by the gill plate on a 45 dg. angle towards the head until you hear a a light fizzing noise which is air being released from the bladder, and do both sides.
This technique has increased smallie mortality tremendously as they are a very fragile fish.
As for walleye find out where exactly the bladder is located and do the same, if in the mouth, well easy done, use a "small" needle point, and would reccomend doing this for fish that come from 20 or more feet.
This is not something that everyone should do, and certainly not without training and precision. There is considerable risk to fish with a misplaced syringe. Fizzing may be successful, where as the bladder has been deflated, but a punctured organ can be fatal or lead to secondary infection.
Here is an interesting read
http://outdoorcanada.ca/10516/fishing/t ... -save-them