HOT SPRINGS, Ark. Fisheries biologists with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are sounding a warning to any anglers fishing deep to contribute to the state’s Legacy Lunker program.
The program takes big fish to an AGFC hatchery in Lonoke to develop bigger fish for Arkansas waterways.
Arkansas Game and Fish launches program to work with anglers to grow trophy bass potential
The problem, biologists said, is that fishing deep for species like black bass can lead to a condition called barotrauma. This is much like when a deep-sea diver gets the bends, they said, having to do with the fish’s bladder rapidly expanding as it is reeled to the surface.
The fix for barotrauma is to “fizz” the fish by removing pressure from the bladder with a hollow needle or by attaching weights to the fish to let it swim upright while it recovers…