Bloated pike from 50ft and deaper

Been catching pike from an unfished quarry of a depth of over 50ft. When they come up they are very bloated and take a while to recover. The first jack of about 8lb seemed ready to go, and then spent 10 mins on the top. Since then have been sacking for a while to recover, and then slow release. Seem a lot better but still look bloated. Any advice gratefully recieved as no caught fish from these depths.

May i ask, how long does it take to get the fish in, i know this of course depends on the size of the fish, but i fish to depth of 45-50 and i dont get this bloated fish.. only tip i can give you fella, try not to drag the fish up to quickly,

come up quite quickly, but also nut to get to top quite quick as some very thick weed beds, will go slow next time and see what the results are like. Many thanks. Read about puncturing swim bladder, but dont feel good aout doing that??

i drag mine up and get em back quickly from deeper than that

ive yet to suffer a problem.

it seems putting a few clues together that the middle ground causes problems

how long are we talking to land them i cant think of many fish ive failed to bank within a few minutes of hooking them

nOT LONG BUT NEVER TIMED, NOT GREAT FIGHTERS, BUT FISHING AT 80 - 90 YARDS SO TAKES A WHILE.

We had somthing simular on another thread, and the playing slowly seems to be the answer. I dont like the punctureing swim bladder option, as any wound however small into the internal organs leads to increased chances of infection, and who knows what else you are piercing (stomach, bowel, Liver which are all next to the bladder). We are not surgeons or vets! if you repeatedly get bloated fish, think of their well being and fish elsewhere.

Couldn't agree more lowdouble

Sometimes the best option is forget the fishing and think of the fish fatcaff.

lowdouble wrote:Sometimes the best option is forget the fishing and think of the fish fatcaff.

thats why i knock it on the head come the summer just my oppinion but not everybodys......

I don't think theres anything wrong with summer piking as long as the water levels still quite deep and oxygenated and you bring em in sharpish. As i'm from Bonny Scotland theres not much chance in drought like conditions.

fatcaff wrote:I don't think theres anything wrong with summer piking as long as the water levels still quite deep and oxygenated and you bring em in sharpish. As i'm from Bonny Scotland theres not much chance in drought like conditions.

yes pal its ok up your neck of the woods yes depends on the water witnesed a few disasters in summer proper numtys fish going belly up the lake was to shallow and it was a very hot day........bad news to a pike

Thats the trouble with nice weather, numptys want to come out n fish n because people seem to think other types of fishing is quite complicated poor old esox tends to get the majority of them fishing for them.

ye i agree with you stubbo, im getting the carp stuff out for summer me thinks

Tom, get on the Cats, another type of predator and the fight is unbelievable.

i was thinking about them not sure where to go near me for them?

Where abouts are you tom, also the cats & pike season has a great cross over.

im quite far south the biggest town you would probably know is southampton, that would be great mix and match with the carp fishing

Lived in Chichester for four years and worked at schools in Portsmouth & New Forest so know the area quite well.

Heres a link for you http://www.farnhamanglingsociety.com/fisheries/badshot-lea-big-pond.php

No secret as advertised on the net so hope nobody minds

hope this helps

You'll never have a fight like it!!

Pike can tolerate being brought up from deep water reasonably well. DO NOT puncture the swimbladder. Pike have what's called a pneumatic duct which leads from the swimbladder to the throat and they use this to expel excessive air from the swimbladder.
I catch a great many pike from deep water and there is almost never a problem so it may be that something else is happening here.
Gassing up in pike is not well understood but personally I think a lot of it is caused by air in the stomach not in the swimbladder. This can happen if the pike swallows air, maybe by fighting hard at the surface or by being held in a net at the surface on a windy day.

Eric Edwards wrote:Pike can tolerate being brought up from deep water reasonably well. DO NOT puncture the swimbladder. Pike have what's called a pneumatic duct which leads from the swimbladder to the throat and they use this to expel excessive air from the swimbladder.
I catch a great many pike from deep water and there is almost never a problem so it may be that something else is happening here.
Gassing up in pike is not well understood but personally I think a lot of it is caused by air in the stomach not in the swimbladder. This can happen if the pike swallows air, maybe by fighting hard at the surface or by being held in a net at the surface on a windy day.

Eric did you ever see the original post on total coarse fishing about the fish i found?

me and mark spent quite some time trying to get it to sit upright, it was only failing light that made me try that last ditch method.

it was either that knock it on the head or leave it for the gulls and rats

No I didn't but I'm guessing you found you had to degass a pike by puncturing it.
I say again, it may not be air in the swimbladder at all, it might be in the stomach, in which case puncturing it would have the same effect. I understand your dilemma, if it's a case of drastic action or watching the thing die then of course, drastic action must be taken.

Or you could sack it in deeper water away from the gulls and go back the next day and release it.

lowdouble wrote:Or you could sack it in deeper water away from the gulls and go back the next day and release it.

200 mile round trip
and as for sacking pike hmm not a great idea

Yes thats too far, but better than knocking them on the head or poking holes in them

lowdouble wrote:Yes thats too far, but better than knocking them on the head or poking holes in them

what leaving it in a sack, well tube in my case for a couple of weeks until i got back up there. and what is wrong about poking holes in them we do it day in day out when idiots leave traces in them where do you think they come out, bearing in mind stainless doesnt rust the resultant mess of wire comes through the flanks or belly and the fish goes on to survive

and lets not forget you actually posted the pac's blurb on it which does go into that so rock hard place or do nothing

go on 200 miles to travel failing light as you have already spent too long sitting with the fish time which should have been spent travelling the few miles back to the car, you have tried everything you already know. then what next. no obfuscation, i dont know wont cut it what do you do? you have to make a decision