Deep Water Fishing

[Kent]

I emailed Tom Pettengill and asked if there were any other fish in Utah, besides the mackinaw, that could burp off gases on the way up from being caught in deep water. Here is his response:

"None of the other game species. I think some of the suckers have a
connection between their air bladder and their throat. Trout in general
seem to handle being brought up from deeper water better than warm water
species. Perch seem to be really bad and are very difficult to release
if caught much deeper than 30 feet. I've seen walleyes at Willard that
were caught out of 22 - 24 feet of water that after being held in a
livewell for a while couldn't go back down because their air bladder had
expanded.

I hope this helps.

Thomas D. Pettengill
Sport Fisheries and Aquatic Education Coordinator
State of Utah
Department of Natural Resources
Division of Wildlife Resources
1594 W. North Temple, Suite 2110
P.O. Box 146301
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-6301
801-538-4814
801-538-4745 (Fax)
[url "http://commcenter.attbi.com/wmc/v/wm?cmd=ComposeTo&adr=tompettengill%40utah%2Egov&sid=c0"][#0000ff]tompettengill@utah.gov[/#0000ff][/url]"
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