Mike Schoonveld: Descending devices — the best way to release fish showing signs of barotrauma

Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh, what a relief it is. That is a catchy jingle Alka-Seltzer used decades ago to help double its sales. I think of it at this time of year – and at times during the ice-fishing season – when deepwater anglers on the Great Lakes and inland lakes catch fish from the depths.
When a perch, walleye, lake trout or other fish is pulled from deep water, its swim bladder expands until it inflates like a balloon, squeezing the bejeezus out of the fish’s internal organs.