Ok, so when I fight a fish they get acid build up in there bodies. What other activities for a fish cause this? Do spawning fish that swim up falls and scurry through shallow waters also get this build up? If not, then what exactly is it about the fight that causes this?
thanks
Mike
The acid your refering to is lactic acid. And yes a fish swimming upstream to spawn will alsoget a build up of it. It is the same feeling you get after working out, your muscles will fill with lactic acid causing fatigue. Lactic acid disapates quickly during rest, which is why you pause between sets when working out. A fish will do the same after a strong run up stream he will rest in a pool before heading up stream again.
Thanks, Where is the predominant muscles found on a trout or salmon? I could swear that some of them flex their muscles at me as if to say, “Bring in on fatman”, 
.
later
Mike
Ray’s right, but I’m going to chip in too just because I’m bored 
When you exercise, your muscles synthesize fatty acids and carbohydrates for fuel. At low work loads almost all of this fuel is converted to energy for the muscle fibers to use. At higher work loads some of the carbohydrates start forming lactic acid. This lactic acid is swept away into the blood stream and is taken back up by the heart, liver, kidneys, and inactive muscles.
For low-intensity, low-frequency work (walking, for instance) you use muscles called “slow twitch”. The rate at which they put lactic acid into the blood stream is easily managed by the other organs that take lactic acid out.
As the intensity and frequency increase (i.e.- sprinting), the slow twitch muscles get more help from “fast twitch” muscles, which produce lactic acid at a higher rate. When lactic acid production excees lactic acid removal, this is called Onset of Blood Lactate Accumulation (OBLA) or “Lactate Threshold”.
When an athlete (fish) exceeds lactate threshold for a sprint, to pass somebody in a race, or to maintain speed while cresting a hill on a bike (jump a waterfall or move up a fast run) they can back off the intensity after a few seconds to allow the lactate to diffuse from their blood.
During a fight the fish doesn’t have this opportunity to relax. It will push itself over lactate threshold and stay there until the fight is over. Extended accumulation of high levels of blood lactate will ultimately cause muscle failure, and that kills fish.
Hope this sheds some light on things for you.
Disclaimer- I’m not a medical professional, so if any of that is incorrect don’t come looking for me! I’m just an endurance athlete, and that’s just the best understanding of latcic acid that my research has given me.
[This message has been edited by OkieBass133 (edited 11 December 2005).]
OK, I couldn’t find the reference I had for this, so I’m writing this from memory. Apologies in advance for any errors.
Fish have two types of muscle tissue, heavily vascularized which is used for normal moderate activity and muscle tissue that has very few blood vessels, which is used for short, fast bursts. Lactic acid builds up more severely in the second type because there is less blood flowing through it to carry the acid away.
That is why it’s so important to land a fish you intend to release as swiftly as possible and not to keep it out of the water admiring and photographing it. This is also why it’s not good to C&R salmonids when the water gets too warm - the levels of oxygen are lower in warm water. While 70F water is not lethal to a trout, if he’s caught and stressed there may not be enough oxygen in the water for him to recover.
Thankyou guys, something learned for me.
later
Mike
Years ago I was a competative runner. I trained for months with a specific regimen for every marathon. When running, I was in top shape and even at a fast pace I never had a problem with lactic acid buildup. THat is because of the training. When a fish migrates, it also rests and then renews its journey. When we have a fish on the line it has no chance to rest. It is similar, imho, to me having run marathons with poor training and at too fast a pace. I imagine that I would have been a sorry case. So, when we take our catch to slower water and revive them, we are giving them a chance to rest enough to seek out their own natural resting place. Last year I caught a small cutthroat trout and release it. The very next cast I caught the same trout. The poor thing was wiped out. I got it to a clump of grass in about four inches of water away from the current. That fish was there for at least a half an hour. I was relieved to notice that it had finally moved on. We are messing with nature and I believe that it is our do to keep our caught fish healthy if we can, even if it means watching over the fish at the expense of a few minutes of fishing time.
One word, Tums
Works every time…
tyflier,
Doesn’t lactic acid build up more quickly at higher water temperatures? If so, doesn’t that tell us that, even though fish might be feeding actively, as water temps approach the 70’s, it’s time to call it quits. I think even relatively deep water nymphing is risky then. Too often I see anglers fishing, catching, and releasing, without realizing the potential for harm under these conditions.
Bob