Catch a Bleeding Fish? Buy the Fish a Coke

If you have spent anytime fishing in your life, odds are you have encountered a bleeding fish. Sometimes your hook can damage the fish's gill causing it to bleed. It is a heart wrenching scenario, especially when you are planning on throwing the fish back in the water and not the frying pan. Next time you catch a bleeding fish, buy him a coke.

According to Louis Cahill at Gink and Gasoline

I found myself in just that situation with a big brown trout one day. Watching helplessly as the water turned red. Thank God Kent was with me. Thinking fast he said, “hey, did you finish that Coke?” I had not and he showed me a great trick. He opened the fish’s mouth and poured the Coke down her throat. As soon as it hit the injured gill the bleeding stopped. It was like magic. I’m not sure if it’s the carbonation or the acid but something in the Coke cauterized the wound. It saved that fish’s life. I know it for a fact because I saw her in that same pool several weeks later, although she was wise to me by then. I’m certain it was the same fish. There couldn’t be two just alike in that little pool. It’s one more thing to carry but having a Coke on hand is a great idea. The fish you save might be your own.