Can You Really Stop A Fish Bleeding From The Gills With Soda?

Have you ever heard the fishing myth that Coke can stop a fish from bleeding in it's gills? Apparently this isn't a myth, soda actually works!

While searching all over the internet there are several different stories of this working. Does it really work though? How does it work? This poster claims the same effect is done with Mountain Dew:

Use a soft drink that has some citric acid (Mountian Dew, Sprite, Mellow Yellow, 7UP). Once the fish begin to bleed from the gills or gullet, pour the soda on the affected area. The acid in the soda will make the capillaries shrink and reduce and may stop haemorrhage.”

The author of this blog claims don't go pouring your soda just yet:

Fish, of course, live underwater, so it stands to reason that they need to be in the water in order for their systems to function properly. A fish’s gills may be vulnerable, but it wouldn’t make sense for them to require sugar or acid to be able to heal. Their gills are, in fact, right in harm’s way – especially for predatory fish. Imagine a predator, for instance, swallowing some form of spiny prey like a crayfish or a perch. There’s a good chance they’ll receive a gill injury. They must be able to self-heal, which means their blood must be able to coagulate. But of course, in order for this to happen, the fish in question needs to be in its natural environment.

In other words, pouring a soft drink may well stop a fish bleeding from the gills, but it’s almost certainly a better strategy simply to put your fish back in the water – or in a healing tank – and to let it heal naturally."

It appears it may work, but we strongly advise you to just put the fish back in the water and let it heal on its own.