ok if i catch a bass when it is siting over the nest and i relase is back will it go back to the nest what will it do? I want to know
cus i dont want to kill all those egg by cathing the parent
a question?
-
brendanc
- Posts: 2720
- Joined: Thu May 03, 2001 4:00 pm
a question?
Heavy,
The potential problem with targeting bedding bass can be broken into two parts.
1) When you remove a bass from its nest, the eggs are left unprotected from other fish and creatures that are nearby looking to feed on these eggs. Although the bass will return to the bed, it may not return immediately and this will increase the chances of the nest being raided. Also, I have heard that at certain times during the spawn, bass are more likely NOT to return to the nest if they have been caught.
2) Whenever you catch a fish there is a chance that something can go wrong and the fish could die. If you are too slow to set the hook when the fish takes the bait, you might end up throat hooking the fish and that can make for serious problems with the bass. Stress from the fight can also cause a fish to die. It is important to remember that these fish are constantly fighting to protect their nest, so they are already stressed and tired before you catch them. If you can resist the temptation to target these bedding fish, you can avoid any of these problems.
There are many different opinions that you will get when it comes to this topic. Some people are for it and some are against it. Some fishermen think that it is a sin to target bedding fish and others don’t see it as a problem. Others feel that it is OK if you only do it on big lakes and reservoirs with an abundance of bass. Some will only do it if they are in a tournament and feel that bed fishing is the winning pattern. You need to decide for yourself how you will approach this situation?
Remember something… There are always bass in either pre-spawn and/or post-spawn during this time of year. If you can find these schools of bass, you will be amazed at the size and numbers you can catch. No matter which groups of fish you target, this is always a stressful time of year for bass.
Brendan
The potential problem with targeting bedding bass can be broken into two parts.
1) When you remove a bass from its nest, the eggs are left unprotected from other fish and creatures that are nearby looking to feed on these eggs. Although the bass will return to the bed, it may not return immediately and this will increase the chances of the nest being raided. Also, I have heard that at certain times during the spawn, bass are more likely NOT to return to the nest if they have been caught.
2) Whenever you catch a fish there is a chance that something can go wrong and the fish could die. If you are too slow to set the hook when the fish takes the bait, you might end up throat hooking the fish and that can make for serious problems with the bass. Stress from the fight can also cause a fish to die. It is important to remember that these fish are constantly fighting to protect their nest, so they are already stressed and tired before you catch them. If you can resist the temptation to target these bedding fish, you can avoid any of these problems.
There are many different opinions that you will get when it comes to this topic. Some people are for it and some are against it. Some fishermen think that it is a sin to target bedding fish and others don’t see it as a problem. Others feel that it is OK if you only do it on big lakes and reservoirs with an abundance of bass. Some will only do it if they are in a tournament and feel that bed fishing is the winning pattern. You need to decide for yourself how you will approach this situation?
Remember something… There are always bass in either pre-spawn and/or post-spawn during this time of year. If you can find these schools of bass, you will be amazed at the size and numbers you can catch. No matter which groups of fish you target, this is always a stressful time of year for bass.
Brendan
Brendan C.
-
fireburn1134
- Posts: 77
- Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2004 5:00 pm
-
johnnie crain outdoors
- Posts: 1504
- Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2002 5:00 pm
a question?
Heavy,
I commend you for your efforts at trying to not take bass off beds, none of us really like to do that. Sometimes in spring tournaments we may be forced to. The impact on the fishery is still up for debate whether or not the fish will spawn or not.
In spring, not all bass spawn and they don't all spawn at the same time. In some large lakes, the shallow end of the lake, usually the headwaters, will warm first, those bass may spawn while the bass at mid-lake and lower lake are still in pre-spawn. Then as the lakes water temperatures warm fish at mid- to lower end of the lake will spawn. Don't be overly concerned if you catch afew pre-spawn bass, if released they usually will continue their spawn ritual. As for a trophy bass, if I catch one full of eggs and really want to keep it to mount, I will, this doesn't happen often enough to hurt any fishery. Mostly I simply take a picture and have it enlarged, replicas are a bit pricey for me. It is still my contention that the truly great spawners are between two and five pounds, smaller fish don't have that many eggs and really large fish eggs may not be very fertile, my opinion only. Have fun and keep those great questions coming. Johnnie
I commend you for your efforts at trying to not take bass off beds, none of us really like to do that. Sometimes in spring tournaments we may be forced to. The impact on the fishery is still up for debate whether or not the fish will spawn or not.
In spring, not all bass spawn and they don't all spawn at the same time. In some large lakes, the shallow end of the lake, usually the headwaters, will warm first, those bass may spawn while the bass at mid-lake and lower lake are still in pre-spawn. Then as the lakes water temperatures warm fish at mid- to lower end of the lake will spawn. Don't be overly concerned if you catch afew pre-spawn bass, if released they usually will continue their spawn ritual. As for a trophy bass, if I catch one full of eggs and really want to keep it to mount, I will, this doesn't happen often enough to hurt any fishery. Mostly I simply take a picture and have it enlarged, replicas are a bit pricey for me. It is still my contention that the truly great spawners are between two and five pounds, smaller fish don't have that many eggs and really large fish eggs may not be very fertile, my opinion only. Have fun and keep those great questions coming. Johnnie
Johnnie Crain