Does Catching One Bass In A School Tend To Scare The Others Off?

[KyakR]

Or does it attract others? Does it not even matter, or vary under conditions? Thanks!

[slonezp]

I am under the mindset that catching one may excite the school into feeding, and multiple would need to be caught to scare off the school.

[flyfisher]

I am with slonezp on this one too.  You also hear many pros either on TV or in articles talking abotu firing up the school by catching one or two and then once he action slows going to a more subtle bait to get even more strikes.

[*Hootie]

It can, but not always. Was fishing one day, catching a bass about 1 per hr. Came upon a point, and caught 11 bass in about 20 min. All the same size, about 12" or 13" long. Then it stopped. That school either hung there or I fished it out. I never fail to hit that point every time I fish, but that has never happened since.

Hootie

[J Francho]

Often times, catching one fish ignites a school of low activity bass, especially smallmouth.  They are VERY competitive.

[Catt]

I fish a lot deep water structure & it's normal to catch 25-30 while anchored in one spot.

[lanzbass]

My luck has been... it does not matter...

 

When they hit they hit ...

 

Maybe loud music or tossing rocks may scare them...

 

But they regroup quickly...   

[Fishing Rhino]

I'm not sure, but suspect the depth might be a factor.  In shallow water, fish spook at shadows.  I'm guessing it is because when they are shallow, they are vulnerable to birds that feed on them, be they osprey, eagles, heron, etc.  So a commotion might spook them.

 

Not so much in deeper water.  I've had both largemouth and smallmouth bass chase a hooked fish, trying to steal the "food" from them.  I've seen as many as a half dozen fish pursuing a hooked fish.  That has been in deeper water, away from the shore.  Deeper meaning four feet or more, when the fish on the bottom aren't subject to attack by wading birds, or eagles and osprey.  The nasty cormorants, while they can catch fish in deeper water don't seem to prey on fish as large as the eagles and osprey can.

[Wayne P.]

I hooked 13 of these bass and landed 11 of them before they quit hitting. I passed over them again after that and they were still there. 3# - #7 pound class.

 

You can fool some of the fish some of the time, but not all the fish all the time.

 

 

[AK-Jax86]

I have always wondered this but I'd imagine it would cause a frenzy I have caught bass before and see others chasing it as I reel it in maybe to try to get the lure idk

[KyakR]

Was hoping to hear this! Thanks all

[WRB]

This I are 2 schools of thought on this subject. Crappie anglers often keep 1fish in the water while catching school fish, the belief is a released fish will kill the bite. This thinking is also believed with tuna anglers on a school of fish.

The other thought is a school of inactive fish can become active when one member of the school strikes, string off a chain reaction of feeding.

I have experienced both, fishing shutting off from a released fish and fish becoming active from a caught fish.

My practice is to keep fishing where they are biting and try not to release a bleeding fish in the same area.

Tom

[boostr]

I hooked 13 of these bass and landed 11 of them before they quit hitting. I passed over them again after that and they were still there. 3# - #7 pound class.

How do you read this sonar?

You can fool some of the fish some of the time, but not all the fish all the time.

[boostr]

I hooked 13 of these bass and landed 11 of them before they quit hitting. I passed over them again after that and they were still there. 3# - #7 pound class.

You can fool some of the fish some of the time, but not all the fish all the time.

How do you read this sonar?

[Wayne P.]

How do you read this sonar?

That technology is called Side Imaging. The transducer has two crystals that project sonar pulses to the left and right. The sonar pulses are very thin front to back and are wide to the sides. The affect of those sonar pulses is somewhat like a CAT scan that hospitals use and produce the picture-like images.

 

The vertical centerline is the path that the boat traveled as the unit recorded what was from the water's surface to past vertical under the boat on both sides.

The unit records those images from top to bottom with current data at the top where the little blue boat symbol is and the oldest data at the bottom (history).

In doing that, the black area is the water column on each side and the brown coloring is the lake bottom and any other "objects" that reflect the sonar pulses (echos).

From one side to the other in the center of the picture is a creek channel. On the right side inside the creek channel is the school of bass and a little farther to the right of them is their shadows.

On the left side on the creek channel edge is a stump in a depression and the creek channel makes a "S" turn.

 

The 50 on each side at the top is the distance range I had the unit set to record for each side. The whole width of the image covers 100'. The unit can be set to record 720' total left to right.

[Darren.]

This I are 2 schools of thought on this subject. Crappie anglers often keep 1fish in the water while catching school fish, the belief is a released fish will kill the bite. This thinking is also believed with tuna anglers on a school of fish.

The other thought is a school of inactive fish can become active when one member of the school strikes, string off a chain reaction of feeding.

I have experienced both, fishing shutting off from a released fish and fish becoming active from a caught fish.

My practice is to keep fishing where they are biting and try not to release a bleeding fish in the same area.

Tom

 

Thanks, Tom. I've heard this as well. There's some sort of distress signal released (some say, but I don't really know) when one's caught and released. With no livewell, I cannot but release a fish back after catch. Numerous times I've experienced a shutdown -- sometimes I'll catch a couple, but more often a shutdown after one.

[Wayne P.]

Thanks, Tom. I've heard this as well. There's some sort of distress signal released (some say, but I don't really know) when one's caught and released. With no livewell, I cannot but release a fish back after catch. Numerous times I've experienced a shutdown -- sometimes I'll catch a couple, but more often a shutdown after one.

 

Some crappie fishermen use one of the crappie as a "fish finder". They attach a string and float to a released fish so the fish will go back to the school and they can keep up with that school.

There is a lot of myth and superstition when it comes to explaining fish behavior.

[Darren.]

Some crappie fishermen use one of the crappie as a "fish finder". They attach a string and float to a released fish so the fish will go back to the school and they can keep up with that school.

There is a lot of myth and superstition when it comes to explaining fish behavior.

 

No doubt, Wayne. I was just relaying my personal experience. Not myth or superstition on my part. But I have read similar things and saying from others (which may be mythic or superstitious!!).

[Lil'Gunner]

I've had both happen - turn on and turn off -- but mostly, it seems giving a spot a 10-min rest or so increases how many fish I can get off a single spot overall. It's hard to do, though!

[bigbill]

It causes a frenzy it's like my lure becomes an amusement ride and the bass are all lined up for there turn. It's bass after bass action. Like the turtle man says it's live action. What ever they mean.

I caught 19 bass standing in one spot it was bass after bass.In the light warm rain and my Joe's fly 1/4oz bass size inline spinner in firetiger apache it was live action.

I caught bass after bass in another spot during the overcast by casting in the exact same spot. My rebel BIG CLAW CRAWFISH crankbait in chartreuse that dives 10' it was live action.

Another evening just as a front approached before the rain hit it was live action with the two of us catching many doubles in the same spot.

We were using two mepps Anglia #3 inline spinners. In two different colors.

All of my outings I'm fishing one area from shore. With my limited time I have fishing because of my health I was averaging 7 to 9 bass per outing. From one spot so I'm not

spooking them while fishing in stealth mode. But make one coff and watch the wake in the water going away from you. But the casting doesn't scare them. I make soft, gentle side arm casts past them. Then I bring the lure slowly near them. Every time they break topwater I cast past the spot and bring my lure near them.

That's stealth mode live action bass fishing.

[KyakR]

This I are 2 schools of thought on this subject. Crappie anglers often keep 1fish in the water while catching school fish, the belief is a released fish will kill the bite. This thinking is also believed with tuna anglers on a school of fish.

The other thought is a school of inactive fish can become active when one member of the school strikes, string off a chain reaction of feeding.

I have experienced both, fishing shutting off from a released fish and fish becoming active from a caught fish.

My practice is to keep fishing where they are biting and try not to release a bleeding fish in the same area.

Tom

I've experienced both, too......wondered if I was doing something unknowingly. Schooling fish like crappie and white perch up here do seem to behave differently. Wayne P., that was a super-informative explanation of side imaging! Thanks

[coryn h. fishowl]

To me, it depends on what they are doing.  If they are actively feeding, it seems to excite them, but if they are just suspending, waiting out the middle of the day, it just spooks them. IMO.

[Fish Chris]

I've seen it go both ways. Many X's I've come up on a group of big bass, stick (or miss) just one of them, and the rest instantly scatter.

 

One other memorable time though, on Clear Lk. CA, my buddy and I found 7 nice bass, from 5-8 lbs, all circled around one big rock, which jutted up to within a couple feet of the surface. I guaranteed my buddy, the first crawdad placed on top of that rock, would get eaten...... but after that, the rest would probably scatter.... So we flipped a coin for the first cast I got it... and quickly stuck a 7 lb Bass Amazingly, the others barely budged ! They didn't even try to chase their buddy around after I hooked him (pretty common, right ?) So my buddy makes the next cast, Bam ! He sticks another nice 6-7 lb'er ! My next cast, I stick another !

Long story short, we sat there and stuck every darn one of them, in back to back casts ! We laughed about how the last one must have been thinking, finally the rest of these greedy %$$%# have left, so I can eat in peace LOL

 

Who knows what goes on in the pea sized brain of a bass ?

 

Peace,

Fish

[J Francho]

That's a great story, Chris.

[tatertester]

I think a lot has to do with how much commotion is caused when casting and when bringing the hooked fish to the boat....Be as quiet as possible and cast without big splashes.I've watched bass in a very clear lake all scatter when my floating rapala hit the waters surface , but , only to return in a few seconds later to investigate what had invaded their territory.Considering that a rapala floater is a light weight and makes only a small splash, just think how other heavier baits affect bass. I recall one day when I made a very long lobbing type cast over a weedbed of mixed weeds and pads , and fish could be seen ,actually by rippling or wakes , over the entire length of the cast.....I was amazed by that and could only figure that the fish were startled by the shadow of the line and bait while it was in the air.It was a calm and sunny day , yet still was surprising to see how fish were that attentive.