Will A Bass Stop Feeding Altogether?

[Jar11591]

What does everyone think? Say a bass lived in a very pressured waterbody, and he gets caught by fishermen routinely. Do you think it could ever get to a point where the bass begins to associate the act of feeding entirely with getting hooked, so he stops feeding altogether until he starves? I know this is true in some mammals, if they begin to associate eating with pain then they eventually will not eat. I know bass are not self-aware and can't feel pain, but I'm talking purely instinctual. And I'm not talking about a bass getting wise to a certain bait, because I know that can happen.

[flyfisher]

no because they are alive for two reasons, to eat and to reproduce.

[Jar11591]

no because they are alive for two reasons, to eat and to reproduce.

That is what I thought, until I read studies about mammals who exhibit this exact behavior. They will eventually starve to death if they entirely associate eating with physical pain. They are re-conditioned basically to where their instincts tell them eating causes pain.

[A-Jay]

no because they are alive for two reasons, to eat and to reproduce.

 

 

Ah, the good old days . . . . . . . .

 

A-Jay

[Grizzn N Bassin]

Hmm im not sure i think that they would become conditioned to the lures and presentation. i bet they will realy make sure its what they want and be certain its reel. but then again theres live bait to catch them . 

[flyfisher]

I would like to see those studies...

[Jar11591]

but then again theres live bait to catch them .

That's where it gets good. Think of a bass living in a heavily pressured lake, and over a span of, say, 4 years it gets caught dozens and dozens of times on every lure and live bait possible. I'm still not sure either way but it's definitely interesting.

[Montanaro]

Ah, the good old days . . . . . . . .

A-Jay

College?

[Grizzn N Bassin]

That's where it gets good. Think of a bass living in a heavily pressured lake, and over a span of, say, 4 years it gets caught dozens and dozens of times on every lure and live bait possible. I'm still not sure either way but it's definitely interesting.

As i was writing it i was thinking well it would just eat live things and make sure ,then i thought about the live bait. yea i see where your coming from but the studies id like to see are stress levels of fish and the damage it causes. (If any) also the many threads on here about can fish feel pain (which a no, im taking it as a bass feels pressure). Where did you find the study of mammals who stopped eating.

[gulfcaptain]

They won't stop eating, but they will change their feeding habits.  Here in crowded S. Cal, the city park fish get too much pressure they simply shut off during the day and change their feeding habits to nights since we aren't technically supposed to fish those places at night after they close the parks.  

[Jar11591]

I would like to see those studies...

Lol that is only fair, but unfortunately it was a high school thing. But I will direct you to this magnificent website that might solve your doubts.

www.google.com

[gulfcaptain]

Ah, the good old days . . . . . . . .

 

A-Jay

I remember those days, it was called being single without children. I altered my feeding habits depending on how much money I had left after bills and of course the going out fund.

[Jar11591]

Where did you find the study of mammals who stopped eating.

High school back in the day....wouldn't even begin to know where to find it now.

[Montanaro]

That's where it gets good. Think of a bass living in a heavily pressured lake, and over a span of, say, 4 years it gets caught dozens and dozens of times on every lure and live bait possible. I'm still not sure either way but it's definitely interesting.

If you are referencing learned helplessness, then the bass would would need to be caught every time it attempts to eat and considering bass can and have been caught with successive casts...The physical impact on the fish isn't what you think.

[aavery2]

Try searching for Pavlovian bass. I think your what your doing is a form of anthropomorphism. Bass are not smart.

[Jar11591]

If you are referencing learned helplessness, then the bass would would need to be caught every time it attempts to eat and considering bass can and have been caught with successive casts...The physical impact on the fish isn't what you think.

I guess what I'm saying is, would a bass become so picky due to being caught on so many different things so many times, that his instincts tell him to pass up all the available forage until he eventually dies during the search for food? I'm not talking fishing pressure and how that effects it physically. Again I don't believe one way or another.

[Jar11591]

Try searching for Pavlovian bass. I think your what your doing is a form of anthropomorphism. Bass are not smart.

It has nothing to do with a bass being smart, because obviously bass are not self-ware, nor can they feel pain or make decisions. Read the post again. You obviously missed that part. I'm talking purely instinct, exactly like a bass can get wise to a certain type of bait.

[Jar11591]

What I'm saying is, just like a bass can develop the instinct to avoid a certain bait, could it eventually do the same to enough forage similar to lures it's been caught on that it has no food source? I don't know if it could, but it's just something I was pondering over.

[aavery2]

It has nothing to do with a bass being smart, because obviously bass are not self-ware, nor can they feel pain or make decisions. Read the post again. You obviously missed that part. I'm talking purely instinct, exactly like a bass can get wise to a certain type of bait.

for something to be considered instinctive, it must be performed without prior experience. Your more in the realm of conditioned response, and a bass in the wild is very unlikely to exhibit this.

[Jar11591]

for something to be considered instinctive, it must be performed without prior experience. Your more in the realm of conditioned response, and a bass in the wild is very unlikely to exhibit this.

Conditioned response...Thank you, that it the term I was looking for. I guess not so much instinct. I should have used that term in the original post. I re-read my last response to you, sorry for the way I worded it. Not my intention, all good natured.

[aavery2]

Conditioned response...Thank you, that it the term I was looking for. I guess not so much instinct. I should have used that term in the original post. I re-read my last response to you, sorry for the way I worded it. Not my intention, all good natured.

interesting topic, something else I seem to recall from school is that instincts can not be overridden. They can not be turned on and off, so a bass striking at a lure will most likely continue to do so regardless the outcome, unless the outcome is a frying pan.

[Jar11591]

interesting topic, something else I seem to recall from school is that instincts can not be overridden. They can not be turned on and off, so a bass striking at a lure will most likely continue to do so regardless the outcome, unless the outcome is a frying pan.

 

 

 

The more I think about it, the more I believe that for this to be possible it would have to be every time the bass attempted to eat like you said. But in that case it would just die of starvation before the "conditioning" happened.

[flyfisher]

And also you are making the assumption that begin caught results in a negative response.....i read a study where they tested bass and their reactions to being caught.  Some it didn't bother at all and were caught upwards of 20 times in a year while others were caught 5-6 and this was all on the same lure and the same conditions.  

[Hyrule Bass]

What does everyone think? Say a bass lived in a very pressured waterbody, and he gets caught by fishermen routinely. Do you think it could ever get to a point where the bass begins to associate the act of feeding entirely with getting hooked, so he stops feeding altogether until he starves? I know this is true in some mammals, if they begin to associate eating with pain then they eventually will not eat. I know bass are not self-aware and can't feel pain, but I'm talking purely instinctual. And I'm not talking about a bass getting wise to a certain bait, because I know that can happen.

if he gets conditioned to associate eating to getting hooked, then he would also get conditioned to the fact he got put back in each time. the bass would continue to eat, they aint that smart...

[A-Jay]

I remember those days, it was called being single without children. I altered my feeding habits depending on how much money I had left after bills and of course the going out fund.

 

Sounds about right ~ My first 5 years in the service.

 

A-Jay