Bed Fishing: Friend Or Foe

[RSM789]

The female does not stay on the nest long before she moves to another nest, & then post spawn.

The male stays on the nest through out the spawn

 

Correct.  However, when the female is on a nest, she will stay there or return shortly after being spooked away by an angler.  My point was that during the spawn is the only time that bass will do this, continue to stay or return to an area after being aware that an angler (predator) is present.

 

This doesn't make bed fishing inherently bad, it just illustrates the difference between it and how bass react the rest of the year.  To attempt to defend bed fishing as just another pattern or compare it to other times of the year is incorrect because this is the only time that bass survival instincts get overruled by other biology (spawning instinct).  The rest of the year, survival is the top priority.

[Catt]

Correct. However, when the female is on a nest, she will stay there or return shortly after being spooked away by an angler. My point was that during the spawn is the only time that bass will do this, continue to stay or return to an area after being aware that an angler (predator) is present.

This doesn't make bed fishing inherently bad, it just illustrates the difference between it and how bass react the rest of the year. To attempt to defend bed fishing as just another pattern or compare it to other times of the year is incorrect because this is the only time that bass survival instincts get overruled by other biology (spawning instinct). The rest of the year, survival is the top priority.

So you just ignore the proven fact that bed fishing DOES NOT impact the spawn?

[RSM789]

So you just ignore the proven fact that bed fishing DOES NOT impact the spawn?

 

Now exactly where did I write that I thought bed fishing impacted the spawn?  Please be specific because I can't find the post where I wrote that.

[Catt]

Now exactly where did I write that I thought bed fishing impacted the spawn? Please be specific because I can't find the post where I wrote that.

So what's you point?

You are against bed fishing just because?

Read your answers again, cause you are coming across as someone who thinks it impacts some thing!

[Lund Explorer]

I really don't find anything wrong with fishing live bait. As long as you aren't dumping your unused bait ir containers in or around the water, I'm ok. I just fish with lures mostly, because that's what I enjoy, but I know that my uncle has caught his personal best, and many other great fish on Rodman with a live shiner, and i don't find a problem with it. Honestly, I actually enjoy it as well.

 

You just need to wait a little longer.  Someone will post yet another thread where live bait becomes cheating, trolling is boring, the I don't believe your weight claim, or my all time favorite, the bucket fishermen keep everything they catch and they're all illegal aliens without a license!

[Suspendingjerk]

You just need to wait a little longer.  Someone will post yet another thread where live bait becomes cheating, trolling is boring, the I don't believe your weight claim, or my all time favorite, the bucket fishermen keep everything they catch and they're all illegal aliens without a license!

After reading this thread, I'm waiting for one featuring a discussion on how using live bait is unethical.

"how would you like it if you were thrown on a hook and cast into the water to be ate?"....

[RSM789]

So what's you point?

You are against bed fishing just because?

Read your answers again, cause you are coming across as someone who thinks it impacts some thing!

How ironic that you demand I read my answers again when you are the one having issues comprehending them.  I never said I was against bed fishing, you are the one jumping to that conclusion.

 

My point, as I wrote before, is that fishing during the spawn is unlike any other time of the year because the bass are biologically driven to stay in an area despite the presence of a threat (an angler or predator).  During all other times of the year, survival is the number one biological driver but during the spawn, it becomes number two.

 

Again, this doesn't make bed fishing wrong, it makes it different.  This was a response to all of those who are incorrectly claiming that it is just another pattern or no different than any other sight fishing.  A bass at the time of spawn will react to a threat differently than the rest of the year.

[Logan S]

How ironic that you demand I read my answers again when you are the one having issues comprehending them.  I never said I was against bed fishing, you are the one jumping to that conclusion.

 

My point, as I wrote before, is that fishing during the spawn is unlike any other time of the year because the bass are biologically driven to stay in an area despite the presence of a threat (an angler or predator).  During all other times of the year, survival is the number one biological driver but during the spawn, it becomes number two.

 

Again, this doesn't make bed fishing wrong, it makes it different.  This was a response to all of those who are incorrectly claiming that it is just another pattern or no different than any other sight fishing.  A bass at the time of spawn will react to a threat differently than the rest of the year.

Nobody is disputing that a bass behaves differently during the spawn. 

 

The question is over the sportsmanship/ethics of targeting these fish.  If someone thinks that it is less sporting to target bass because of those behavioral traits, fine...They don't have to fish for them.  Some of us feel differently and view it as simply another viable method for success (IE, a pattern) regardless of the reasons behind the behavior 

 

My post you were originally responding to was a tongue-in-cheek way of asking where you draw the line about what is sporting and what isn't, not an analytical assessment of bass biology.

[corn-on-the-rob]

Well I think the issue here is that most things fishing related comes down to opinion and preference which means many people are strong in their viewpoints which is completely fine.

 

The bigger issue is people are defending their preferences strongly based on "feelings" and "I think" and also personifying the fish which I'm sure we all can understand to a degree the justification, because on the surface it sounds true.

 

I rarely bed fish because I think it is boring, my PREFERENCE. But bed fishing does not significantly alter populations in most cases FACT.

 

But what some people here need to understand is there are scientists/biologists state/local that regulate fishing on all public waters. The regulations are based off of science. If the science tells them the populations will be adversely affected from anything (targeting, harvesting, etc.), more regulations are put in place to correct or prevent it.

[mjseverson24]

So you just ignore the proven fact that bed fishing DOES NOT impact the spawn?

LOL... if one bed fish gets taken and other fish come in and eat the eggs, then the spawn has been effected. statistically suppose its like a 1:50000 eggs laid become a 3+ lb bass, so every 50000 eggs that get eaten and or fish that doesnt spawn beacue of human intervention durring the spawn reduces the adult population by 1. Now these are just rough approximations, but the concept is still there. to think that you can target fish on a bed and have ZERO impact on the health of that fish and or the eggs it was protecting is just a huge logical fallacy... its kind of like thinking that we as humans cannot alter our climate though our actions... Wishing that we dont make a difference does not make it true... Here is a fact, durring the spawn fishing pressure on many of the top lakes in the country get very heavy... This activity is an economic stimulous for many of the comunities around these lakes and rivers... The government also makes a whole bunch of money off of sales of various products and liscenses... Its all about the money and has very little to do with the health and wellbeing of the fish in these lakes and rivers...

 

Mitch

[scaleface]

A healthy bass population will produce an astronomical number of fry . This ensures survival of the species from predators natural disasters...

[roadwarrior]

Well, let's look at a very specific example: Lake Fork in Texas

 

Although this lake produces the biggest number of bass in the Texas Lunker Program,

the fishing pressure is simply enormous, especially during the spawn. Bed fishing is a

HUGE part of the attraction for this lake. During this period literally thousands of fishermen

pound this water, seven days a week. There appears to be no impact on the fishery.

 

Disclaimer: I don't ever intentionally fish for bedding bass, but that's just me. Other guys

really enjoy the challenge and I can appreciate that, I have watched them play!

[RoLo]

Well, let's look at a very specific example: Lake Fork in Texas

 

Although this lake produces the biggest number of bass in the Texas Lunker Program,

the fishing pressure is simply enormous, especially during the spawn. Bed fishing is a

HUGE part of the attraction for this lake. During this period literally thousands of fishermen

pound this water, seven days a week. There appears to be no impact on the fishery.

 

Disclaimer: I don't ever intentionally fish for bedding bass, but that's just me. Other guys

really enjoy the challenge and I can appreciate that, I have watched them play!

 

'Play' is the correct descriptor.

Yes, they are highly visible, but No, they are not highly catchable.

 

Roger

[Catt]

LOL... if one bed fish gets taken and other fish come in and eat the eggs, then the spawn has been effected. statistically suppose its like a 1:50000 eggs laid become a 3+ lb bass, so every 50000 eggs that get eaten and or fish that doesnt spawn beacue of human intervention durring the spawn reduces the adult population by 1. Now these are just rough approximations, but the concept is still there. to think that you can target fish on a bed and have ZERO impact on the health of that fish and or the eggs it was protecting is just a huge logical fallacy... its kind of like thinking that we as humans cannot alter our climate though our actions... Wishing that we dont make a difference does not make it true... Here is a fact, durring the spawn fishing pressure on many of the top lakes in the country get very heavy... This activity is an economic stimulous for many of the comunities around these lakes and rivers... The government also makes a whole bunch of money off of sales of various products and liscenses... Its all about the money and has very little to do with the health and wellbeing of the fish in these lakes and rivers...

Mitch

Not one wit of fact in the post!

[F14A-B]

My lord, Bedding fish are the most ornery females I've encountered in life, well almost.... Not uncatchable, but my goodness, very, very hard.

I'm still glutinous to try it on occasion!

To each their own, I can respect that, but where I fish it's not illegal or immoral..

[RSM789]

Nobody is disputing that a bass behaves differently during the spawn.

The question is over the sportsmanship/ethics of targeting these fish. If someone thinks that it is less sporting to target bass because of those behavioral traits, fine...They don't have to fish for them...

Like Catt, you seem to believe that I don't fish during the spawn. That isn't true, I do, although I don't specifically cruise around targeting bedding bass. I'm not trying to stop anyone who does, rather just pointing out the error in justifying it as nothing more than "just another pattern".

All sport fish have certain traits & actions that define their species. Typically, these traits are what attracts or repels people to fish for them. During the spawn. it isn't just that a bass behaves differently, it is that they nearly behave like a completely different species.

If that is something you like, cool, target bedding bass. Just don't pretend that it is no different than when you catch a non- bedding fish.

[corn-on-the-rob]

LOL... if one bed fish gets taken and other fish come in and eat the eggs, then the spawn has been effected. statistically suppose its like a 1:50000 eggs laid become a 3+ lb bass, so every 50000 eggs that get eaten and or fish that doesnt spawn beacue of human intervention durring the spawn reduces the adult population by 1. Now these are just rough approximations, but the concept is still there. to think that you can target fish on a bed and have ZERO impact on the health of that fish and or the eggs it was protecting is just a huge logical fallacy... its kind of like thinking that we as humans cannot alter our climate though our actions... Wishing that we dont make a difference does not make it true... Here is a fact, durring the spawn fishing pressure on many of the top lakes in the country get very heavy... This activity is an economic stimulous for many of the comunities around these lakes and rivers... The government also makes a whole bunch of money off of sales of various products and liscenses... Its all about the money and has very little to do with the health and wellbeing of the fish in these lakes and rivers...

 

Mitch

The fish you pull off the bed will most certainly be affected. But the population will be virtually unchanged for next year. Like RW said, fish populations survive by massively over supplying. The ecosystem determines the population based on its ability to support it. It won't matter if 8,000,000 eggs were laid instead of 10,000,000 because the ecosystem will have a limit of lets say 10,000 per year successful from the spawn surviving until adulthood based on available forage and space. Yes you are one 3-pounder short (if you kill it) but the population generated by the spawn will be unaffected. 

 

And if it is "all about the money" a lake with no fish doesn't make a good business.

 

*this is all made on the assumption that this has a well established population aka not a new lake. Also my numbers are not accurate but the concept stands.

[Logan S]

LOL... if one bed fish gets taken and other fish come in and eat the eggs, then the spawn has been effected. statistically suppose its like a 1:50000 eggs laid become a 3+ lb bass, so every 50000 eggs that get eaten and or fish that doesnt spawn beacue of human intervention durring the spawn reduces the adult population by 1. Now these are just rough approximations, but the concept is still there. to think that you can target fish on a bed and have ZERO impact on the health of that fish and or the eggs it was protecting is just a huge logical fallacy... its kind of like thinking that we as humans cannot alter our climate though our actions... Wishing that we dont make a difference does not make it true... Here is a fact, durring the spawn fishing pressure on many of the top lakes in the country get very heavy... This activity is an economic stimulous for many of the comunities around these lakes and rivers... The government also makes a whole bunch of money off of sales of various products and liscenses... Its all about the money and has very little to do with the health and wellbeing of the fish in these lakes and rivers...

 

Mitch

There is a massive difference between effecting a single fish (or bed) and effecting an entire fishery.  What you are talking about falls into the categories of statistical insignificance and acceptable losses.  

 

As for the part about money, you are seriously overestimating the impact of bass fisherman.  Summertime boat and vacation traffic dwarf the spring fishing traffic by an order of magnitude.  There's a reason it's significantly cheaper to book rentals on lakes before Memorial Day and after Labor day...  There might be a few lakes throughout the country that see a slight bump in the local economy from fishermen, but hardly enough to sway DNR biologists.  How would they even get a cut of that anyway?  

 

As the Tournament Director for one of the largest bass clubs in our area I have dealt with our DNR more than your average person...I can tell you that every single person I've dealt with takes their job very seriously and they are laser-focused on the health of the fisheries.  I have complete faith that they are managing the resources properly.

[Brent Bartman]

One thing that has not been talked about is over population. Catch and realease didnt allow George Perry to catch a 22Lber in Georgia calmost 90 years ago. People netted, trapped, Gaffed for food and didnt care about letting their dinner swim away. Lakes 75 years ago probably experieced NO CATCH AND RELEASE.And they did with out a stocking program that most lakes have today. I feel like almost every lake fished is over populated. I think that they lakes are being stocked at a rate that exceeds that lakes ability to maintain quality fish. After reading biology reports for local lakes it seems like numbers increase and size declines over the years.

 

I think bass over 15 Inchs should be harvested to the bag limit to promote an ecosystem that is not overcrowed. I think that why large lakes do so well is they have an extremly high harvest rate due to the higher pressure. 

 

with the exceptions of larger  waters greater than say approx 2500 acres most lakes show signs of overrpopulation. Rarely do i seem to find the football 4 pounders like you will in huge ecosystems like say guntersville or clarkshill in these smaller waters.

 

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/overpopulated-bass.html

 

Here is a chart to determine if a fish is underwight for its length. and looking back through my fishing records most fish I have caught in resevoirs and lakes 750-5000 Acres are underweight. Fish i have caught in large ECOSYSTEMS seem to be a bit better.

 

All the research I have done shows that harvesting fish is better for the enviroment that it hurts. so...

 

CALL ME A BASS KILLER. NOT ONLY DO I SIGHT FISH BEDDING BASS I HARVEST THEM IN THE 15-20" RANGE . AND ANY 10LB PLUS IS GOING ON ICE TO SOON BE HUNG ON MY DRYWALL

[K_Mac]

Brent if you harvest bass to the limit that are 15" or greater, your chances of catching 4 pounders will not go up. Slot limits are a far better approach to managing fish populations and increasing numbers of bigger fish.

[Chris186]

I think the best thing about this thread is that the OP had no idea he was about to open Pandora's box when he started it!!

[Brent Bartman]

Brent if you harvest bass to the limit that are 15" or greater, your chances of catching 4 pounders will not go up. Slot limits are a far better approach to managing fish populations and increasing numbers of bigger fish.

 

Harvesting 5 15" Fish in a lake where out of 1000 fished sampled 500 were greater than 12" none greater than 17" will absolute increase your chances of catching a 4lb plus bas . Bass cant grow to 10 lbs if the food chain doesnt support it.

 

Slot limits are great for fisheries. But the regulations are written by people whose sole purpose to ensure a healthy population of fish and make each eco system the way it should be. so if by following the states regulation you think it is hurting the bass population you are mistaken.

[K_Mac]

Brent you can believe what you want. How will harvesting the largest fish in the lake increase the numbers of large fish in the lake? Keeping some of the smaller fish and leaving the bigger ones alone is how lakes are managed for big bass.

[Brent Bartman]

Brent you can believe what you want. How will harvesting the largest fish in the lake increase the numbers of large fish in the lake? Keeping some of the smaller fish and leaving the bigger ones alone is how lakes are managed for big bass.

 

Read the article I linked in my above post.

 

an over populated lake that is full of 1 lb bass doesnt support the fish growing. A pond or lakes can only support a certain poundage of bass that poundage of bass is determined by food the bass can eat. Say in your 1 acre pond its 1000 lbs and mine is 1000lbs. well your lake has 990 1lb bass and 1 10lbs bass. mine has 100 10 lb bass. I am going to fish my pond not yours to catch a 10lb hawg Does that make sense? your lake could use a good harvest of 1lbs every year so you population will even out. Mine could use a harvest of about 10 every year to allow for a thriving population of healthy fish

 

So if your fishing a lake that is full of long skinny 1-3 lbers and you can go catch 100 off them any day of the week and a 5+ pound fish is rare then that lake is over populated.

 

Fish a Lake that has a lower catch rate but most bass are football shaped and 10lb bass are common like lake O or Kissismee chain in florida those bass populations are healthy.

 

you take a Lake like the Big O or Guntersville. they have a huge ecosystem with enough forage for bass to thrive on the bass can grow you will find those 17" 5lb football bass that look like they are going to pop because the amount of shad or shiners in there bellys

[Josh Smith]

I try to stay away from this topic because it's such a hot button with folks.

 

That said, I think it's safe enough here.

 

I've tried sight fishing beds in the past.  It's no great thrill.  Mostly I wanted to see the bass's reaction, as in, I wanted to observe the strike.  Curiosity was satisfied and I moved on.

 

I will and do target staging bass pre-spawn and I go after the worn-out females post-spawn when they're eating again (though neutral to negative due to being worn out).

 

Female bass are generally bigger.

 

Josh