Spawning bed fishing.

[Heron]

I think Ive decided that catching fish from spawning beds is, just, well...not for me.

At some point during the spawning process, the fish's job is to protect the eggs and/or fry from smaller predators, like sunfish and such.   So, it stands to reason, that for me to pull those fish off of their beds, it leaves the nest vulnerable, even for a short time. Making it easy for the smaller fish and critters, to move in and pick apart the eggs or fry.

In that sense, this seems like a practice that could be somewhat counter productive to the proliferation of the species, and to our fishing enjoyment down the road.  But even if it isn't, it still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

But that's just me.

[Logan S]

You probably shouldn't target fish on beds then.... 

I have a different opinion and view it as simply another viable pattern/method to catch fish...And it's fun.  Just remember that if you fish at all during the spawn, you are going to catch fish from spawning beds whether you target them or not.  

 

[Fishinthefish]

It's a tight rope walk. Too many eggs spawn. The bass population gets too large, and bam. Fish start having issues with food. Not enough eggs spawn and your bass population dwindles thanks to bucket heads. All in all you just have to do what you feel is morally acceptable and hope for the best.

[Heron]

Well, I think Id rather just let the fish do their jobs, and protect the nest.  I'll catch them later.

[bigbassin']

As I agree it's both a really fun way to catch them, and it may or may not be harmful to the bass population, my general rule of thumb is I won't fish beds if bluegill are present and/or both the male and female aren't in the vicinity. I also don't take pictures with bed fish so I can get them back in the water quicker.

At the end of the day, fishing has historically been catch and keep and bass aren't extinct yet so I doubt much damage is being done if you bed fish and release them in a timely manner. I feel like it's just one of those things that if you enjoy doing it then go for it, and if not then don't.

[Wbeadlescomb]

If I'm in a tournament you best believe I'm going to try to catch bed fish if it's one that will help me

[Bluebasser86]

Generally, there's a female and a male fish that both guard the nest. The most common situation is to catch the male and put it in the livewell so the female is the only one left. Once the female is caught, the male can be released to return to it's egg guarding duties. If it's a tournament it can make it trickier since most guys aren't going to release a keeper male so it can guard the nest again. 

I enjoy sight fishing bass, but I understand why guys have issues with it as well. Anyone who thinks a bass on a bed is an easy target, I'm guessing has never done it. Some of them are, but a lot of them are very wary and difficult to get to bite. It's easy to spend a couple hours working a fish and never have it bite, which is a killer when you're on the clock. 

[scaleface]

I dont target bedding fish because the waters around here are usually to muddy to see them .The few times I have tried , I havent been very successful . I remember one bass kept taking my soft plastics by the tail and taking them out of the nest and dropping it .I tried several lures for an hour or so and just gave up .

[Cyacnba]

I actually fished for bass on their beds last year without even knowing what they were doing. I was wondering why they wouldn't budge or inhale my baits after constantly throwing it next to them lol. Back then, I was using a T-rigged Rage Craw, and I noticed that a few bass would bite off the claws of the craw. When I casted the Rage Craw without the claws, most bass became really aggressive. Not sure why, but I will try this again this year.

Nevertheless, I release the fish ASAP after I unhook them. I'm extra careful with these bass since they are spawning.

[Turtle135]

I do avoid casting to bass that are obviously guarding a nest but in my area it is fairly easy to choose different locations (creeks, rivers, lakes and tidal waters) where the bass are either largely still in prespawn or already into post spawn mode.

[Catt]

There's absolutely no evidence bed fishing hurts the spawn but years of evidence showing it doesn't!

[roadwarrior]

1 minute ago, Catt said:

There's absolutely no evidence bed fishing hurts the spawn but years of evidence showing it doesn't!

Yep, Lake Fork is a perfect example with thousands of fisherman targeting bedding bass. However, I still leave them alone and NEVER intentionally target fish on beds.

[Catt]

4 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Yep, Lake Fork is a perfect example with thousands of fisherman targeting bedding bass. However, I still leave them alone and NEVER intentionally target fish on beds.

The entire state of Texas is a perfect example, every lake is man made & stocked from fingerling from the share-a-linker program.

I really don't go hunting for beds but if it's a 10 plus...

[David Whitaker]

It's always been a huge debate in bass fishing in ethical terms, but a recent study conducted by Florida Wildlife Commision (FWC) answered this dilemma. This past February at the Bassmaster Southern Open's captain meeting, FWC showed the results from an AMZING study. Every variable was perfectly covered. In summation, they studied spawning bass in multiple regulated ponds. They knew the exact amount, size, and length of every bass in them as well as being tagged. During the spawn they would troll and even snorkel/dive to find beds and investigate the spawning behavior of all the bass. In half of the ponds, they measured the amount of bass that spawned and the amount of offspring after one year. They did the same with the other half of the ponds but all of the beds were fished. They caught every bass that would bite. From what I remember, I believe they caught 1/4 of all the spawning females as well as a certain larger amount of males. All caught fish were immediately returned after data was taken. In the end, the ponds that were fished put out MORE offspring. They were even able to tell exactly what parents made each bass and what bed they came from due to the magic of genetics. This is only one controlled study and I'm sure there will be more to come. Also, it can be taken into consideration that these were Florida Strain Largemouth and the bass were released back to the same area as the bed they came off of as soon as statistics were taken of the fish. So there is reason to speculate other strains and species may have a different turnout as well as keeping a fish in the live well may cause a different result. What can be taken from his study however is that fishing for spawning fish may not be as bad for the species prolification as we may seem to believe. Something to take into consideration next time you're staring at a double-digit!

[gobig]

I dont see how they could be totally accurate with this study. There is a lot to consider. For one were all the fish studied from the same gene pool? How did the cover differ from pond to pond? same food supply? and on and on.

[fissure_man]

On 10/03/2016 at 9:07 AM, Catt said:

There's absolutely no evidence bed fishing hurts the spawn but years of evidence showing it doesn't!

I'm not sure a blanket statement like that can really be backed up.  If an angler removes the bass guarding fry or eggs and doesn't release it in the same area, those fry/eggs aren't going to make it ("hurting the spawn").  Maybe if that bass is released somewhere else it will find another partner and have another chance, but not always.  I would think that's even less likely further north, where the spawning window tends to be shorter.

Whether or not the cumulative effect of anglers pulling fish from beds will impact bass populations (quality and quantity) down the road has to depend on a long list of variables.  Lake Fork is clearly not the same as a 5 acre pond or the goby-infested great lakes/St. Lawrence (etc).  Certainly there are examples of fisheries that have thrived through constant fishing pressure (including the spawn) for decades.  Many even benefit from the "herd thinning" that sport fishing provides.  But on any body of water there will be a point where overfishing takes a toll, and if we're talking catch-and-release (especially delayed release), the spawn is the time when potential for impacting bass populations is highest.

That said, where it's legal and sustainable, sight fishing for bedding bass is a ton of fun (IMO)!  I have no reason to feel guilty about it if the fishery can sustain itself and thrive under the pressure it's subjected to.  It's the same lack of guilt I feel when I harvest a few cold-water smallies for a meal, or enjoy a venison roast.  I'm not looking to participate in decimating a species, but my ability to responsibly enjoy our natural resources is something I value highly.

Referring back to the original post, I think it could be argued that any kind of fishing could be "somewhat counter productive to the proliferation of the species" if left unchecked.  Science-based, local fisheries management is key, and in some places banning bed fishing is probably a good idea.

 

On 11/03/2016 at 8:25 AM, David Whitaker said:

Every variable was perfectly covered.

Nope.

 

[Catt]

4 hours ago, fissure_man said:

I'm not sure a blanket statement like that can really be backed up.  If an angler removes the bass guarding fry or eggs and doesn't release it in the same area, those fry/eggs aren't going to make it ("hurting the spawn").  Maybe if that bass is released somewhere else it will find another partner and have another chance, but not always.  I would think that's even less likely further north, where the spawning window tends to be shorter.

Whether or not the cumulative effect of anglers pulling fish from beds will impact bass populations (quality and quantity) down the road has to depend on a long list of variables.  Lake Fork is clearly not the same as a 5 acre pond or the goby-infested great lakes/St. Lawrence (etc).  Certainly there are examples of fisheries that have thrived through constant fishing pressure (including the spawn) for decades.  Many even benefit from the "herd thinning" that sport fishing provides.  But on any body of water there will be a point where overfishing takes a toll, and if we're talking catch-and-release (especially delayed release), the spawn is the time when potential for impacting bass populations is highest.

That said, where it's legal and sustainable, sight fishing for bedding bass is a ton of fun (IMO)!  I have no reason to feel guilty about it if the fishery can sustain itself and thrive under the pressure it's subjected to.  It's the same lack of guilt I feel when I harvest a few cold-water smallies for a meal, or enjoy a venison roast.  I'm not looking to participate in decimating a species, but my ability to responsibly enjoy our natural resources is something I value highly.

Referring back to the original post, I think it could be argued that any kind of fishing could be "somewhat counter productive to the proliferation of the species" if left unchecked.  Science-based, local fisheries management is key, and in some places banning bed fishing is probably a good idea.

 

Nope.

 

The whole issue of catching bass off the nest hurting the population is not backed by science but by someone's opinion.

In your example of the Goby infested pond the problem aint catching the bass off a nest, it's an infestation of Goby!.

In small bodies of water proper management is essential to the survival of all species.

[fissure_man]

9 hours ago, Catt said:

The whole issue of catching bass off the nest hurting the population is not backed by science but by someone's opinion.

In your example of the Goby infested pond the problem aint catching the bass off a nest, it's an infestation of Goby!.

In small bodies of water proper management is essential to the survival of all species.

The basis for concern is that bass defend their offspring to increase survival rate, and angling disrupts them from doing that.  Increased predation/mortality of young offspring when a guarding male is removed is well established, but the extent to which it occurs is highly variable.

Survival rates of young bass through the nest guarding period may or may not significantly affect adult populations down the road, but it's not unreasonable to suspect that egg/fry survival is a limiting factor in bass recruitment in some circumstances.  The few population-level studies that have been performed do not (can not) control for all possible environments and variables.

My point is that what works in Texas may not have the same outcome everywhere else, and the harmlessness of bed fishing in a general sense isn't thoroughly backed by science either.

[Catt]

4 hours ago, fissure_man said:

 

My point is that what works in Texas may not have the same outcome everywhere else, and the harmlessness of bed fishing in a general sense isn't thoroughly backed by science either.

What works in Texas will in fact work elsewhere; Texas Parks & Wildlife has more scientific data backing them than any state in the United States. Their research on spawning bass & Genetic Reseach is rivaled by no one!