Why do bass follow other bass that are hooked?

[th365thli]

Pretty simple question.

 

When fishing clear water and I hook a fish, I often notice other bass follow a struggling bass that I hooked. They go from not giving a crap about anything to very interested. Are they just curious or are they looking at the struggling bass as food? Or are they just laughing at their buddy?

 

 

[Black Hawk Basser]

Sometimes if the hooked bass is small and the follower is big, their feeding instincts may kick in.

 

What I think it is, at least sometimes, is what's called kleptoparasitism.  That's the term for when a fish tries to steal another fish's meal once the meal is injured/subdued.  Pike do this a lot.

[Deleted account]

Pier pressure (at least around docks)...

[Way north bass guy]

They’re defenitely trying to steal the others meal, that’s when you need your parnter to have a spinning rod with a tube or senko or something like that to drop under the boat as soon as possible, quite often you’ll get the second fish ( with a pretty violent strike I might add), and it’s often a larger one as well. Works pretty good in tournaments, especially when fishing smallies. 

[thinkingredneck]

Most animals will try to steal food as that takes less energy than hunting and chasing.  Even pets will try to steal food , as will some office workers.

[The Bassman]

22 hours ago, Pickle_Power said:

Sometimes if the hooked bass is small and the follower is big, their feeding instincts may kick in.

 

What I think it is, at least sometimes, is what's called kleptoparasitism.  That's the term for when a fish tries to steal another fish's meal once the meal is injured/subdued.  Pike do this a lot.

 

Klepto..............klep.......uh, never mind.

[Jar11591]

I’ve noticed this with smallmouth very frequently, and I’ve even had 4 or 5 smallmouth chase a hooked one right to the boat. Interestingly, it doesn’t seem as though the fish in pursuit are any easier to catch if you drop another bait in front of them, in my experience anyway. 

 

I havent noticed this behavior with largemouth very frequently, but I have caught 2 bass at the same time on a topwater lure and I suspect that the second fish got hooked trying to take the bait from the first one. 

 

There is one lake though, that I fish occasionally, where the largemouth do this very frequently. 1 or 2 will chase a hooked one to the boat. This is the only lake I’ve seen largemouth exhibit this behavior. Worth noting about this particular lake, it’s also the only body of water I’ve fished that the largemouth also behave somewhat like northern pike, by following baits right to the boat, attacking or swiping at it right before it gets lifted out of the water.  

[WRB]

Predator behavior. In the animal world only the strongest survive, if a bass acts weak or behaves strangely it's fair game.

Tom

[Dwight Hottle]

On 7/7/2018 at 7:24 AM, Pickle_Power said:

Sometimes if the hooked bass is small and the follower is big, their feeding instincts may kick in.

 

What I think it is, at least sometimes, is what's called kleptoparasitism.  That's the term for when a fish tries to steal another fish's meal once the meal is injured/subdued.  Pike do this a lot.

So do lake trout. I once saw a giant laker well over 50 lbs try to take a large orange jig head tipped with a white reeper tail from a 15lb laker that I had hooked. At first we thought the big trout was going to eat the the smaller trout but she was posturing up close to the other trout's nose trying to get that jig away from it. She definately wanted the bait. The big trout could have eaten the 15lb trout without any problem. 

[Brew City Bass]

As WRB said, INSTINCT. 

I don't think they know what's going on and are like "Oh crap, Billy is hooked!". I bet they think more along the lines of "Billy is getting food, I wan't food, follow".

My friend has a pond and we throw crawfish and all other kinds of meals in for the bass and they will legit fight over it. They will T-bone each other to get it first. I'd imagine it's the same when there's a lure hanging out of a bass's mouth.

 

[TnRiver46]

Sometimes the following fish is eating what the hooked fish vomits up 

[OCdockskipper]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

Sometimes the following fish is eating what the hooked fish vomits up 

I have a dog that does that...

[the reel ess]

Ever notice how it looks when you reel in a bass on a spinnerbait or a soft plastic where the bait has slipped up the line? It looks like the bass is chasing a meal. It looks that way to other fish as well. If they're really turned on, they're competing for a finite volume of prey so they go after what they see; the same reason people catch doubles on lures with multiple hooks. Their brains are too small to understand the whole experience for the other hooked bass is not a pleasant one.

[Koz]

On 7/7/2018 at 6:31 AM, th365thli said:

Or are they just laughing at their buddy?

 

Of course they are laughing. They're known to be Bass-tards.

[Tennessee Boy]

On 7/7/2018 at 8:41 AM, reason said:

Pier pressure (at least around docks)...

You get the funnest post of the day award?

[soflabasser]

Have caught 3 bass at the same time on a jerkbait and many times 2 bass at the same time on a jerkbait, crankbait or popper. These bass where in clear water and where most likely competing to eat the lure.

[LionHeart]

Hold on Frank, I'll help you.  Guys we gotta help Frank...... Frank?

[geo g]

On 7/7/2018 at 6:31 AM, th365thli said:

Pretty simple question.

 

When fishing clear water and I hook a fish, I often notice other bass follow a struggling bass that I hooked. They go from not giving a crap about anything to very interested. Are they just curious or are they looking at the struggling bass as food? Or are they just laughing at their buddy?

 

 

It all about food!

[.ghoti.]

For the same reason people follow a fire truck. They can't help themselves.