I'm never bed fishing again

[MartinTheFisherman]

Hey BR,

 

I'm going to start with the best part about today... I finally made myself a bike rod rack. I decided to go bed fishing for the first time since a couple days ago I have seen some fish that where starting to make beds while I was biking. It started off as a great day with me catching a 2 ponder and a 3 pounder! Both off the same bed but they both went back to it right away. I tried to bed fish some other bass but many were still not locked on the beds. After searching for another bed I came across a 3ish and 4ish pound fish, one was on the bed guarding it from the dozens of bluegill and perch. I decided to try out this cheap swimbait that I got from ebay. HE or She HAMMERED that lure! I caught him and saw he had some like 10lb mono coming from his mouth, I tugged on it and huge jig started to come out. I immediately got my pliers and practiced the lure retrieving method through the gills. I kept him in the water reviving while I tried to get the lure out. The lure wouldn't budge. I decided I had to cut the line and just leave the lure there. I let him go and he swam off like a bullet. I waited a while to see if he went back on the bed, nothing. The other fish that was near the bed were nowhere to be found, they had vanished and left there bed. I watched as the bluegill and perch began to eat the eggs. I tried to throw the lure to keep them from eating them. I waited 15 min and the bass never went back to there bed. I honestly blame myself for interfering with the fish, is there any chance the fish will come back?? They were locked on when I first saw them. I later came back when I was returning home cause I had to go. I passed by and the bluegill and perch, and they were still eating the eggs. I want to try and come back and catch the fish if he ever comes back to get the lure out.

So I have decided to not fish on bed for the fear of the eggs being eaten.

[jbsoonerfan]

That is an ethical choice that you have decided to make, just make sure you don't try to push your ethics on others.

 

I will still bed fish.

[WRB]

Bass are prolific spawners and don't lay all thier eggs in 1 bed. Bed fishing is a decision and most of come to the conclusion not to fish in the nursery.

Tom

[Bird]

Well at least your compassionate about the fish you pursue and yes , yanking them from their beds can be a disruption. 

 

BUT on most occasions I visually see them return and resume duty......it's the game we play.

[MartinTheFisherman]

6 minutes ago, WRB said:

Bass are prolific spawners and don't lay all thier eggs in 1 bed. Bed fishing is a decision and most of come to the conclusion not to fish in the nursery.

Tom

So there is there a chance those fish will spawn again? Or come back to there original bed?

[haggard]

I tried it one season and it was fun to catch a few fish but I think bedding fish are heavily pressured easy targets so I don't see a lot of sport in that. That, coupled with the bass coming out of a slowed-down winter season it's time to let the bedding fish recover, rejuvenate and reproduce because it will be better for us, and them, in the later months. Not trying to preach, entirely opinion. You know what they say about opinions 

 

[WRB]

40 minutes ago, MartinTheFisherman said:

So there is there a chance those fish will spawn again? Or come back to there original bed?

There is a high probability the female has already layed eggs in another bed and will again, the male may not return.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

Hey look on the bright side, at least you tried to help get a jig out of a fish and they can always lay more eggs. Some of us eat fish and they certainly don’t make a nest after they are deep fried in cornmeal 

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

Good on you Martin, preserving the fishery that gives us so much is paramount in my opinion.

 

I'm not so stuck up about this that I think bed fishing should be completely avoided, but returning the fish unharmed so they can finish the job of procreation is important I believe.

 

Rant follows:

I had a couple befriend me a couple of months ago, they had once reported that they had kept a SMB that was full of eggs. So I was reluctant to stop when they flagged me down to see their latest catch a 7lb LMB that was also full of eggs. When asked what I thought of their catch, I said I thought it was a F-ing shame that the fish wasn't where it belonged. In the water.

 

All so they could mount a 7lb fish.

 

I haven't heard from these people since, Looking back I wish I had waited and brought it up with a little less emotion. I missed an opportunity to be a positive influence.

[Mike L]

1 hour ago, jbsoonerfan said:

That is an ethical choice that you have decided to make, just make sure you don't try to push your ethics on others.

 

I will still bed fish.

Ditto

 

 

 

Mike

[Hower08]

Should spawning fish be released? Probably but what makes catching a bass off a bed any different than keeping some crappies or walleyes while they are spawning. Im a multi species angler but I do fish for bass the most. Point being bass are not some rare mythical creature. They are no different than any other fish besides the fact the are one of the most adaptable fish in most of our waters. 

[mcipinkie]

Are you going to fish at all during the spawning season?

 

Whether or not you see them on the bed, you are catching spawning fish.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the perch and blue gill have just as much right to live as the bass.

 

Heck, the bass eat them.  Maybe we should kill all the bass and protect the sunnies.

 

This is the world.  This is the way it is in nature.

 

You did the right thing.  You did the best you could.  Move on !!

[frogflogger]

I don't care if you bed fish or not. I once did but years back it started bothering me - it's not about conservation for me as I frequently fan cast areas that hold bedding fish and I catch them and release them . It just no longer feels right for me so I don't -

[PhishLI]

14 hours ago, MartinTheFisherman said:

So I have decided to not fish on bed for the fear of the eggs being eaten.

All of my local spots are small ranging from 6-30 acres, and the populations are generally low. I avoid fishing the spawn, even though I'm a fully blown addict, because it's just shooting myself in the foot. Some bedding fish inevitably fall prey to various birds, turtles, and poachers. I prefer to not add to causing lost generations of fish that I might otherwise catch in the future. Also, I don't get a buzz pulling a bass off a bed. Quite the opposite. Some do. Land of the free.

[Teal]

In small community lakes or ponds, I typically dont go out there LOOKING to catch fish off a bed, the 2 major lakes here are a different story. We get decent pressure on the weekends but we also have an abundance of bass and spawning areas that are difficult for the average Joe to get to, so I dont feel like the bass population is suffering one bit.  Plus fishing the spawn and beds is great ground work for techniques that we use year round.  I say that with the mind set of these major lakes, I'd be fine following the rules if there was restrictions or requests.  And like I said, I do not carry that same mind set to smaller lakes or big ponds, especially lakes and ponds that I dont know too well... but my 2 lakes are fair game.  

 

 

[Catt]

15 hours ago, jbsoonerfan said:

That is an ethical choice that you have decided to make, just make sure you don't try to push your ethics on others.

 

I will still bed fish.

 

13 hours ago, Mike L said:

Ditto

 

 

 

Mike

 

Same here 

 

I've seen enough scientific evidence showing if the bass are quickly released the effect on the spawn is small. 

[TnRiver46]

I don’t bed fish because it takes forever to catch one haha. Now if I ever saw a big one on a bed, you’re darn right I would try it. But so far I’ve never seen that. Spotting the beds is rare on my water. There are a couple lakes where it happens but they mostly spawn out of sight near my house 

[Paul Roberts]

15 hours ago, MartinTheFisherman said:

So there is there a chance those fish will spawn again? Or come back to there original bed?

Females will lay in more than one bed. Males will most likely not re-bed, unless it is early in the process and they still have energy to do so. Males caught repeatedly (the one's unlucky enough to bed by the ramp) may not return to a bed. Once worn out, they abandon. Not all males spawn every year. Apparently, spawning takes a toll on the males. 

[Baseball 'n Bassin]

11 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I don’t bed fish because it takes forever to catch one haha. Now if I ever saw a big one on a bed, you’re darn right I would try it. But so far I’ve never seen that. Spotting the beds is rare on my water. There are a couple lakes where it happens but they mostly spawn out of sight near my house 

They spawn about a foot from the bank in my favorite dink pond. I have no clue until they bite and then I am surprised and forget 3 seconds later...

[YoTone]

over here in PA it states youre allowed to take one cast at a bedding fish. Who knows if anyone will abide by that law but I will. At least thats what I hope I'll do. 

[schplurg]

Good luck enforcing that law. Some bureaucrat actually got paid to make this up? What a complete waste of taxpayer money.

 

"Sir, you took two casts at that bedding fish"

 

"Where? I don't see any fish, too much glare"

or

"No I was casting to the one next to it which isn't actually bedding. Looks like you scared it away"

or

"That wasn't a cast I'm testing my (insert excuse here)"

or

"Was a bad cast, sorry"

or

"I didn't see any bedding fish, I was chasing one that's swimming around"

 

Finally, why is it okay to make even one cast at a bedding fish if they want it illegal? Good law!!!

[N Florida Mike]

I would have caught the fish eating the bass eggs and had a fry.

[soflabasser]

It is up to you if you want to catch a bass off a nest or not. For many it is the only way they catch PB's. I prefer to catch free range bass since it is more challenging but people can bed fish as long as it is legal where they are fishing.

[Ctjoe]

Bed fishing is like shooting fish in a barrel. Not a tough thing. They attack almost anything you throw to protect the bed. I quit that long time ago.

[Mike L]

You think so huh??

 

 

 

Mike