Beeswax Creek

[A-Jay]

While watching the day 1 Classic coverage Friday Night with T Sanders and M Zona, they brought in Timmy Horton for some Classic in sight and he had some interest points. One in particular that I hadn't heard or considered before.

He said that ALL the fish caught during the many many tournaments held on these lakes are released right there in Beeswax Creek. This is a standard procedure and it's been going on for years.

So do you guys think this comes into play when choosing where to fish ?

After being released, does a good portion of the bass make that area their new home?

If there is ample food and the environment there is suitable, wouldn't this area have a higher concentration of fish than the rest of the lake, considering Bass are being removed from all over the lake and being relocated in this area on a fairly regular basis ?

I would seriously consider fishing for the "Retreads" (as Timmy Horton called them) at every tournament.

A-Jay

[5bass]

It's probably quite common in the Elite Series. Those guys are under immense pressure to bring fish to the scales. I know on my home lake, some guys never go further than a 1/4 mile from the most prominent tournament/launch areas and they usually do quite well.

[A-Jay]

Makes sense to me.

A-Jay

[Paul Roberts]

There have been some studies on what happens to T released fish. Some return home. Some become wanderers. Others stay put for a time (don't remember how long the studies ran for -months anyway).

One things for certain, that area has a high bass density.

For me, it takes a little wind outta my sails.

[cart7t]

While some of those fish do stay around, remember, an area will only hold as many fish as the food source will supply. 

While some fish do stay around, studies have found that most wind up moving to other area's of the lake including the same place they were caught from. 

[David P]

I remember they did a study during one tournament shown on ESPN where they caught and tagged a few fish. They turned out to go BACK to where they were caught. I'm sure this doesn't happen with all fish, but it does happen.

Over here, some tournaments get a release boat. They fill the boat up with all the fish from the tournament, t hen drive around the river and release them at different spots.

[Paul Roberts]

While some of those fish do stay around, remember, an area will only hold as many fish as the food source will supply.

Yeah, that's a good point. Of course, during winter this may be less important.

When was the last T out of Beeswax, prior to the Classic?

[5bass]

I remember they did a study during one tournament shown on ESPN where they caught and tagged a few fish. They turned out to go BACK to where they were caught. I'm sure this doesn't happen with all fish, but it does happen.

Over here, some tournaments get a release boat. They fill the boat up with all the fish from the tournament, t hen drive around the river and release them at different spots.

This should be done at any tournament, no matter how big or small. I know thats not possible but even a small 4hr tournament with 40 boats can put 200 bass back in one cove.

I do however remember catching a bass from under a dock on a Sunday, weighing him in and catching the fish again under the same dock on Tuesday night. He traveled a LONG way in 2 days.

[powerman970]

While some of those fish do stay around, remember, an area will only hold as many fish as the food source will supply.

Yeah, that's a good point. Of course, during winter this may be less important.

When was the last T out of Beeswax, prior to the Classic?

Nearly every weekend...Sometimes more than one.  Tons of tournaments on Lay and most launch from Beeswax.  I'll be there myself next month and again in June and both are going to be large tournaments then we have the Mark's Outdoors tournament which will be several hundred boats.

[A-Jay]

For me, it takes a little wind outta my sails.

Me too. Is it a coincidence that the winning bags came from the spot where they release fish to ?

I'm going to be watching where the competitors fish this season and ask BR member who might know where the fish are released on that body of water. Someone will know. Either way, this is not discussed openly as part of any one's "Tournament Strategy".

One man's opinion, these waters should be off limits during a contest with includes the anglers at the highest level. They already fish the best lakes, at the best times and now we are bring the fish to them, and in the Super Bowl of Bass Fishing ? I'm hoping they change the rule where if a release boat is not regularly utilized on that body of water, a large portion of that area is Off Limits during the tournament.

A-Jay

[IwillChooseFreeWill]

yeah like the news story said:

(KVD) mined a large spawning flat in the back of Beeswax Creek for three days and delivered three limits that cumulatively weighed 51 pounds, 6 ounces

So he stayed close to the release area for the win...

[burleytog]

Always smart to spend some time fishing around the ramp.

[5bass]

I dont agree with fishing around marinas and known tournament launches. There's people on both sides of the argument. I have a very good friend in my club. He rarely leaves the launch area(s) and routinely weighs in limits. Personally, I think it takes away from the 'game' and even infringes on the sportsmanship aspect a little bit.

That said, the bottom line is catching fish. If the tournament directors leave the area open to fishing....what can you say? Granted, they still have to get the fish to bite and get them in the boat but if you've got a higher concentration of bass in this one area, they are easier to find and your chances are instantly better than someone leaving the area. I get it...but I dont agree with it.

[TimJ]

what if this was just a large spawning flat? the changing (for the better) weather may have been bringing in a bunch of bass at once. anyone know if this is a historical large spawning area?

personally, as long as there is no rule against it, I don't have a problem with someone fishing release areas. I did it once in a tournament but didn't know it until after the event...just thought they were really good docks! probably many more fish around than we even knew.

[jiggerpole]

Alot more tournaments are held out of Lacoosa, Paradise Point, Okomo and several others than Beeswax. So why do you not here about these places??? Kevin had the whole place to himself the first day and then on day two at least six other competitors joined him. I think this is wrong. What I do like is that Kevin out fished the other competitors that were trying to wiggle him out of this location right under there noses. He is the man!!!

[5bass]

I'm not sure what the deal was about it being a flat or what not, I was just speaking of tournament areas in general.

Was Kriet not in Beeswax all 3 days? I thought Faircloth was too but I dont know, I wasnt there.

[shootermcbob]

Just read on espn that the fish are not released at Beeswax creek, they are taken far from the launch site and released into the main river channel.

[jiggerpole]

Mark Zona was saying that KVD had alot of company / spectators but mentioned that no other competitor was their. So I assume he had it to himself the first day. I wish I could have been there.

[Paul Roberts]

Mark Zona was saying that KVD had alot of company / spectators but mentioned that no other competitor was their. So I assume he had it to himself the first day. I wish I could have been there.

As I understood it BC was one popular spot from Day 1. He was "alone" in that other anglers gave him a wide berth.

Thanks Shooter. Hope that's so.

The way the spot appeared to replenish, it sounded like a spawning area and fish were moving in from the main lake. Unless it's an amazing chunk of habitat, I doubt resident fish would produce those kinds of numbers for that several anglers. But if there was a recent tourney, and they were released there, who knows. I'd like to think that it was a large spawning flat and fish were moving into it. He just sat there yo-yoing his lipless for three days.

[5bass]

Yes, BASS takes the fish to various areas and releases them. Beeswax is a very popular torunament launch site from what everyone is saying....so if it's believed that bass stay in an area for extended periods, Beeswax could've had a high concentration of fish there from previous weeks tournaments.

[bmadd]

The way I understood it is that KVD had the back of that creek all by himself. Faircloth, Kriet, and some others fished out closer to the main river more.

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

i think the fish were mainly there because of the warmer water which in result had more grass  myself

[bmadd]

I saw that too Taylor, there were numerous reports that Beeswax Creek had the warmest water temperatures and also less color than other creeks. Apparently a healthy collection of coontail grass as well.

[Lund Explorer]

Ehgads A-Jay, south of the 45th Parallel this practice goes on all the time.  Not only with tournament fisherman but with the locals as well.  I don't know how many times I've seen a Sunday morning where a half dozen rowboats aren't sitting in front of a weigh-in site.

The other practice on some of the lakes/rivers I've fished is seeding.  The Grand River is famous for a few of the locals that will fish the entire week before a big tournament where they will release everything they catch on a sunken tree or dock.  A pair of fisherman catching up to 70+ legal bass all over the place and dropping them in one concentrated spot to me is cheating, but the tournament directors don't seem to think so.  And I got to see just how irate these guys can get when I happened to stumble on one of these spots completely by accident one day.  It seems that rule #1 for these guys is to make sure they draw a really low blast off number.

But really, the best reason to employ some kind of spread out release of T-Fish are the meat fishermen that pound these release sites just after a tournament.  100% C&R doesn't work if a bunch of these displaced bass end up swimming in hot grease a day or two later.  One club I used to fish with got a DNR permit (yeah you did need one sometimes) for a couple of anglers to load their boats up with an over-limit of fish to release back in various spots after the weigh-in.

[Paul Roberts]

I saw that too Taylor, there were numerous reports that Beeswax Creek had the warmest water temperatures and also less color than other creeks. Apparently a healthy collection of coontail grass as well.

That's a nice combination.