Releasing Fish Post-Tournament

[HunterLake]

A couple of questions here concerning the release of bass after a tournament.....

1) When spawning female fish are caught and released after weigh-in in a completely new location, does it not have an impact on the spawning process by taking them away from their beds? Do they find new areas to bed? Somehow miraculously make it back to the bed they were on? What?

2) Does FLW or BASS release all of their fish in the same location at the same time? As big as these tournaments are, it seems like the releasing location would be a prime spot to catch a huge mess of fish for weeks following the tournament. If so, are these locations disclosed to the public?

Thanks

[Flukeman]

I do not know about your neck of the woods. I live on a lake in New York and get to watch the bass spawn along my shoreline. The females never seem to stay very long after dropping their eggs, the males lock on pretty quickly. That's just what I have witnessed, small lake no tournaments.

When BASS was on Oneida Lake here in New York, they had release boats that took the fish out to several deep locations and released them.

[fishfordollars]

It's no secret where they release them. they pick the spot, motor out, and drop the bottom out of the catch and release boat.

[Catt]

Empirical Research (direct observation) indicates that the male bass builds the nest, fans it out and guards it (zealously). Generally, a good male that is aggressive and active will attract more than one female to his nest and spawn with each of them. Along with that, an active female will spawn a number of times and, in most cases, in a number of different males' nests. She moves down the shoreline making it with different males. The male sits in one spot and waits for more females to come by. I think that is sort of a hedge (on the part of the female) against an infertile male spoiling the hatch of a good fertile female. So she spread her eggs around and he spreads his fertility around. That ensures a higher success rate for that spawn.

That is important knowledge for fishermen, because most people think that once the female leaves the bed, only the male is left. It is true that the female only guards the nest for a short time before moving away, but other females will come to that nest. The other thing to keep in mind is that this isn't a long, drawn-out process. Once the water reaches the upper 60 degrees, which is ideal, it only takes about three or four days for the eggs to hatch. I think the male will spend about six weeks on the beds as the females rotate through, but the whole spawning season happens over three full moons, bringing a new wave of spawning with get full moon period.

It is this sporadic purging of eggs and the ability to spawn with different males on several nests that keeps the annual spring bedding season from being severely impacted by large tournaments. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Clarence Bowling says studies have shown that a female (when handled properly) will simply locate a bed and an available male in the area where she is released and complete spawning.

Quote: Ken Cook, a former Oklahoma fisheries biologist

[Flukeman]

Thanks Catt, of course I can't tell which male or female I am seeing from the bank, but that explains my observations. Great info for us curious types.

[HunterLake]

Thanks for clearing that up, guys.

[Matt Fly]

Unless tracking devices were attatched to females, there is no way knowing what they do when caught and transported.

      We can all speculate which isn't telling what really happens.   You can't say a bass dies if you don't see bass floating.   What some call post mortality in Texas could be a decline in numbers due to Mexico's gill netting on the borders, too many factors that we don't get to see the results from.   How many DD bass die in gill nets?   Who knows?   But its easier to blame tournament fishermen.

    No one knows how far the female was along in her cycle when she was caught, how she was handled, how many times she's been caught prior, so how much stress that bass has went through prior is unknown factor.

    Too many factors that are unknowns to accurates guess. 

    I do know that the two tagged SAL's on Toledo Bend in 1997 that was honored by La was caught prior to spawn, and was released some 20+ miles from where they were caught.      

       About one month later, both were caught a second time that year, both were only miles from home.

    One bass was caught in Six mile and released above the hwy 6 birdge on the LA side.   Thats a 20 mile swim to get home for the spawn.

    Seems to me, that big girls are territorial and will spawn in the same areas if conditions don't change.

Nope, these girls weren't caught in a tournament, but did make long boat rides and sure remembered where home was.   

[RobbyZ5001]

I am fairly sure that there is documentation showing that females spawn close to the same area yearly.

There is also documentation of how far smallmouth and largemouth bass travel on average post release. Smallmouth travel much further, I wish I could remember the numbers. I think Smallmouths traveled on average around 7km and largemouth around 5km. The study I am referring to was done in an Alabama lake.

[RobbyZ5001]

Matt just one more comment on something you stated already.

Thats a 20 mile swim to get home for the spawn.

Seems to me, that big girls are territorial and will spawn in the same areas if conditions don't change.

Nope, these girls weren't caught in a tournament, but did make long boat rides and sure remembered where home was.

I could be wrong, but traveling that distance prior to spawn I believe would cause stress to the female and probably will have less of an upcoming age class. If there is a negative effect this would be less genetically "right" fish in the population the following year. These are more of common sense assumptions, but just something to think about.

Of course there are sooo many larger problems going on these small issues would never raise an eyebrow.

[Flukeman]

I remember a handful of years ago watching a Bassmaster show where they electronically tagged a fish and followed her movements and showed her path of return on one of there shows. I can't remember how long it took her to get back, but do remember I was amazed how far she had gone back just in a weeks time.

[Catt]

Both bass Matt is refering to had spawned while on the way home

[Bassn Blvd]

Empirical Research (direct observation) indicates that the male bass builds the nest, fans it out and guards it (zealously). Generally, a good male that is aggressive and active will attract more than one female to his nest and spawn with each of them. Along with that, an active female will spawn a number of times and, in most cases, in a number of different males' nests. She moves down the shoreline making it with different males. The male sits in one spot and waits for more females to come by. I think that is sort of a hedge (on the part of the female) against an infertile male spoiling the hatch of a good fertile female. So she spread her eggs around and he spreads his fertility around. That ensures a higher success rate for that spawn.

Such TRAMPS they are. 

[SkeetyCCTX]

This is a touchy subject with alot of tourny anglers, as is anytime you question the impact of tournys on fish!  For some reason tourny anglers as a whole are very defensive about these issues and like to think that there are no negitive effects whatsoever on bass due to the stress that tournys place on them!

Before I give my opinion, I would just like to clarify a few things.  I am an avid tourny angler!  I am not trying to bash anyone in particular!  I do not think that tournys are evil or that they complety destroy fisheries.  I am just giving an opinion that I truely believe is honest!

I think that there is definately an impact on fish that are taken from their beds.  How could there not be.  We are interupting the process and putting a lot of stress on them.  If I am in bed with my wife, and a giant monster pulls me off and shakes me around in a small box for several hours, you can bet that I am not going to be in the same frisky mood I was in before the disruption!

Also, when fish are pulled off a bed and it is left un-attended, predators will come in and clean it out.  Now nature has adapted bass to make alot of eggs to account for predation, but this is only in the natural setting.  Nature does not account for humans to be pulling bass off beds and leaving them ungaurded!

Also, a big female may die because of the stress before she gets a chance to drop the eggs!

So, yes catching fish during this time does have some negitive effects on their natural reproduction process.

However, I am not saying that it does massive damage on a large scale.  Thankfully, there are people smart enough to understand that there must be some checks and balances and that we must do something to make up for what we have taken out.  This is why certain lakes get restocked every year, this is why many anglers promote quick catch and release, this is why we have laws and regs regarding fishing, this is why it is necessary for us all to practice good ethics out on the water!

So yes, it has an impact on the individual fish.  However, large scale effects are minimized due to corrective messures!

[Incheon Basser]

First off, they are just fish.

Second, thats why all big lakes have lake managment teams. They with the help of anglers following the rules of each lake keep Bass populations on the rise.

Third whats the point of having lots of bass in the lake if you can't catch them?

[garland7]

Great post Catt! Keep in mind the male usually does the guarding, but lots of females are caught during the spawn because the male has been removed from the nest. As for local tournaments, most fish are released at the lunch ( and yes, a healthy fish will find a home ). Bigger tournaments have catch and release boats, some dump all at once, some different area's.