Creeks and Winter

[jiangtao]

I have a question about fishing creeks in the Winter. I am currently fishing a spot that is basically a small creek behind a dam that feeds into another large lake and I was wondering if the Bass might stay in the creek or go about 30-40 miles up stream into the lake it feeds into? The creek has both shallow and some nice pools that go about 10 feet deep and from what I hear the Winters aren't that bad here in NE Texas. Maybe around 30-40 degrees on average.

[senile1]

Largemouth bass do not migrate 30 - 40 miles as far as I know.  Largemouths tend to be territorial and aren't known to travel more that a quarter of a mile, at least from what I've read.  If there are largemouth bass in the creek area and the Lake is 40 miles away they will use the deepest pools in their home area.  Smallmouths will travel further but I don't think they will go 30 or 40 miles either.  If anyone knows of any new research that contradicts this, please let me know.  

[Matt Fly]

According to what was aired on Bass Saturdays and the Elite series, some of those tagged fish moved more than 3 miles over night.

Plus on Toledo Bend, they tag trophy fish submitted for the Louisana program.

Two years ago, two of the same fish where caught again within  a month if being originally caught and submitted.

Those fish were released at the Many Hwy 6 bridge some 25 plus miles were one was caught.  the other a few miles less.

One fish was caught only one mile from originally caught, that fish swam down lake to where she came from over 20 miles, the other was only 3 miles from were originally caught, both of those trophies swam over 20 miles down lake to home waters.

Less than a month, both fished basically went home,  by the way, Six mile creek was the furtherest away from Many La.    thats close to 30 miles from the inside creek that was used to release all fish.  

Matt.    

[senile1]

Matt Fly,

Do you think that Largemouths that aren't taken from their territorial waters would do this same type of migration, or do you think that only fish who have been taken away from their homes will do this?  I have heard stories of fish that were captured and released trying to return to home waters, but I have never heard of a largemouth migrating a great distance from its home waters when not taken from them.  Either way, that's quite a distance for a bass to travel, and I wasn't aware that they would go this far under any circumstances.  Thanks for the info.  

[Laggyman]

So a Bass knows it's way home??

HA! Smarter than my Dog!  ;D

[Raul]

Bass do migrate, the territoriality concept also applies under certain circumstances and during certain times of the year, if bass were "territorial only" animals then where do the big mommas go ? think of it, you catch a big fish in one location today it should be there tomorrow however very few times you catch the same animal in the same location. I think that if given the opportunity to roam around the fish will move around. I also know they are territorial and establish a home if they can 't move to another location, I 've seen it happen in small pond fish, they are limited to the size of the pond and the bigger fish take residence in the most advantageous places, you can catch them in the same location over and over again until they die or are displaced by a more agressive fish.

If the circumstances are right the fish will move many times miles from their supposedly usual hangout places, food availabilty, competition, age, size are factors that make the animal change location because the system in which they live is not static but dynamic. If the lake is conected ( fed ) to a stream or river that always has water running in it the fish will move up and down the stream or river and back and forth from the lake.