Do fish go back "home" after being released?

[spoon33]

My buddy and I were talking about this on the lake yesterday, and was wondering if there is an answer to this.  After fish are weighed in at the ramp, or taken a few miles away from where they were they caught, do they make it back there?

We didn't think they did, because a few miles is a long way to swim, and also how would the fish know exactly where to go?  Anyone know for sure about this??

On a side note, new to this board and have learned lots of new things I didn't know after fishing for many years.  Appreciate everyones input.

[CJ]

Studies have shown they do. Even if they are weighed in several miles from where they were caught.

With that said, I don't think they do in some situations. I believe large river resevoirs that involve higher current flow is an exception. One club on Ky. Lake tagged some fish for this study. They found that all the tagged fish that were caught again, were caught downsteam from where they were released.

[BassinAssassin171]

Bass don't always necessarily have a "home."  Depending on the season, conditions, and even, according to recent studies, the personality of the fish.  Some fish wander while others choose to stay in familiar waters.  A bass will usually return to its general area of preferance, but it takes a long time for the bass to get reoriented and find its way back.  It takes about 20 minutes for a bass that was pulled off a spot by a lure (following and not striking) to give up and return to the spot, so you can imagine what it might take to return after being released

[flippinbaits]

i also feel that they usually try to make it back to the general region...although i feel that during the spawn, they will seek out a bed that they feel is suffice

[Randall]

I can't say they all do but some do. There is a fish in the left hand of the guys in both photos below. It is the same fish since the lateral line markings are the same (see the photo on the bottom) and no two fish have the same markings. The fish was caught in exactly the same spot. The photo on the left was taken a year before the photo on the right at a tournament where the fish was released at a boat ramp around two miles away from where it was caught. One year later the guy on the right caught the fish in exactly the same spot where the guys on the left caught it. The fish left the ramp made a right turn up a creek arm and swam back to be caught again. I have caught this fish eight times always on the same spot except once when it was spawning. First time I noticed that I caught the fish it was five pounds now it is huge. I also have had buddys like the ones in the photos who have caught the same fish on the same spot but released it each time. The fish lives there and knows how to get back home.

[Catt]

I know of 2 DD bass on Toledo Bend that were caught in the Housen'/Six Mile area then weighted in at Toledo Tackle and released at Pendleton Bridge which is about 20-25 miles. Both bass were caught again in the Housen'/Six Mile area and weighted in at Toledo Tackle again.

[FR0G]

I think bass know their way around the lake they live in. I don't think they are that dumb.

[martijw]

Id like to think that they have an idea of where "home" is.  However, some are probably a lot better than others at it.  My example for bass being smarter than we give them credit for is the bass that follows your lure and can distinguish real from fake and doesnt take it.  Anything that can do that surely should be given some type of "smart" credit.

[Matt Fly]

I know of 2 bass on Toledo Bend that were caught in the Housen'/Six Mile area then weighted in at Toledo Tackle and released at Pendleton Bridge which is about 20-25 miles. Both bass were caught again in the Housen'/Six Mile area and weighted in at Toledo Tackle again.

That year was 1997, the first year I fished Cypress Park.      The two fish that were caught were tagged and released.

Those fish swam over 20 miles to get back home, one of them did it in two weeks.     Those fish knew were there home waters was and knew where she wanted to spawn.      I don't see why not, animals all have instinct, migratory birds manage to fly to the same spots every year,  wild animals make the same migration routes every year, and lots of fish migrate up streams that require 100's of miles of travel to reach sqawning streams.      Why think not when evidence all around shows that most species migrate every year.

[MALTESE FALCON]

Last month on "Hook n Look", Kim Stricker and his son caught a smallmouth off it's bed and took it a few miles from the spot. When they released it they followed it with the camera rolling and followed it right to the very bed it was caught.

Falcon

[fishizzle]

I'm just saying that I've heard conficting reports over the years like only 25% go back 50% go halfway and 25% stay near the release spot.

I'm just sayin'.

[surfer]

What about taking them through small canals or lochs?

Lake Conway tournament has been transporting fish from the middle lake to the north lake for weigh in and release for more than a decade.  The canal is one boat wide and 2 ft deep and about a half mile long.  How many fish out of the chain could possibly know where the canal leads to?  They would have to explore a minimum or 1.5 miles of shoreline to find the canal if they took the shortest rout and about 4 miles if they took the longer rout.

I would think a fair portion of these fish make the north lake their new home.

[bedman]

I've heard people talk about catching "release" fish before.  They will fish places where fish were weighed in the day before or earlier in the day.  They will fish any points or structure within a few hundred yards of the weigh-in location.  I have never heard of anyone catching a nice limit doing this, but is it plausible?

[Catt]

I firmly believe some bass will stay in the immediate release area and some bass will return to where they were caught. I've won many a tournament during tough bite conditions by fishing the boat docks around Fin-&-Feather Marina a release spot for local tournaments.