Fishing Bedding Bass

[BassChaser57]

I don't want to start a firestorm but want to sample the opinions of anglers.

Just curious what the differences are in hunting rutting deer and bedding bass?

[lowe160]

It is really not the same as hunting rutting deer but more like shooting deer in a pen. JMHO

Wayne

[Grey Wolf]

I don't want to start a firestorm but want to sample the opinions of anglers.

Just curious what the differences are in hunting rutting deer and bedding bass?

Don't do either one.

[Guest muddy]

I voted not much. I have the patience of a lit fuse. I was amazed at the Fork Trip, watching all the more experienced guys work a single bed for much longer than I could ever imagined. It is a very good way to catch hogs, I need more experience at this.

[Raul]

I don't want to start a firestorm but want to sample the opinions of anglers.

Just curious what the differences are in hunting rutting deer and bedding bass?

Deer die for shure, bass may or may not. You can 't practice C&R in hunting.

[BassChaser57]

I love to fish for spawning bass with a QUICK photo and release. Watching them interact with the lure gets my motor running.

[smallieking]

yea i catch and release  PA has rules protecting spawning bass  you can fish for them but its a immediate catch and release with no tournaments permitted so thats one thing i really like  

[.dsaavedra.]

i get excited to fish the spawn!

its so fun and a great way to catch a biggun!

but like others have said i do a quick measurement, a few photos, and back in the water she goes.

[Pigsticker]

I actually have never sight fished because i just havent been on a lake where you can see them. I fishin the spring it is my favorite time to fish along with late summer. I wouldnt be opposed to fishing a bed for catch and release as long as when you practice "catch and release" you do not mess the girl up.

On another note you did not mention anything about blind casting for spawning bass in dark/turbulent waters because i do that all time.

That takes luck plus experience to know where the beds are at.

Oh and there is catch and release hunting for Rhinos(a rhino)

[Crestliner2008]

I just don't do it. Never had a need. All bass do not spawn at the same time. Some are in pre-spawn; some are in spawn; some are in post spawn. There are enough fish to be had, which are not on a bed, to target, without disturbing our future.

[bassdocktor]

I guess my thought on this topic is that we don't see a large number of the spawners. From what I've read and been told by some people who have studied bass spawning for many years we number we see spawn is very small.

If you release them quickly and back to the same spot all should be good. Yes some people feel that predators can get the eggs during the time the bass is gone. But, that is one of the reason they produce so many eggs because of the survial rate.

[HesterIsGod]

I don't want to start a firestorm but want to sample the opinions of anglers.

Just curious what the differences are in hunting rutting deer and bedding bass?

Deer die for shure, bass may or may not. You can 't practice C&R in hunting.

Very true. Unlike in hunting, in bass fishing you can have your trophy and release it too

[Ballpark Frank]

I have never targeted bedding bass specifically, but have caught several that were spawning. I just don't have the patience. I always do a quick release anyway, usually use the pliers with them still in the water(it's easy in a kayak). I only take pics if they are "worthy" and if I remember my camera. Now bedding bluegill are another story .

[garry77]

I'll throw to a bedded bass every once in awhile.Like basschaser said I like to watch them react to the lure.If it doesn't hit my first few offerings I move on.

   I'm sure that all of us have caught bedded bass that we haven't seen whether we like to catch them off te bed or not.JMHO.

[grimlin]

I perfer to leave them alone.

[Fish Chris]

Just one thing I'd ask you to consider; At many places in the country (most especially in the warmer climates) over-recruitment {and reverse selective harvest of the largest fish}, leading to lots of smaller fish, and not too many big ones, is much more of a problem than under-recruitement (especially from a trophy anglers standpoint).

So to agree with what you said > "Yes, bed fishing might be affecting our fishing future"..... > for the better ! (although every fishery is different, and should be treated accordingly).

I LOVE bed-fishing :-)  Can't wait !

Peace,

Fish

[Fish Chris]

> I'm sure that all of us have caught bedded bass that we haven't seen whether we like to catch them off te bed or not.JMHO. <

Very good point ! In fact, I plan to do some "blind" sight-fishing here shortly, in an area that I know 15 to 17 lb'ers to spawn..... but in which the water is way too murky to actually see so much as a shadow of them :-) Wish me luck.

Peace,

Fish

[fishnaddiction]

wow there are alot of hypocriates  anyone that fishes during the spawning season is fishing spawning bass    u might not be targeting beds but if your blind casting chances are  u are going to drag the bait over a bed and catch a bass  and if u see a gaint on a bed   i dont care who u are  u are going to fish for it    the only people who say they dont fish for spawning fish are people that are staying home during the season

[brgbassmaster]

This is a touchy subject, but i belive  someone that says no they would never fish for bedding bass. what happens when they come up on a 6or 7ber on a bed and they are in a tournament? im pretty sure those guys would throw a line to that bass if it meant being in the money.

[Paul Roberts]

Some studies have shown that it takes very few successful nests to make a strong year class and that other factors cause poor year class success. Some northern studies though have indicated that bed fishing is very deleterious to potential hatch years. I have a friend who is a fisheries biologist in NY and he says he's has seen some serious impacts on smallmouths in the St. Lawrence River from bed fishing for males.

From what I've read, in some of the big productive reservoirs in the south, bed fishing may not be as potentially deleterious as it in northern natural lakes, or in small waters I fish.

For myself, I've chosen against fishing for male bass on beds for a several reasons:

YOY bass are important food for larger bass I've seen this myself. If it were to be a good survival year for young bass then I see that surplus of young bass as a boon for larger bass. Food availability is often a limiting factor for bass growth.

In the small waters I fish I'd rather have more fish contributing to the populations than just the few that happened to be lucky or less accessible to anglers.

Male bass have a hell of a long arduous job. It is possible to be merciless with vulnerable males, and it seems many people are on the public waters I fish. I've too often seen males caught repeatedly, to exhaustion. Most male bass I see or catch have hook wounds, damaged jaws, even hooks or lures left in them. I personally do not want to participate. I leave bedding males be.

I will fish for females though. They are much less vulnerable to repeated capture than males, being generally less pugnacious. They can be especially tough to catch when actually dropping eggs, but I leave these fish be regardless. Females don't hang out for a month guarding eggs and then fry either at least in the north where I fish. I am careful not to re-catch the same females repeatedly and if I see ones that look worn I leave them be, regardless of size. Since I fish small waters I can generally find such fish earlier and later in the year. I do a lot of observing during the spawn, a great time to assess a water's potential for bigger fish.

This is a touchy subject, but i belive  someone that says no they would never fish for bedding bass. what happens when they come up on a 6or 7ber on a bed and they are in a tournament? im pretty sure those guys would throw a line to that bass if it meant being in the money.

For myself, I don't wrestle anymore with the ethical issue of whether my beliefs can hold up when money, or more accurately, ego, is on the line. I don't NEED a quick limit, or a kicker. I work within the ethical and sporting limits I've set for myself. This works best for me. Every impulsive thing I've ever done has left whatever victory I had, hollow.

[Ifish4keeps]

on one episode of "Hook 'n Look" they were catching spawning Smallies and they wanted to see what would happen if you released the fish far away from where they caught it (the bed) and they followed the smallie as it went a few hundred yards all the way back to the same bed that it was on, so this shows that it really doesnt matter if you release the fish a couple hundred yards away.

But for me i would never put a spawning bass in the livewell, that would just be awful, so i really dont worry about releasing it that quick.

[Catt]

There is a healthy philosophical debate that continues over the entire realm of bed fishing. It should be emphasized, however, that there is volumes of documented proof that bedding females can be caught and released without interrupting the spawning process or damaging its ability to release its eggs. Often, a female or male bass that is caught, handled carefully and then released will return immediately to their nest.

Anglers like Grigsby and Hibdon, who seem to have the magical touch during bedding season, continually stress the importance of carefully returning the big female spawners to the water for two reasons to enable it to pass on those magnificent genetic traits to future generations; and it takes a long time for another bass to grow to that length (thereby robbing a fellow fisherman of the chance of encountering a trophy bass).

But you should take that a step farther, says Hibdon, the father of shallow-water sight fishing. If you put a filet knife to a big bass in the fall, you are just as guilty of removing a spawner from the population as you would be in the spring.

Most anglers don't understand the importance of releasing the smaller male bass as well. In the spawning scenario, it is the male that shoulders most of the workload making the nest, fertilizing the eggs and then protecting both eggs and fry long after the female has left the nest. Removing a male bass is usually a death knell for its hatch of eggs or fry.

Often, it is necessary to catch the male bass before the female will move onto the bed and into a more catch able position. In that case, knowledgeable fishermen put the male in their live well, catch the female and then return both to the nest. Even in tournament situations, ethical pros release the male before taking the female to the scales.

Cook emphasizes that understanding the spawning habits of the female bass will significantly improve your chances of catching some of the biggest bass of the year. He believes that the female often moves on and off of the bed to deposit more eggs (hatchery studies support this claim). Few females drop all of their eggs at once. Instead, they expel a portion and then move off to a near by break line, bush or grass edge.

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.

GET A LOCK ON THE SPAWN: By Tim Tucker

[MALTESE FALCON]

I'm sure I've caught many spawning bass, I just don't target them.

Falcon

[ba7ss3in]

In a tourney I will target spawners but when I'm out fun fishing I want target them. If I come across one on a bed I will make a few casts to her to see if she will bite but I want spend a lot of time on her unless she is huge.

[roadwarrior]

I never intentionally fish for spawning bass. However, as many have pointed out, in many lakes (Lake Fork being a prime example), bed fishing appears to have no impact on the bass population or the health of the fishery.

8-)