Largemouth released on open Erie

[thetr20one]

I have a question maybe somebody can answer. When I fish Erie we usually start in the bays and get a limit of largemouth to at least have a limit. Then we go out to the big lake to upgrade with smallies. My question is when we release the largemouth into the open water do they find their way back to the bay or stay out in the open wandering around until they find suitable habitat? We have done this many times and never thought anything about it. But now I am wondering if we are sentencing the largies to death. I have caught some very large Largemouth around the islands where you would not expect to catch them. Anybody have any thoughts?

[Bassaholic84]

Im not positive but i think they can find their way back.  I read that the adults usually spawn in the same areas so they can find their way back to that spot every year.  Again im not sure but bass constantly will hide in the deeps and feed in the shallows and return back to the same spot.  I guess it would depend how far you are talking

[Mattlures]

I have read articles that have tracked released tourny bass and some travled over a mile to go back"home". Either way the LMB is pretty adaptive so it aint just going to die. I am prety sure they will be fine.

[Pigsticker]

I think if you put the bass in a basket and anchor it in the water, then mark the spot in your gps they will stay alive for a couple days or til your next tournement ;D

[MARSH MASTER]

I think if you put the bass in a basket and anchor it in the water, then mark the spot in your gps they will stay alive for a couple days or til your next tournement ;D

I'm not fishing in the same tourny as this guy

[Pigsticker]

j/k but good thing I do not fish many tournaments  ;D

[thetr20one]

I think if you put the bass in a basket and anchor it in the water, then mark the spot in your gps they will stay alive for a couple days or til your next tournement ;D

I'm not fishing in the same tourny as this guy

I don' get this? Would this be some sort of cheating reference? If it is! I would love for one of you to tag along and get a look at what catching 30 to 50 4lb+ bass a day looks like. Have you ever culled 5 pound smallies? I highly doubt it! I am the last person on this planet that would cheat on anything. The reason I asked the question was we have released bass more than 5 miles away from the harbor and assumed they would find their way back but, I wasn't sure if thier homing instinct was great enough. It would be like blinfolding you and dropping you off in the middle of some random forest counties away.

[sofakingbigbass]

bass are smarter than humans...hahaha...in terms of survival...how about when you transplant fish to another body of water which some people regularly do...they survive...hence smallies now in my LMB lake up the street (not that i mind)

[thetr20one]

It's the same body of water just a totally different environment.

[fishbear]

I think if you put the bass in a basket and anchor it in the water, then mark the spot in your gps they will stay alive for a couple days or til your next tournement ;D

I'm not fishing in the same tourny as this guy

I don' get this? Would this be some sort of cheating reference? If it is! I would love for one of you to tag along and get a look at what catching 30 to 50 4lb+ bass a day looks like. Have you ever culled 5 pound smallies? I highly doubt it! I am the last person on this planet that would cheat on anything. The reason I asked the question was we have released bass more than 5 miles away from the harbor and assumed they would find their way back but, I wasn't sure if thier homing instinct was great enough. It would be like blinfolding you and dropping you off in the middle of some random forest counties away.

Do not think it was meant as anything that drastic, I think what the person was saying, is that if you did do what they said, the fish would still be alive, even way out on the open water.  That being said, being a tx. angler myself those comments will cause a raucous response from many people.  Because we all know of someone who has done something like this to try and cheat for a victory.

LMB are very adaptable and will even find their way home.  Those fish you are releasing out on open water, will find structure, and food, so no worries about releasing them.

[MALTESE FALCON]

On one of Kim Stricker's shows (Hook  n Look) he caught a spawning smallmouth, then he drove the boat for a couple miles and released the fish. Within about twenty minutes the fish was back on the nest. It was all documented on film.

I've also done the same thing as you, here on St. Clair. I think they will be fine.

Falcon

[thetr20one]

I think if you put the bass in a basket and anchor it in the water, then mark the spot in your gps they will stay alive for a couple days or til your next tournement ;D

I'm not fishing in the same tourny as this guy

I don' get this? Would this be some sort of cheating reference? If it is! I would love for one of you to tag along and get a look at what catching 30 to 50 4lb+ bass a day looks like. Have you ever culled 5 pound smallies? I highly doubt it! I am the last person on this planet that would cheat on anything. The reason I asked the question was we have released bass more than 5 miles away from the harbor and assumed they would find their way back but, I wasn't sure if thier homing instinct was great enough. It would be like blinfolding you and dropping you off in the middle of some random forest counties away.

Do not think it was meant as anything that drastic, I think what the person was saying, is that if you did do what they said, the fish would still be alive, even way out on the open water. That being said, being a tx. angler myself those comments will cause a raucous response from many people. Because we all know of someone who has done something like this to try and cheat for a victory.

LMB are very adaptable and will even find their way home. Those fish you are releasing out on open water, will find structure, and food, so no worries about releasing them.

I am truly sorry Marsh Master!!! I thought that was directed at me. I am just the type of guy who would rather try hard and fail miserably than cheat and win!! And Falcon I have met Kim Stricker and seen alot of his footage. He is a real nice guy and has some really incredible film !

[fourbizz]

I have a buddy who stuck an 11lber, drove 2 miles across the main body of the lake (200+ft deep) to have someone take a picture for him. Not wanting the fish to endure another long boat ride in the livewell, he released it where he took the picture. 3 weeks later, he caught her again, in the exact same spot he caught her in before. So she quickly found her way back across very deep water to her home area.

[shorefisher]

I don' get this? Would this be some sort of cheating reference? If it is! I would love for one of you to tag along and get a look at what catching 30 to 50 4lb+ bass a day looks like. Have you ever culled 5 pound smallies?

50 4lb+ fish?  Dude you have to take me fishing sometime !

[JShrock07]

This subject has gotten a lot of mileage but here is a link to the last thread.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1218561801/3#3

[bassnleo]

Here's what's going on around Erie PA!

I fished a tournament on the main lake a few weeks ago. I have a few areas for shallow smallies so I hit them. I didn't catch smallies but did catch and see several largemouths, almost all keeper size (15 inches here).

I have also caught BIG largemouth out deeper while fishing for smallmouth. Some of the largemouths were in the 4 lb class.

An Erie resident whom fishes in our club also reports catching largemouth regularly in deeper places (up to 30 fow) while targeting smallmouth.

My opinion.......some may make their way back. I also think that some are staying in the main lake. If there is plenty of food and the right structure/cover I see no reason why they would not thrive in the same haunts as their brown cousin. Largemouth are highly adapatible, just look at all the variety of bodies of water we report catching them in.

I hope they take a good foothold on the main lake, that would be pretty cool IMHO.

[ww2farmer]

Maybe a little OT, but as some one who also fishes Lake Erie, out of Buffalo, so iit might be a bit differeant than where you guys are, but WHY would you even bother with catching LM in the first place??  :-?

If your culling 5lb SM do you think you really needed to get a "quick" limit of LM? I know the weather can turn on a dime out there, has happened to me more than once, but I have never thought/wanted/or needed to bother getting a limit of small LM, they will NEVER do you any good (at least in Buffalo) when 20lb bags of SM are the rule.

[red team rn]

Over the past few years , I have been catching quite a few lmb between the cribs and shades in shallow water. the color of the plastic I use seems to make the difference, I have never caught largemouths on the colors Iuse for smallies.

[roadwarrior]

Maybe a little OT, but as some one who also fishes Lake Erie, out of Buffalo, so iit might be a bit differeant than where you guys are, but WHY would you even bother with catching LM in the first place?? :-?

If your culling 5lb SM do you think you really needed to get a "quick" limit of LM? I know the weather can turn on a dime out there, has happened to me more than once, but I have never thought/wanted/or needed to bother getting a limit of small LM, they will NEVER do you any good (at least in Buffalo) when 20lb bags of SM are the rule.

Man, I'm with you! Why anyone would waste time fishing

for green fish when smallmouth are an option is a mystery

to me.

:

[Tokyo Tony]

I think if you put the bass in a basket and anchor it in the water, then mark the spot in your gps they will stay alive for a couple days or til your next tournement ;D

I'm not fishing in the same tourny as this guy

I don' get this? Would this be some sort of cheating reference? If it is! I would love for one of you to tag along and get a look at what catching 30 to 50 4lb+ bass a day looks like. Have you ever culled 5 pound smallies? I highly doubt it! I am the last person on this planet that would cheat on anything. The reason I asked the question was we have released bass more than 5 miles away from the harbor and assumed they would find their way back but, I wasn't sure if thier homing instinct was great enough. It would be like blinfolding you and dropping you off in the middle of some random forest counties away.

Do not think it was meant as anything that drastic, I think what the person was saying, is that if you did do what they said, the fish would still be alive, even way out on the open water. That being said, being a tx. angler myself those comments will cause a raucous response from many people. Because we all know of someone who has done something like this to try and cheat for a victory.

LMB are very adaptable and will even find their way home. Those fish you are releasing out on open water, will find structure, and food, so no worries about releasing them.

I am truly sorry Marsh Master!!! I thought that was directed at me. I am just the type of guy who would rather try hard and fail miserably than cheat and win!! And Falcon I have met Kim Stricker and seen alot of his footage. He is a real nice guy and has some really incredible film !

You think that's impressive? I've had 40-60 fish days, culling 6 lb smallmouth. I've released largemouth more than 6 miles away from harbor, and you may know Kim Stricker, but I know Jimmy Houston and basically everyone else who's famous.  

[Hooked_On_Bass]

^ ^

[UPS VT]

I have just been discussing this subject with a fisheries biologist with out state F&W dept.  He said that LMB will move until they find suitable habitat, up to 5-7 miles.  He also stated that SMB wil return to their home range.  They will travel 10-12 miles a day up to about 100 miles to get back.

[bassnleo]

Maybe a little OT, but as some one who also fishes Lake Erie, out of Buffalo, so iit might be a bit differeant than where you guys are, but WHY would you even bother with catching LM in the first place?? :-?

If your culling 5lb SM do you think you really needed to get a "quick" limit of LM? I know the weather can turn on a dime out there, has happened to me more than once, but I have never thought/wanted/or needed to bother getting a limit of small LM, they will NEVER do you any good (at least in Buffalo) when 20lb bags of SM are the rule.

Man, I'm with you! Why anyone would waste time fishing

for green fish when smallmouth are an option is a mystery

to me.

:

If the lake is forecasted to be fishable then I agree. In the Erie area it's not uncommon for the lake to be too rough to take a bass boat out so largies in the bay may be your only option. I've also seen times where the lake was unfishable in the morning and by afternoon it has laid down so out you go to cull the largies you caught in the bay.

That lake is so unpredictable at times ya just never know.

[thetr20one]

Maybe a little OT, but as some one who also fishes Lake Erie, out of Buffalo, so iit might be a bit differeant than where you guys are, but WHY would you even bother with catching LM in the first place?? :-?

If your culling 5lb SM do you think you really needed to get a "quick" limit of LM? I know the weather can turn on a dime out there, has happened to me more than once, but I have never thought/wanted/or needed to bother getting a limit of small LM, they will NEVER do you any good (at least in Buffalo) when 20lb bags of SM are the rule.

Man, I'm with you! Why anyone would waste time fishing

for green fish when smallmouth are an option is a mystery

to me.

:

If the lake is forecasted to be fishable then I agree. In the Erie area it's not uncommon for the lake to be too rough to take a bass boat out so largies in the bay may be your only option. I've also seen times where the lake was unfishable in the morning and by afternoon it has laid down so out you go to cull the largies you caught in the bay.

That lake is so unpredictable at times ya just never know.

Exactly, When the Forecast is 3-5 feet or less I am fine with that but, when there is a small craft advisory and the waves are rolling over the breakwalls, common sense tells you to try and let the lake settle awhile. It's not hard to pick up a limit of LM in an hour or less somtimes and the smallies can come just as fast, if not faster. I got caught in a storm in 8-10 footers once and that is not fun fishing believe me(over an hour to go 3 miles). When the guys were enjoying themselves at the Elite series event out of Buffalo with 1-3s we got 5+s out of Sandusky. The majority of the fish weighed in that day were largemouth. And Tokyo Tony I don't personally know Stricker but, I have been to many events where he was speaking and showing his videos and having Q&A sessions.  

[SenkoShawn]

I think if you put the bass in a basket and anchor it in the water, then mark the spot in your gps they will stay alive for a couple days or til your next tournement ;D

I'm not fishing in the same tourny as this guy

lmfao that makes 2 of us hes probally someone who really does this lol