When will a bass bite again after being caught?

[WRB]

16 hours ago, Dan Turpin said:

Fished my first kayak tourney today. Caught my PB Smallmouth yesterday during a practice run. Went back to check out the spot and she was still there. One of the only sandy/rocky patches in the whole lake choked with weeds. Caught her again today after awhile of trying different baits. Caught what I assume was the male shortly after.

This thread is 11 years old but bass behavior hasn't changed.

Spawning bass guard their nest, they are not hunting and eating prey or your lures. Catching the same bed fish is very common.

Tom

[Boomstick]

Most people say that a bass will not bite again after feeling hook. Well I was fishing with my son and he caught a fish on a crankbait, got it halfway to the boat and it shook the hook. He cast immediately to the same spot, and it bit again.

 

So I think the answer to the question is about 5 seconds, at least in this case.

[schplurg]

I caught the same striper twice within 20 minutes in the Delta. I know this because it still had my broken off hook in it's mouth with a few inches of line tied to it. I actually only saw him the second time.

 

We were both happy about the second catch - I got my hook back and he got it out of his mouth. Was using frozen anchovies from the bank. It is possible that it was a different fish, but very unlikely I think. Same hook, same line, same spot.

[GioFromNJ]

i think it largely depends on what the season is and how aggressive they are -- if they're protecting beds and you released them back on the same bed...you could probably catch them again within an hour or less. if it's slow...good chance you might have to come back later in the day. 

 

[soflabasser]

I once caught the same bass on at least 4 different occasions and have caught other bass multiple times.

[geo g]

I know some experiments have been done on fish biting.  I’m sure the severity of the hooking makes a difference.  If it is a normal hooking then about 20 minutes they are good to go again.  I have broke off a 3 pound bass with my fluke and a #3 Gama hook.  About an hour later I passed through the same area and caught the same 3 pounder with my Gama hook and fluke still attached.

[Dan Turpin]

On ‎5‎/‎31‎/‎2020 at 11:12 AM, WRB said:

This thread is 11 years old but bass behavior hasn't changed.

Spawning bass guard their nest, they are not hunting and eating prey or your lures. Catching the same bed fish is very common.

Tom

So now after a bit more research I am thinking that these were two male smallmouth as it seems females do not hang around the nest for any period of time after they have spawned? Thinking that these were two males cruising one of the only suitable spawning habitats in the lake, either guarding nests or waiting for females?

[RoLo]

 

Around the time this thread originated, the consensus estimate for bass retention was ~20 minutes.

About 10 years later, I have no reason to add or subtract from that hypothetical duration.

Like people though, you can bet the ranch that bass forgetfulness varies significantly between individuals.

 

Roger   

[schplurg]

On 6/1/2020 at 8:30 AM, GioFromNJ said:

i think it largely depends on what the season is and how aggressive they are -- if they're protecting beds and you released them back on the same bed...you could probably catch them again within an hour or less. if it's slow...good chance you might have to come back later in the day. 

 

Not bass, but I caught the same bluegill off a bed in maybe 5 minutes. Was goofing around one day with a bunch of them fighting for beds with each other three feet off shore. I'd never seen bedding fish of any kind fighting for spots like that.

 

After releasing it the second time it would flee from my bait so I stopped messing with the 'gills at that point. But as others have said, bedding and spawning is a different situation. I antagonized that little fish into biting.

[Bazoo]

This was an interesting thread, thanks all for sharing.

 

About 20 years ago, I caught 2 catfish back to back on a Rapala Jointed Minnow. I was fishing a pond, that didn't see much if any pressure. I first thought I was snagged, but turns out I had a 6lb catfish. I released him, and within 10 minutes caught another that was identical in size and from the same spot.

 

I had a deliar with me, and I weighed them both. It read 6lb on one and just over 6lb on the other. But deliars ain't the best scale, so I always thought that one of the measurements was wonky and it was the same fish.

 

The second time around, the fish destroyed my Jointed Minnow. It hit much harder and fought twice as hard. It ripped the rear wire out of the body halfway up the tail section and ripped the line tie out of the nose by 1/4". It was quite impressive and I kept that mangled lure as a trophy until I lost it in a fire.

[Pat Brown]

Catfish and pike will eat a lure that just caught them moments after release.

 

Bass:  all over the place.  On bed you can catch a male over and over sometimes.  Sometimes a fish might bite a lure once a year if that.  Depends on the fish.

[Zcoker]

All fish will eat again. Not bass related but the shark below was caught twice by me on the same bait a year apart! I know this because when I first caught it I tagged it. It was also captured hundreds of miles away deep in the Keys! Talk about gettin around! 

 

 

[pdxfisher]

I have caught the same bass on back to back casts two times (one had a big scar on the side and the other was missing 1/2 a lip) but the best was a pickerel that I lost right at the boat. It was just sitting there so I dragged my spinnerbait in front of it and it bit it again and I landed it. I laughed with my friend that the pickerel "didn't hear no bell". I think it was PO'ed that it had come unhooked and it wanted to finish the fight.

[MAN]

I have the same story as everyone else. Caught a bass on a shiner and released him in clear water...watched him swim straight to my other shiner that was out there and take it.   

Have this happen quite often with catfish. 

[SpinLight]

At least three times in one day. Below is a copy of my reply to a similar post earlier this year:

 

"My fishing buddy and I caught the same bass three times on a Texas rig worm in the Tennessee River one day several years ago. We were both throwing the same worm. Each of us had clear, blue fluorescent line. One of us hung a bass which then ran into a log jam and broke off several yards of line.

 

We continued to fish in that area and hooked the same fish again about an hour later. The fish jumped and shook loose. We could see that he still had the extra line hanging out of his mouth from when he first broke off. We stopped by at the end of the day, and hooked and finally landed him, with the piece of line and worm still in his mouth."

 

 

[the reel ess]

I've caught one twice in about an hour. I know it was the same fish due to some very distinct characteristics. But for most bass I would say Hunger or reflex will betray them at some point. I imagine they mostly clam up for a few days. But they gotta eat and they don't have hands.