bass on beds?

[Cecil]

But I guess if a person is young and inexperienced or they suffer from a lack of skill, knock yourselves out. I'll pass and leave the beds alone for those folks.

Ok, sure. Not even sure what to say to that...

[grab the net]

You might not be so inclined, but if you were, there is just a ton of money for you make fishing tournaments during the spawn on the Elite series or FLW. Maybe even some of the Silverado's. It has been my experience that there is also just a small difference between catching a bedded/locked on to the nest SM male, and a female LM actively spawning.

[Smallie]

Your absolutely right on the money about everything! I have read that information that you just posted and have witnessed it on millaces about the dark bottom.

I wish I scuba dived just to find out how deep they will go & learn more about them. I have visually seen them in 15 feet on an extremely clear lake.

[Cecil]

Really difficult to cath them if they are actually in the act of spawning.

[Duffman]

Originally Posted By: Duffman

But I guess if a person is young and inexperienced or they suffer from a lack of skill, knock yourselves out. I'll pass and leave the beds alone for those folks.

Ok, sure. Not even sure what to say to that...

Not sure what to say? Or, you're not sure you want to say?

It's just one guys (my) opinion, as valid as any other opinion out there. They use trot lines and shoot deer over feeding stations down south, those activities don't seem all that challenging to me as well.

I went trout fishing down in SE MN last weekend while some friends were chasing turkeys. It's been a couple of years since I've fished down there, and back then I was known as "worm boy". That's because I went with a couple "fly boys", but they usually relied on my catch for the evening meal because the worm almost always produced.

I picked up a tub of worms as a last resort, but I wanted something more challenging, so I stuck with artificials on spinning gear. At the first place I fished, things weren't going well, thought about the worms but then told myself to stick with the plan. I packed up and went to another stream where live bait wasn't allowed and I found some success and landed 9 Browns. The next day with new found confidence, I caught around 50 Rainbows at a stream where the trout were a little dumber. It was my best trout fishing day ever, and I never even touched a worm. We made our way to another stream where things were more difficult, I caught a little Brookie and lost two nice Browns, but I held my own with the "fly boys". It was more rewarding to me because I found it more challenging than dunking a worm. If a person finds it challenging to fish bass off the beds, go for it. I don't find it challenging nor rewarding these days.

[pondhopper]

What about largemouth bass? Is catching bedding ones just as detrimental as catching bedding smallmouth?

[Nick Kuhn]

What about largemouth bass? Is catching bedding ones just as detrimental as catching bedding smallmouth?

Where largemouths spawn the bluegills usually aren't far behind. The instant you pull the male off the bed bluegills will start munching on the fry. I can't say what kind of effect it has on overall spawn success but it certainly can't help.

[jigginjim]

I agree with NIck, I stopped fishing bass on beds. No challenge to get them to bite. Would rather chase the walleye around, look for them later. On some lakes the smallies spawn later, we end up catching a few bedded smallies, but we don't go looking for the bedded fish.

[TonkaBass]

If catching bedding fish is so easy for you guys, you should sign up for some tournaments and cash in this spring!

[Cecil]

I agree

[luckycrank]

I have seen bass bedding here in the southern mn well through july

Most anglers don't evan realize that the bass they caught going down the bank throwin' a blade or crank.. "possibly" came off a bed.

Because by that time of year the water is stained and is difficult to see deeper than a foot!...(can't see a bed must not be spawning right?... wrong!!!!!!!) so I guess we should all just quite fishing bass all together then!

It only takes a few successful spawning bass to mantain a healthy fishery

the fish in the avatar was caught and released during spawn and weighed at 7.30lbs approx 5 feet from a bed and chalked full of eggs

a week and a half later caught again weighing 6.95 lbs about a hundred yards from the same bed

and spawned out

you can do the math

[SAC]

There has never been so much emphasis on protecting these fish than there is now. Our Dads and Grandfathers used to catch and eat them and not think twice. Nowdays the majority of Bass Fishermen are putting them right back and as luckycrank stated they go right back to their business and are caught again another day. Taking them out for a photo-op isn't changing a thing.

[RK]

Hiya -

Sorry guys - gotta push back on a couple statements in this thread.

I don't think you can say that catching a fish off a bed has no effect at all. Claiming that because a fish returns to its bed, everything's fine is simply a false assumption. See my earlier post on the results of research on the physiological effects of post-angling stress on mobility and nest abandonment. Back in the day, muskie fisherman used to sucker fish with single hooks, let the fish swallow the hook, then cut the line before they released the fish. The claim was that they survived just fine, because they swam right off afterwords. Research (Terry Margeneau of the WI DNR did the study) has since shown that within a few months, the mortality rate was 100%. I'm not saying nest abandonment is 100% - my point is that a fish that "took right off" or was observed returning to its bed isn't indicative of much of anything. You have no idea if the fish will later abandon the nest, or if the fish's reduced mobility will lead to higher nest predation (which can in turn lead to the fish giving up and abandoning the nest hours or days later). Observation for a few minutes won't show that, but research on multiple bodies of water by multiple biologists shows pretty clearly that it's a highly possible result. It's a result the likelihood if which increases if the fish is caught multiple times (A few years ago I had a guy in a bait shop tell me he's caught the same 4lb smallie off its bed 4 times in one day... think that fish's nest as successful?). You might catch it once. How many other guys may target the same bed between when it's built and fry swim-up?

To luckycrank's point... Yes, you do unintentionally catch some bedding fish just fishing - it's inevitable if you're going to fish from opener to the end of June. Suggesting, though, that we quit bass fishing because we might incidentally catch a fish on a bed as a defense for fishing for bedding fish is reducing the discussion to an absurdity. I think there's a qualitative difference between stumbling into one on a bed once in a while and specifically targeting bedding fish. To me that's more what this discussion is about.

Like I keep saying, this is going to continue to be a controversial issue, and everyone makes their own choices. But at least make an informed decision. Saying categorically that catching bedding fish has no effect on the individual fish, or the potential population, is simply a false statement. The question of whether or not catching a fish on a bed can have a detrimental effect on the bed's productivity is pretty clearly answered by research from multiple sources.

The question, rather, is whether or not, knowing that to be the case, you're comfortable accepting those potential effects. If so, that's fine. But a blanket statement that it's ok because it doesn't have any effect on the fish just doesn't wash.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[bemidjibasser]

I can see both sides of the argument. It's a lot like calling ducks and geese into decoys. Some flocks dump right in and others pass you by. Bedding fish are the kind of the same. Some will smash the first thing they see, and others won't touch a bait no matter what. It is not as easy as a lot of people make it seem. I agree with Tonka, and Cecil on this one... If it's so easy to catch them, why not put your money where your mouth is and "cash in" like Tonka said?

[poncho]

There has never been so much emphasis on protecting these fish than there is now. Our Dads and Grandfathers used to catch and eat them and not think twice. Nowdays the majority of Bass Fishermen are putting them right back and as luckycrank stated they go right back to their business and are caught again another day. Taking them out for a photo-op isn't changing a thing.

Totally agree!

[Stick in Mud]

As I am with many controversial issues today, I'm impressed with human ability to disregard the conclusions reached by the scientific method. Keep up the posts, RK, even if your scientific jargon and mountains of evidence aren't as convincing as a few well-chosen anecdotes.

[goblueM]

thanks RK for posting these studies. Not all will bother to read them but I find them fascinating. I used to fish SM beds growing up in northern michigan - they'd return right away but who knows how much predation there was. I'd even catch them multiple times off of each nest. Stupidity in my estimation -those males don't eat much. Can't imagine how much energy I wasted catching them, they probably had some pretty substantial predation, not to mention possible mortality from my exhaustive angling. Can't even imagine the pressure on a metro lake compared to the isolated northern Michigan lake. I bet it impacts their reproductive success immensely

[tom_w]

Taking them out for a photo-op isn't changing a thing.

How can you be so sure of this?

[luvin2fish]

All I'm readin is some "haha" stuff.

I catch bass on the beds if i see em. Its not illegal, its not easy, its not hard. Its FUN.

[Larson15]

It only takes a few successful spawning bass to maintain a healthy fishery.

I totally agree with this statement and all of the scientific reasoning behind why we cant fish for them is just based on tradition. Now a days bass are caught and released. We aren't living back the 40's where our grandfathers slayed them to feed a family. Our weather in MN doesn't give us enough fishing months to begin with to make a difference. Look at all the states that have the nice weather and fish for them all year! I have lived in other states where its C&R all year, have more fishing months, and have alot less lakes which are pressured all year. What about all the scientific evidence that is out there showing that there is no effect at all?

[Duffman]

How can one compare states that have never had closed seasons to states that do? You'll never know how much better the fishing could be in a state without a closed season if the season never closes. I'm pretty sure if you closed the season in some southern states, the bass fishing wouldn't suffer, if anything it'd only be better.

I see plenty of bass on stringers every year headed for a hot oil bath. There are plenty of folks that don't consider bass fishing to be a C&R fishery. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but let's not pretend that all bass are released to fight another day.

[Larson15]

I am not trying to say that we should open the season for keeping bass earlier but we should have catch and release all year or earlier than what it actually is. I would even push for a shorter bass season for keeping them if we could have a better C&R season.

Studies have shown that states that have implemented a Spring C&R season have shown no effect at all.

[Lammboy]

Just as there is nothing wrong with bringing bass home for the frying pan...there is nothing wrong fishing for them when they are on beds. If it's in season game on!

[Branta Bros.]

I am not trying to say that we should open the season for keeping bass earlier but we should have catch and release all year or earlier than what it actually is. I would even push for a shorter bass season for keeping them if we could have a better C&R season.

Studies have shown that states that have implemented a Spring C&R season have shown no effect at all.

Are you Paul Coffey the hockey player? Thought I would lighten it up a bit....

[Larson15]

possibly..........