Early Season Bass tourneys

[CaptainMusky]

General question around your thoughts on early Bass tournaments specifically when the fish are on beds. Most other species' tourneys would follow AFTER they had successfully gone through the spawning ritual, but what are your thoughts on tourneys that allow contestants to target bass (LM or SM) that are in the midst of spawning?

This seems like a counterproductive measure to me, but was wondering what you bass-heads thought since I do not fish them nearly as much as many of you do.

Here is my take and I would like to hear yours because I may be all wet...

Targeting fish (any species) while on spawning beds/grounds is not very sporting. Granted I think panfish/bass (yeah, I know bass are considered a panfish :-) ) are far more susceptible to catching while in the middle of the spawn or at least targeting specific fish by sight fishing.

I think tourneys should show a little bit of restraint at these times and possibly do something different like A) no transport of fish move tourney date (hard to coordinate) C) Cancel tourney (not good due to funding, etc D) ban "bed fishing".

I just think a lot of damage can happen to some of these smaller bodies of water who have some beauty bass in them when they are yanked off the beds, thrown in the livewell, then carted across the lake 70MPH for a weigh in. I know Bass are heartier than many other fish when it comes to being in a livewell and anglers do an excellent job handling them most times, along with tourneys in how they release them following weigh ins, but this didnt seem like a great idea considering the timing.

Thoughts?

[thatoneguy]

If bed fishing negatively impacted bass populations in any meaningful way, there wouldn't be any bass left in Florida.

Besides, in MN there's no way of knowing when bass are going to spawn in a given year. Last year I saw largemouth spawning in early July. This year, I saw several on beds in the tourney I fished opening weekend.

[CaptainMusky]

Agree you cannot know by just looking at the calendar, but you certainly can set your watch by it by looking at water temps in the days leading up to the tourney.

Bed fishing itself would be difficult to rule out because based on water clarity the fish could be in only a couple feet of water to up to 15 or so I am sure.

Like I said, maybe it doesnt matter, it just seems like a bad idea to me. Perhaps make these early tourneys no transport or something so the fish can go back to the beds? This is how all musky tournies are these days and they work really well. Granted the major thing there is you are dealing with perhaps a dozen fish in a given day on a HIGH side compared to potentially hundreds in a bass tourney, so yeah, that would need some work. :-)

[Search Function]

Most bass tournaments are held on lakes of 1,000 acres minimum and really only small bass clubs hold them on lakes that small, if you are a gonna call 1,000 acres small for a field of 25 boats max. Money tournaments of any significant size field aren't going to be held on anything under 5,000 acres. There is no evidence that I know of that says catch and release fishing can hurt a lake of these sizes, especially when the lakes hold the amount of suitable spawning habitat found in most MN lakes and rivers.

Here is what was concluded in New York State after they had instituted their early catch and release season.

Quote:

In 1994, a special spring bass season was opened in the New York waters of Lake Erie, and in 2007, a spring catch and release season was opened in most of New York’s remaining waters. Long-term monitoring programs were in place on two inland lakes and New York’s portion of Lake Erie prior to the regulation changes, facilitating assessment of impacts on year class production of liberalized regulations. In Canadarago Lake (surface area 787 ha), fall electrofishing surveys sampled both young-of-year largemouth (M. Salmoides) and smallmouth bass (M. dolomieu). Mean catch per hour of largemouth bass during the six years prior to the spring season was 15.6, compared to 27.8/hr over the post-change years (p = 0.63). For smallmouth bass in Canadargo Lake, pre-change catch rates averaged 1.2/hr, with a rate of 0.6/hr after the change (p=0.32). In Oneida Lake (surface area 20,700 ha), a trawl survey provided an index of young-of-year smallmouth bass. Average catch-per-haul during the six years prior to the regulation change was 0.4, compared to 1.8/haul during the following five years (p=0.04). A gill net survey of age-2 smallmouth bass in Lake Erie produced a year class index of 3.0/net over 17 years prior to opening of a spring bass fishery and a catch of 6.0/net over the following 15 years (p=0.04). In all cases, year class production increased following the opening of spring angling for bass, although no results were statistically significant. Our results suggest that population level impacts on bass recruitment do not result from spring fishing in large lake systems.

I realize immediate catch and release fishing isn't the same thing as catch put the fish in the live well and then release, but the results on fish populations really don't stand to be any different. Guys that are sight fishing in tournaments are going after primarily female bass. Removing a female bass from a bed doesn't do anything to it's ability to spawn effectively. After released a female bass will just find another males bed and spawn there, possibly with more than 1 or more male bass.

If you are worried about the mortality of a big bass being caught while they are actively spawning or immediately post-spawn, I don't think this is much of a concern.. Most people with significant sight fishing experience say catching a female once it actually starts spawning becomes nearly impossible to catch and unless they are fishing for an absolute hawg of a kicker won't even waste their time. Lots of times those fish are never caught by the best sight fishermen in the world trying every trick they know.

[CaptainMusky]

Nice info. I wasnt as concerned about the fish dying in the livewell or handling since they tend to be fairly hardy. More the situation where the fish would be released into a location that wouldnt be suitable spawning habitat and potentially lose a year class of fish. Im sure they will travel long and far to find a bed to nest in, but perhaps with the timing of where they were in regards to "readiness" by the time they found a suitable spot it may be too late. I guess I am overthinking it.

[Search Function]

It's highly unlikely that any tournament being held on a body of water in Minnesota has the potential to wipe out a year class of fish that wasn't previously going to lose that year class due to environmental factors totally outside of fishing pressure. Even our pressured bass waters, don't get all that much pressure in the grand scheme of things. We have so many people that prefer to target other species instead.

[walleyeman1]

I wouldn't worry about the tournament fisherman as they try to keep there bass alive. What about Joe Angler keeping a limit of 3 to 6lb female bass. Those bass never do get a chance to spawn. Most states are open year round and I do not see there fisheries hurting because they let there season be open during spawning.

[CaptainMusky]

Makes sense I guess. Thanks!

[thatoneguy]

I wouldn't worry about the tournament fisherman as they try to keep there bass alive. What about Joe Angler keeping a limit of 3 to 6lb female bass. Those bass never do get a chance to spawn. Most states are open year round and I do not see there fisheries hurting because they let there season be open during spawning.

This. Even if a bass is caught off a bed, released, and fails to spawn that year, they will likely spawn in the future. There is simply no chance, especially on larger lakes, that enough fish will be caught in spring tournaments to impact a year class let alone a fishery.

However, the tourists who keep and eat limits of breeding-age bass, can potentially have an impact as they are permanently taking spawners out of the system. I'm thinking of one particular cabin of Iowans at Anderson's Cove Resort...grrrr.