Affect of releasing bass into different area of the lake

[Fisherman45]

I was wondering how in tournaments when they release the bass in a different part of the lake after weight in how does it affect the fish? These fish were in relatively safe area's when caught now they have been yanked out of their safe area put in a live well moved all over the place and released in a totally different area of the lake. Do these fish make there way back to the area's that they were originally caught? And if so does it take them a day or a week to get back?

Just some things I have been wondering about.

 

[Craigums]

I'm not a fish biologist but I think I read somewhere smallies will travel back to their home area. Largies will just find the closest spot to satisfy their needs of food and cover

[RuddyDuck]

Good question. You can google the topic as I found several articles on it. Yeah, it says the largies hang out for a while before slowly dispersing. They may not make it back where they came from, but will find suitable cover where they are at. Don't the big tourneys try to release them out a ways so they are not all bunched up at shore? Think so anyways.

I always wonder how it affects it where there are two lakes connected by a channel. I suppose those never make it back if they are caught in one lake and then weighed and released at other lake. Maybe bigger tourneys also try to release some in the other lake. Not sure I guess.

[JP Z]

I know on my parents lake when the local bass clubs do weighins they do them near the access entrance (it is a small creek) or even at the access.  Smallies don't exactly dig that, and I've seen where you end up with a good bunch of dead fish....not cool.  Honestly in watching the Chesapeake Bay controversy for BASS that was part of the way they were allowed to have the tourney, they had to bring the fish back to certain spots for release.

[Nick Kuhn]

From those that have had trackers put in them, some fish will move several miles in a day. They don't necessarily return to a home area nor hang around. In fact some fish will relate a spot to being hooked and never return there regardless of whether or not they are released on the spot. If a spot is good, there will always be new fish moving into and out of that location.