Bass tournament question

[9joey1]

When all of the bass are released after a tournament weigh-in, how far do you think they travel in the week or two afterwards? Do they stay in the general vicinity, or do they move a long ways? Thanks, Joe

[ikeslayer]

i think it really depends. i have heard that they have put some tracking devices on some fish and some stay right by the release point and other go back to where they were caught. i heard it also differs from largies to smallies. i know some guys are nitorious (sp) for fishing the release site the day after and doing really well. i will be curious to see if anyone else offers more concrete answers. ike

[9joey1]

Thanks for the response. I am starting to think that many people leave the launch site and are leaving a LOT of bass that have been released during the summer of bass tournaments..... I am fishing a tournament next weekend, and I think we might rethink our strategy and stay right by the launch site....

[Deitz Dittrich]

I think most of all, it really depends on how good the release site area is...

[ikeslayer]

joey no matter what we come up with theorys before hand nothing really beats water time. Bill dance says that one of his favorite pieces of cover/structure are boat landings. You can probabaly go on his site and read all about it but they will produce and they are highly overlooked. ike

[DaveC]

From Wisconsin Natural Resource Magazine.

What happens when fish are released at weigh-in stations located some distance away from the habitat they normally frequent? A 2002 study by Mark Ridgeway of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources showed only 37 percent of largemouth bass moved from their home returned to where they were captured; no fish displaced more than five miles returned. Do these results bode ill or well for bass? It depends: Bass may not be able to find their way once moved from their home, which could be detrimental if the fish are released in habitat with less than ideal conditions. Then again, bass may also be quite adaptable and choose to settle in suitable habitat near release sites.

http://www.wnrmag.com/stories/2006/jun06/fishcon.htm#3

[blakjack23]

I had also heard that bass will not bite for 2-4 days after being caught. If thats true the fish would not be biting at the release site the day after the tournament.

[Craigums]

Quote:

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I had also heard that bass will not bite for 2-4 days after being caught. If thats true the fish would not be biting at the release site the day after the tournament.

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I dont know for sure but that sounds like a wives tale to me

[9joey1]

Great posts guys. the tourn isn't for two weeks. I am going to try by the release site and see what happens..

[OLY]

Thats completely untrue. I have caught the same bass twice in about an hour. It had a big scar on its side and was definetely the same fish. Also this year I fished a tourny with my dad, and I broke off a big fish, and two hours later he caught it with my dropshot weight hanging out of his mouth and the senko and hook all the way swallowed. So I know that some fish will bite as soon as they get the chance to.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Bass will definatley bite again. From what I have read is some guys who fish in areas of recently released tournament fish target them with light line and finesse tactics. I believe they were targeting newly (day before) released fish.

I have yet to fish tournaments but I would put more faith in good structure/pattern instead of trying to bank on released fish.

[MNBassGuy]

Yes, some bass will bite again after being caught, however, most of the time that's going to be bass that were caught and immediately released. I don't believe that a fish that was caught in a tournament, then spends up to eight hours in a livewell, and then is released into unfamliar water is going to be an active fish for a few days. That doesn't mean that the fish won't find a new home near the release area, but I wouldn't pattern released fish.

That said, I have a great "catching the same fish" story...

I was up on my favorite northern lake working an Aaron's magic Roboworm drop shot rig along a rock ledge in about 8 feet of water picking off a few largies and smallies. The next day we went back to the same ridge to see what we could pick up. My buddy hooks a feisty little smallie and flips it up into the boat. The fish is releasing (and by releasing, I mean [PoorWordUsage]ing) out a long thin something-or-other. I'm thinking to myself, "that look s a lot like an Aaron's Magic worm". Then my buddy grabs the protuding object and says "hey, you want your Roboworm back?" as he pulls it out of the fish.

I know, sort of gross, but we all got a good laugh out of it. What are the chances that on a 14,000 acre lake that we would catch that same fish and that the fish would be so generous as to give me my bait back?