What do bedding fish do after they've been released?

[jazzwannabe]

Do they go back to the nest, or do they abandon it?

[biteme]

Go right back on the nest. You can catch a bed fish over and over at times.

[BassManDan]

There have been homing and range studies on largemouth bass and it shows that even when release in a different location, the fish can usually find their way back to the nest, often traveling more than a couple miles. Can't recall the author of the paper, but you might be able to find it on Google Scholar.

[DG]

I have caught the same fish three times (off a bed on the same day) at Almanor. I know they're smallies but I would think they are all the same. Once released, they seem to go straight to the bed and it's like they never left it.

As for catching them in a tournament and carrying the fish all over the lake, that might be a diffewrent story.

[jigginpig]

or die.

like anytime else they are caught.

sometimes they abandon the site.

i dont want to seem like a choad. OK, i really dont care if i DO seem like a choad.

FACT: bedding bass are a lot more easy to catch. so it is a bit of a cheap thrill, right? i mean, have you ever seen a huge fish in a B.A.S.S. tournament that was NOT a bed fish?

FACT: some fish caught swim off and die. even during times of low stress, which clearly does not describe the spawn.

FACT: a certian well known, scratch that, WORLD FAMOUS bass lived and died in a 70 acre lake in one of the most densely populated areas of the USA. this fish was only contacted by humans in the SPAWN! the best bass angler alive today* could not catch it ANY OTHER TIME!!!

FACT: any huge fish has more than demonstrated it's genetic fitness. it should be allowed to propagate unmolested as to ensure the maximum amount of those proven genetics make it to the fall.

FACT: "Lunker" Bill Murphy did not bed fish.

Shaun

*M. L.

[Ray L.]

After release they go get some coffee and go to work like the rest of us.

[Bill K]

They return to the bed as fast as they can. You can catch them over and over.
It does them no harm, as many believe. Even if a very few die, law of nature not matter what, other predators, etc) the one's, and they are many, reproduce millions of fry.
Then those fry have to make it into adult hood, without being eaten by their own kind or other predators in and around the lake.
But no matter, as many will survive and continue the species.
Have watched and seen this over and over in the past 60 plus years that I have been fishing. And this is on sm and lm bass, in various lakes. Bill K

[Austen]

I don't bed fish. Period.

[redneck27]

I don't bed fish. Period.

well you are missing out on a lot of fun. When I fish the spawn I make sure as soon as she grabs it to set the hook so that she is hooked in the mouth and not in the belly. Witch 90% of the time they will spit it once off the nest. Also I make sure to release her as quick as possible. I also watch her swim off and then come back to the bed. I don't hook her again, I just see her come back, Tell her thank you and move on. One thing I will do is not fish for a bedded bass if someone else that I don't know is around in case they decide after I leave that they want to catch and keep her.

[offduty]

I dont fish for money, only recreation and to enjoy nature. I dont bed fish or allow it on my boat out of respect for the importance of the spawn. When you take a guy fishing and he wants to bed fish and you dont allow him to he can become pretty irritated. It is just a personal decision I made and I know it is right for me. The majority of the guys would probably not care for that philosophy but I feel good about it. It actually frustrates me to see a guy parked on a bed.
Rich

[Bill K]

I don't bed fish. Period.

That is a decision each of us make. I do not talk down anyone that does or does not, it our own choice. We each fish for fun and sometimes some fresh fish for a meal, so enjoy it however you want to do so. Bill K

[jazzwannabe]

I don't actively bed fish either, for the same reasons as everyone else. But now and then you catch one you didn't see, so I was wondering if just catching one by mistake destroys that fish's spawn. I have seen bluegills loot a vacant nest in just a few minutes. They look like piranhas going after fresh meat.

[Oldschool]

Lot of factors to consider.
1. male bass select a bed site and guard it from other other male bass or egg eating predators until they can attract a female to lay eggs in the nest.
2. female bass can lay eggs in several nest sites and don't stay around to protect one particular nest area more than a few hours after dropping thier eggs.
3. after the eggs are layed it can take between 7 to 14 days for the eggs to hatch, depending on water temperature at the detph of the nest site. The male bass must protect the eggs 24-7 during that time from eggs eaters; all sunfish, several minnow types, crayfish, salamanders, carp , catfish and some birds
If you catch bass during #1 , no eggs are lost. Catching a female during #2, few if any eggs are lost and females with eggs can find a new nest site, if not too stressed from being caught. catch a male during #3 and keep it in a live well, the eggs are lost.
Tom

[jigginpig]

I don't bed fish. Period.

props.

another reason i quit tournaments, (the major reason being i suck)

i got tired of feeling pressured to do it in my spring tournaments.

[Johnny C]

Consider this...There are tens of thousands of bass in any given lake. Yet over the season we see a few hundred nests at most on the lakes we fish (I am on the water alot)...The majority do there thing without interuption. Remember you can only have so many predators (bass) per acre of water. Catching fish and eating them cause much more damage to our sport. Most large bass spawn early before the sunfish move shallow. The majority of the fry die after they hatch.

[redneck27]

Lot of factors to consider.
1. male bass select a bed site and guard it from other other male bass or egg eating predators until they can attract a female to lay eggs in the nest.
2. female bass can lay eggs in several nest sites and don't stay around to protect one particular nest area more than a few hours after dropping thier eggs.
3. after the eggs are layed it can take between 7 to 14 days for the eggs to hatch, depending on water temperature at the detph of the nest site. The male bass must protect the eggs 24-7 during that time from eggs eaters; all sunfish, several minnow types, crayfish, salamanders, carp , catfish and some birds
If you catch bass during #1 , no eggs are lost. Catching a female during #2, few if any eggs are lost and females with eggs can find a new nest site, if not too stressed from being caught. catch a male during #3 and keep it in a live well, the eggs are lost.
Tom

Exactly right old school, and just so everyone is clear I am big on catch and release, especially around here ware I live. Most people around here don't give a rat's *** and will keep every bass they can regardless if it is legal or not. I can't tell you how much money I have gave people for there stringers of bass so I could let them go right in front of them.

[JamesH]

Wow you purchased game fish? Probably shouldn't post that on a public forum.....

James

[elfish16]

just like live bait fishing...touchy subject and its up to the individual. Let me just say sometimes its NO easier to catch a BIG bedding female. you have to work her for days and sometimes she leaves never to be caught yet you will see her later that day or the next day.

whatever your gut says do it...and handle the fish properly.

[Oldschool]

The combination of live bait fishing for bass during the pre spawn and spawn can be devastating to big bass populations, in smaller lakes. When anyone catches a personal best bass, regardless how it was caught, the bass tends to be kept long enough to be photographed, weighed, displayed to other anglers...it's human nature to be proud of catching a trophy size fish. The problem is bass are not as tough as most people think and the bigger they are the more fragile they become to being over stressed.
If you bass fish along the bank during the spawning period, you may catch spawners without targeting them. Spawners don't eat, they strike to remove anything that could be a threat or is precieved by the bass to be a threat. When you see a bedding bass, it sees you and it's normal instinct is to flee from danger, however it's spawing instinct over rides that fear and the bass becomes vulnerable to being caught.
Tournament anglers need to keep the bigger bass to win the contest, so they target the larger females, leaving the smaller males. During the spawning season the clear water lakes really get pounded where the bass bed. For this reason most lakes have closed areas to protect enough bass to keep the population safe. Off color water tends to protect enough bass naturally and larger lakes have a big enough population to be safe under most fishing conditions.
Tom

[Philburt]

WHAT'S FUNNY ARE THE ONE THAT SAY "I DON'T BED FISH" THE FACT IS... IN THE LAKES I FISH SOME IF NOT MOST OF THE BETTER FISH .THE REAL TOADS SPAWN IN DEEPER WATER 15 TO 20 FEET.SO THESE "I DON'T BED FISH " ARE DRAGGING A BAIT THROUGH THAT WATER COLUMN WITH THEY'RE NOSES IN THE AIR LOOKING AT THE BEDFISHERMEN AND WHAM THEY JUST STUCK A FISH THATS SQUIRTING EGGS...WHAT A BUNCH OF HIPPOCRATES

[Philburt]

HEY JAMESH IT'S CALLED TAXES

[offduty]

WHAT'S FUNNY ARE THE ONE THAT SAY "I DON'T BED FISH" THE FACT IS... IN THE LAKES I FISH SOME IF NOT MOST OF THE BETTER FISH .THE REAL TOADS SPAWN IN DEEPER WATER 15 TO 20 FEET.SO THESE "I DON'T BED FISH " ARE DRAGGING A BAIT THROUGH THAT WATER COLUMN WITH THEY'RE NOSES IN THE AIR LOOKING AT THE BEDFISHERMEN AND WHAM THEY JUST STUCK A FISH THATS SQUIRTING EGGS...WHAT A BUNCH OF HIPPOCRATES

Hey Philburt

Thats 2 pretty harsh posts and really antagonizing. This thread and the one on a swimbait reel. You may want to be a bit more careful with how you post. Posting in caps is considered yelling to some and I have seen it discouraged. You are entitled to your opinion just like everyone else. Most people on this board seem to be able to play nice and I guess you have yet to learn that skill.

There is a big difference in hovering a few feet in front of a nest in shallow water compared to fishing an area and feeling the bottom. Nose in the air huh, there are those that understand that we make our individual decisions based on what is right for us as individuals. No one before on either thread took it down to the level that you have so far. The word is hypocrite and you definitely have a unique interpretation. So now I guess you will blast me with both barrels for asking you to think before you type and chill out. The board is for interaction, learning. making friends, and generally sharing information.

Rich

[Philburt]

its a play on words......offduty

[ryan accardo]

hey philburt i know one thing i love bed fishing its not as easy to catch the big girls as it seems to some people lots of time and hope for no wind

[Philburt]

peace out offduty sorry i hurt your filling...

[mark poulson]

Do they go back to the nest, or do they abandon it?

They go to Disneyland.

[Steve]

The question you posed has one thing missing and that is mention of distance moved after being caught. It really depends on whether or not you move that fish prior to releasing, and if you do move it then how far. Here is an abstract of a paper I have. It can be found in AFS's monthly magazine Fisheries Vol 28 No 7 author Gene R. Wilde.

"Relocation and concentration of fish at fishing tournament release sites is a concern for many fishery management agencies. I compiled published and unpublished estimates of dispersal distances by black basses (Micropterus sp.) captured and released alive in fishing tournaments. Only 14% of tournament caught largemouth bass and 32% of smallmouth bass returned to their site of capture. 51% of largemouth bass and 26% of smallmouth bass dispersed less than 1.6 km from their release site. On average, smallmouth bass dispersed a greater distance (7.3) from their release sites than did largemouth bass (3.5 km). There was no difference in dispersal distances for fish captured and released in rivers versus those released in lakes and reservoirs. 22% of largemouth bass and 15% of smallmouth bass caught and released in fishing tournaments were subsequently recaptured by anglers. Previous studies recommended modifications to tournament release practices. The recommendations generally have been disregarded because of a lack of regulatory of other incentives."

[Oldschool]

Did the study differentiate between male and female bass? I would agree that male bass may try to return to a specific nesting site, however females may not and continue egg laying at the nearest available site. This makes a big difference in spawing success rates.
Tom

[bassaddicted]

hoping all her eggs aren't all eaten by bluegill