Bed Fishing 2024

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Today I went out for a quick hour after a very disappointed day yesterday (broken my fev rod tip on my first boat trip).

There are couple of guy bed fishing in the same area I wanna fish. He told me he saw a few but they dont bite. This is the same bed I tried a few day ago as well with no luck.

I tried with my Fat Ika within 5 mins, I got that fish out, just a small 1.5 lbs. Saw a few fish in the same area but couldnt get them to bite either. Another guy came by and said he got another which bite his worm more than 10 times but he doesnt wanna set hook. I went to that spot pitch my ika out a few times until he took it out and start to run. I play with this guy a bit before landing him, pretty good size may be 2.5lb.

When I fish for bed fish I fish them quick and try to release them close to their bed.

I have read somewhere that sometime the fish doesnt go back to their bed and other fish would eat all their eggs. Now I kinda feel bad a little.

What do you think?

Bluebasser86 reply :

This is a very sensitive subject that some guys get really emotional about. I see both sides of the argument, but since there's no laws against it, whether it's "right or wrong", is going to depend on the fisherman's moral compass. It's very exciting to be able to watch the fish and see how they react to a bait and to try to get them to bite. Then there's obvious concern about things like if a bunch of fish are caught off beds in tournaments and taken to weigh in, those beds are most likely lost. If the lake has a healthy population of fish, that may not be an issue though.

Kidflex reply :

Totally up to you. Bass on beds are gonna get fished and maybe caught wether it's by you or someone else. I will cast to bedding fish but I won't stay on it for more than a couple casts before moving on. I also have never taken a bass home either.....and I've caught a decent amount. Some folks will get butt hurt about the idea of taking fish off beds and such. It doesn't matter to me because it obviously isn't hurting the populations of bass (at least in the places I fish).

Catt reply :

Again!

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Thanks catt, i just search "bed fishing" on google and come up with a lot of discussion in this forum about this very topic and read a lot of your responses as well.

This is my first year target bass directly on bed that why Im concerned.

I will try to target deeper bass to find maybe female one who are hungry after spawning.

Catt reply :

Random thought

Everyone worries about catching bedding bass but gives no thought to catching them between beds.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

At least I dont have to see it lol?

HookRz reply :

Some guys won't fish beds, some will. That ain't gonna change. Closing the tournament season during the spawn might be a good idea. We seem to have struck the right balance that way here in Pa. The year round fishing in our natural lakes and impoundments is noticeably better than in similar lakes just across the Ohio line, IMHO.

soflabasser reply :

You can catch a bass any way you want as long as you catch the bass in a way that is considered legal, whether it's bed fishing, live bait fishing, using electronics to locate bass,etc.

TOXIC reply :

Lots of scientific studies show bed fishing does no harm. As for morals and ethics, that's an individual thing.

fissure_man reply :

On 3/7/2017 at 10:07 PM, TOXIC said:

Lots of scientific studies show bed fishing does no harm.

Links?

Paul Roberts reply :

No. I don't fish to fish on beds. IME -years of observing on small waters- it's a destructive practice. I get to fish a fair amount and just don't need to make a vulnerable male bass's job any tougher. I choose not to participate.

Will it impact populations? Not necessarily -esp on larger waters, and esp in the S apparently.

.ghoti. reply :

I don't fish beds. Not for any ethical reason. Don't wish to get into the "ethics" of the situation. There aren't any. If it's legal, it's legal. It it isn't legal, it isn't legal. End of story.

I don't do it because the big fish on the bed is too hard to catch. The little fish on the bed are fairly easy to catch.

I look for beds, in season, and then fish the closest drop into deep water for pre and post spawn fish. Both of which are easier to catch than bed fish.

Sitting on a bed for an extended period of time, trying to catch a large fish I can see, and who can see me, is, for me an exercise in frustration.

Fun4Me reply :

If I catch a fish on a bed, I release it where I caught it. Even though it's legal, I'm not that impressed with non tournament anglers who live well the fish and release them far away from the bed, but that's JMO. I would like to see tournaments all go to catch, weigh, and release at the spot (during the spawn), but I understand that it doesn't make for good weigh ins where people want to see the fish being held up, and the intrigue on who is going to win when they bring the bag on the stage.

Paul Roberts reply :

On 3/7/2017 at 10:57 PM, .ghoti. said:

I don't do it because the big fish on the bed is too hard to catch. The little fish on the bed are fairly easy to catch.

I look for beds, in season, and then fish the closest drop into deep water for pre and post spawn fish. Both of which are easier to catch than bed fish.

Agreed. I avoid guarding males -they are generally smaller fish, easy to catch, and have one heck of a job ahead of them. (For me that slips into ethics territory, for me. And again I'm fishing small public waters for the most part where those fish will see a parade of anglers most Saturdays and Sundays.) But I will search out females, both pre and post. Spawning females can be simply too preoccupied.

Zeeter reply :

I read years ago that bed fishing has little, if any effect on the bass population. Here's an older article - not the one I am referring to, but it shows the negligible effect of fish populations when there are no bed fishing regulations:

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/Bass_on_Beds_Final.pdf

A-Jay reply :

Fishing for bass on beds is one of the thread subjects that can & often does inspired some heated debated and has closed up more than a thread or two in the past. As a younger human I was all about it. Where most all of my angling lessons came from the bank, seeing the biggest bass I would most likely see all season 5 feet away was always very exciting. And even today, the site of an oversized super fatty camped out in shallow water, still hears me utter the obligatory "WOW" ! -

But these days, I choose not to target beds directly, instead prefer to move out a bit to look for staging fish. However, and this is something that can't really be overlooked, I fully understand that when looking at the big picture, catching a ripe, pre-spawn female in 10 ft is not all that different from targeting the bed fish. This fish may have been on a bed 10 minutes prior and just moved or may be simply waiting to move up in 10 minutes. So being fully aware of this, I am not under the illusion that when I'm using this technique, it is not somehow interfering with the spawning process; because in reality I most certainly am. Just because I may not have 'sight fished' to catch this fish doesn't erase the fact that that there is some unnatural interruption to the whole deal.

Now what effect this has on a population in the long run, can't say. But bass fishing has been going on for a while. It's had it's ups I downs. The bass still seem to be there despite all of this and if history is any type of guideline, will continue to somehow manage to be there again next year. So where it's legal, go for it if that's your thing. In the end, Bassheads are gonna do what they do, and so are the bass.

A-Jay

J Francho reply :

Interfering != Influence

Meaning, you can interfere with the spawn, but it's doubtful you have any affect on the spawn.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Sorry for bringing up this hot debate, I should have known better. It is all up to individual, no matter you bed fishing or not if you fish in this pre/post spawning, you might pull the bass out from its bed with or without you knowing it full well.

I cant stop fishing no matter what time of year so I must admit I would eventually bed fishing, otherwise I would stop fishing all together until you know for sure bass done with their spawning but when April-May or summer when all bass move to deeper water.

BTW last year I didnt feel this bad becuz I was in a boat random cast to shorelin where I didnt see bed, was I bed fishing? Who the hell knows.

WIGuide reply :

Personally I bed fish. It seems like every year in some tournament there's some on beds and when they are at some point during the day I'll run up and try to catch some. If I'm just out for fun, I'll still try to catch them sometimes, but there's certain lakes that just get pounded when the bass are up on beds and those lakes I'll refrain from doing so. There's no reason for me to add more pressure to their process than they already suffer from other anglers beating the water to a froth and nature on top of that.

Catt reply :

If Big Momma Nadine decided this morning she going to a net to lay eggs & ya catch her on the way is it not still interfering with the spawn?

If Big Momma Nadine has laid her eggs & decides to move on to another nest & ya catch her is this still not interfering with the spawn?

TnRiver46 reply :

Depends on whether I have a craving for caviar........... just kidding, I don't bed fish because it's not nearly as fun (for me) as just regular ole fishing. I have done it before but I'm not big on trying to catch the same fish (that I can see) for 30 minutes or more

RoLo reply :

The topic of 'bed-fishing' always seems to launch a lively and opinionated discussion.

When I read some of the replies though, I can't help but wonder how many anglers

actually fished for cows on the bed. In the first place, the time she spends on the nest

is better quantified in hours rather than days. More importantly, a bedding cow is a fasting cow,

and if she's not in a housekeeping mood, you've really got your work cut out for you.

Though it's not often mentioned, there's generally a sizable overlap in seasons, where you may

encounter pre-spawn, spawning & post-spawn bass during the same day. For the most part,

trophy bass taken while fishing 'blind' during the spawning season are usually bass in pre-spawn mode

still on the feed. All that said, I no longer bed fish, and focus only on the pre-spawn period.

Roger

J Francho reply :

Biologists up here said that 70% of the fish don't participate in spawning. If that's true, most fish you catch are "pre-spawn." Or are they post-spawn?

fissure_man reply :

On 3/7/2017 at 11:27 PM, Zeeter said:

I read years ago that bed fishing has little, if any effect on the bass population. Here's an older article - not the one I am referring to, but it shows the negligible effect of fish populations when there are no bed fishing regulations:

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/Bass_on_Beds_Final.pdf

Thanks for the link @Zeeter. That report has some pretty compelling statements, but no references at all? I’d argue the conclusiveness of some of the statements made in there, and even the logic of some others. I think this chart (page 8) says a lot about the level of uncertainty involved:

lol

On 3/8/2017 at 12:54 AM, Catt said:

If Big Momma Nadine decided this morning she going to a net to lay eggs & ya catch her on the way is it not still interfering with the spawn?

If Big Momma Nadine has laid her eggs & decides to move on to another nest & ya catch her is this still not interfering with the spawn?

I think the concern is not so much about pestering Nadine, as it is with letting the neighbors eat her kids while daddy is supposed to be babysitting

HookRz reply :

Get your Google-Fu on and search peer review articles on the effects of bass fishing during the spawn. Sort them out by funding, and the effect on tourism in the area the study originated, that is, University affiliation. I think you will find the studies funded by the folks that sell us tackle and those from places where local economies reap $$$$ from the spawn will mostly say it has little effect.

I myself self see an effect on the Ohio lakes just across the Pa line. Not just in numbers but in size. When larger genetically superior fish are targeted their genes are not passed on.

As as far as fish returning to the bed are concerned, some do, but it makes little difference when a hooked fish thrashes in the bed scattering the eggs all over.

But where legal, it's a matter of individual choice. I just hate it when the bragging rights that come with winning some club tournament, or any tournament for that matter, influence that choice.

TnRiver46 reply :

I wonder if Osprey, bald eagle, river otter, Blue heron, and other bass ponder this moral dilemma. I think to claim that fishing with a rod and reel has a significant impact on bass population dynamics is flattering ourselves

Fun4Me reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 4:30 AM, TnRiver46 said:

I wonder if Osprey, bald eagle, river otter, Blue heron, and other bass ponder this moral dilemma. I think to claim that fishing with a rod and reel has a significant impact on bass population dynamics is flattering ourselves

I wonder how many Osprey, bald Eagle, river otter, blue heron, and other bass catch fish for sport.

TnRiver46 reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 5:01 AM, Fun4Me said:

I wonder how many Osprey, bald Eagle, river otter, blue heron, and other bass catch fish for sport.

Or stop when they reach a 5 fish limit

the reel ess reply :

I fish beds in the spring and when I'm in my buddy's boat we even keep most smaller fish. I let every bass I catch over 3 lbs go and lately i don't keep much at all. If you take too many they'll get bigger on average. I think the places that would be adversely affected by fishing during the spawn have seasons set so you can't.

Anyway, I have no problem catching big mama off a bed. I let her go right back.

TnRiver46 reply :

@JustJames cracking me up with the 3 titles of this thread today Hahahaha. I'm fairly new to the site and didn't know what a crazy can of worms this was

K_Mac reply :

JustJames, the mods may delete this thread, but I doubt it. Once you post on a forum the thread often takes on a life of its own. You asked a question many others have asked, and opinions are as varied as the people replying. Relax and enjoy the ride.

everythingthatswims reply :

Lake Anna, my "home" lake, has multiple tournaments every weekend year-round. It has a big population of large fish, and they get moved around a lot in the spring, but the lake still produces. The pressure makes it tough to catch them though, really tough!

Raul reply :

On 3/7/2017 at 12:28 PM, JustJames said:

Today I went out for a quick hour after a very disappointed day yesterday (broken my fev rod tip on my first boat trip).

There are couple of guy bed fishing in the same area I wanna fish. He told me he saw a few but they dont bite. This is the same bed I tried a few day ago as well with no luck.

I tried with my Fat Ika within 5 mins, I got that fish out, just a small 1.5 lbs. Saw a few fish in the same area but couldnt get them to bite either. Another guy came by and said he got another which bite his worm more than 10 times but he doesnt wanna set hook. I went to that spot pitch my ika out a few times until he took it out and start to run. I play with this guy a bit before landing him, pretty good size may be 2.5lb.

When I fish for bed fish I fish them quick and try to release them close to their bed.

I have read somewhere that sometime the fish doesnt go back to their bed and other fish would eat all their eggs. Now I kinda feel bad a little.

What do you think?

I think you are in the wrong sport if you feel bad.

slonezp reply :

On 3/7/2017 at 6:47 PM, Catt said:

Random thought

Everyone worries about catching bedding bass but gives no thought to catching them between beds.

Bass swimming from bed to bed? Sounds like me after I got divorced only I never got caught

Yeajray231 reply :

@slonezp hopefully you didn't end up an example at 5th grade adult education.

A-Jay reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 8:41 AM, slonezp said:

Bass swimming from bed to bed? Sounds like me after I got divorced only I never got caught

Hope you didn't end up with a bloody red tail .. .. .. ..

A-Jay

Jeff H reply :

I don't do it now, but have in the past during my tournament years. I figure they have enough to deal with without me adding to their problems so I leave 'em be.

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

@TnRiver46 If I knew I wouldnt ask. Dont even think about "keeping bass" question.

@K_Mac I dont mind any replies to my question,(since I can answer my own question) I just dont want this thread to be another one of those debate.

@Raul too bad Im asian, I feel bad for every little thing. Lol

The Bassman reply :

I'm sure a lot of us appreciate what your intent is. Really enjoy your input.

Bluebasser86 reply :

Showing compassion and concern isn't a sign of weakness @JustJames, it's a sign you're human.

This has actually been pretty tame compared to some of the past threads on fishing for bedding fish. It's just one of those things that people feel very strongly about and can really bring out the emotion.

Jar11591 reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 8:13 AM, Raul said:

I think you are in the wrong sport if you feel bad.

Uh, no. I think you may be in the wrong sport if you aren't at least conscious of how your actions may possibly effect nature.

Im not against bedfishing at all. I do it sometimes. But I am against a lack of consciousness from anglers as far as how their actions can possibly* affect an ecosystem.

He's not at all in the wrong sport.

the reel ess reply :

Any time you catch a fish there's a chance you'll kill it. If the population isn't suffering, you're not hurting it. On the other hand there are a lot of fisheries that are in need of fewer bedding bass. At least from the standpoint of average size. We have over-conserved fish in a lot of bodies of water.

scaleface reply :

I cant even see the beds most of the time . If they bed near shallow cover than I'm fishing beds inadvertently .

"hamma" reply :

Once I learned about bedding bass? I've targeted the pre-spawn "highways" ever since.

Im not touting whether bed fishing is right or wrong, just informing ya'll that I prefer to allow bass to do what they need, to replenish the population. Does my "highway" tactic effect the spawn? I dont think so as I let my fish go right away after a few seconds of admiring them. They may have lost the nutrition my lure tricked them from, but they have food available to them to replenish.

If you choose to bed fish? go for it, I just choose to target the prespawn highway as a option that allows me to still catch fish during that time, without pounding beds, and still have a good chance at a really big bass. Of course if the big girls are up on the beds laying eggs, these fish are not available to me, but then yet these girls are usually "hard to get" like a lead cheerleader thats sweet on the quarterback. So I feel, its just a futile attempt to target them bedding to begin with.

But, back to the issue, it takes all kinds to make the world go round, so if you do,..or if you dont, bed fish? Doesnt fire up my skivies at all, Do what ya'll decide to do. Either way you choose isn't, and shouldn't be my concern anyways.

I do what I do for "my" reasons. Im sure ya'll have yours, and I respect that.

I feel weather, water level changes, predation, and timing may have more effect, on bedding bass than us fishing anyways. Mother nature does have her ways, and as many of us know "It's not nice to fool with mother nature" her leaway, and co-operation is welcome during that specific time of year.

scaleface reply :

A lake can only handle so many adult bass . A very small percentage of fry are ever going to survive . The sheer volume of hatchlings ensures that there will be a next generation in a number that the habitat can support . Around here its changing water levels , that can most likely have a profound impact on the number of fish that make it too adolescence .

My opinion not fact .

TOXIC reply :

On 3/7/2017 at 10:18 PM, fissure_man said:

Links?

Google. Just so you know, if you are fishing during the spawn and catching fish, chances are you got them off a bed even if you didn't see it. So many factors play into spawning. I based my comments on following Michigan's recent opening up their season for catch and release for the first time in years. They performed a lot of studies and concluded that it caused no harm. The meat fishing season is still regulated because if you want to make sure a fish doesn't spawn, that's the way to do it. There's the next debate. Keep a limit for the table of not?

J Francho reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 10:06 PM, TOXIC said:

Just so you know, if you are fishing during the spawn and catching fish, chances are you got them off a bed even if you didn't see it.

That goes against anything I've heard from local biologists. If EVERY FISH is on a bed, then no wonder fishing is so tough - there aren't many fish in the lake!

What I learned was that around 70% of the bass population doesn't participate in the spawn.

TOXIC reply :

OK let me qualify......If you are fishing spawning areas during the spawn. My point being that the beds you see are a small fraction of the actual beds being utilized. Not all fish spawn at once either....smallmouth in St Clair for example spawn in waves. We have planned our trips there for 13 years to intersect the first and second wave because you can then catch them in all phases...Pre-spawn, post-spawn and actually on the beds.

J Francho reply :

They do the same on Ontario and Erie.

fissure_man reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 10:06 PM, TOXIC said:

Google. Just so you know, if you are fishing during the spawn and catching fish, chances are you got them off a bed even if you didn't see it. So many factors play into spawning. I based my comments on following Michigan's recent opening up their season for catch and release for the first time in years. They performed a lot of studies and concluded that it caused no harm. The meat fishing season is still regulated because if you want to make sure a fish doesn't spawn, that's the way to do it. There's the next debate. Keep a limit for the table of not?

I’ve read studies but still don’t have a conclusive answer, at least in a general sense. There are many examples of fisheries that have withstood heavy bed fishing pressure for years with apparently no ill effects, but that doesn’t prove that bed fishing can’t impact populations. The Michigan studies – were those on Lake St. Clair, perhaps the most productive smallmouth lake in the world, where the bass are still protected on the Canadian side during winter/spring? How far can we reasonably extrapolate those results?

Bed fishing DOES impact individual broods/nests, and if ‘enough’ broods are lost, recruitment to adulthood will suffer – common sense. But what is ‘enough,’ and can C&R bed-fishing reasonably cause ‘enough’ brood loss to have a population-level impact? In many cases, probably not. But that’s tough to generalize, and any reputable study will not claim to have a broadly applicable answer without significant caveats. How does a lake like St. Clair compare to a highly pressured 2 acre pond, or a lake with an already marginal bass population?

If anyone does have irrefutable proof that bed fishing is universally harmless, send it up to Ontario so I can start bass fishing before the end of June without having to drive 4 hrs away

TOXIC reply :

Agreed.....It is a tradeoff for sure. Here is a Florida study....Just so that the expanse and location of St Clair is not a factor and this deals with greenheads.

FWRI researchers have completed a four-year study looking at the consequences of bed fishing.

The first two years were completed in hatchery ponds at the Florida Bass Conservation Center.
The Last two years were completed in small natural lakes in Ocala National Forest.
Bass were tracked genetically and each nest was marked and observed.
Nests were fished and caught bass were safely stored away for 60 minutes before being returned.
The results show that bed fishing does not significantly impact the numbers of young bass entering the next generation.
30% of all wild beds succeeded whether they are fished or not.

scaleface reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 10:51 PM, fissure_man said:

I’ve read studies but still don’t have a conclusive answer, at least in a general sense. There are many examples of fisheries that have withstood heavy bed fishing pressure for years with apparently no ill effects, but that doesn’t prove that bed fishing can’t impact populations. The Michigan studies – were those on Lake St. Clair, perhaps the most productive smallmouth lake in the world, where the bass are still protected on the Canadian side during winter/spring? How far can we reasonably extrapolate those results?

Bed fishing DOES impact individual broods/nests, and if ‘enough’ broods are lost, recruitment to adulthood will suffer – common sense. But what is ‘enough,’ and can C&R bed-fishing reasonably cause ‘enough’ brood loss to have a population-level impact? In many cases, probably not. But that’s tough to generalize, and any reputable study will not claim to have a broadly applicable answer without significant caveats. How does a lake like St. Clair compare to a highly pressured 2 acre pond, or a lake with an already marginal bass population?

If anyone does have irrefutable proof that bed fishing is universally harmless, send it up to Ontario so I can start bass fishing before the end of June without having to drive 4 hrs away

All good points , especially comparing a small pond to a huge lake . I can see where a heavily pressured pond is a lot more vulnerable than a massive lake .

.ghoti. reply :

I think we need to be reminded, from time to time, that like it or not, fishing is a blood sport. Even practicing catch and release, we all kill a few fish every year. For those who practice catch and eat, that's their right to do so, as long as they observe local regulations. If you catch a fish off a spawning bed, you have disrupted the spawning cycle for that fish. Does that cause irreparable harm? I don't know, and neither do you.

There have been studies conducted to determine the answer to that question. And, what are such studies? The short answer is, statistics. Anybody who understands statistics knows you can make a data set prove whatever it is you wish to prove. I am a Six Sigma blackbelt. And, after completing that training, I firmly believe that Mark Twain hit the nail squarely on the head, when he said, "there are lies, damned lies, and statistics".

Trout fishermen have this manta: a trout is too precious to only be caught once. Now that catch and release has achieved the status of a sacred commandment, bass fishermen have become as goofy as trout fishermen.

A fishery is a complex ecosystem. One which is in a state of constant change. Do we affect the system when we fish? Of course. But is it truly significant? Good question. Living creatures have the ability to adapt the rapidly changing conditions, despite the claims of those who seem always ready to shout doom and gloom. Examples? Hydrilla, snakeheads, gobies, zebra mussels, etc, etc, etc,,,,,,,,. Any of these things destroy the fisheries they "infected"?

Mother Nature must have been a Marine. She can always improvise, adapt, overcome.

Fun4Me reply :

This subject has become much like politics. The far left and the far right are represented by *I would never do it* and *who cares, fish are still around* guys, and those in the middle who say *sometimes I do, but I try and be respectful*. I would say most people fall in the middle just like anything else political.

No offense meant to anyone here.

Dwight Hottle reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 8:41 AM, slonezp said:

Bass swimming from bed to bed? Sounds like me after I got divorced only I never got caught

Yea but what did you catch?

Catt reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 10:51 PM, fissure_man said:

How does a lake like St. Clair compare to a highly pressured 2 acre pond, or a lake with an already marginal bass population?

If anyone does have irrefutable proof that bed fishing is universally harmless, send it up to Ontario so I can start bass fishing before the end of June without having to drive 4 hrs away

On 3/8/2017 at 10:59 PM, .ghoti. said:

I think we need to be reminded, from time to time, that like it or not, fishing is a blood sport. Even practicing catch and release, we all kill a few fish every year. For those who practice catch and eat, that's their right to do so, as long as they observe local regulations. If you catch a fish off a spawning bed, you have disrupted the spawning cycle for that fish. Does that cause irreparable harm? I don't know, and neither do you.

There have been studies conducted to determine the answer to that question. And, what are such studies? The short answer is, statistics. Anybody who understands statistics knows you can make a data set prove whatever it is you wish to prove. I am a Six Sigma blackbelt. And, after completing that training, I firmly believe that Mark Twain hit the nail squarely on the head, when he said, "there are lies, damned lies, and statistics".

Trout fishermen have this manta: a trout is too precious to only be caught once. Now that catch and release has achieved the status of a sacred commandment, bass fishermen have become as goofy as trout fishermen.

A fishery is a complex ecosystem. One which is in a state of constant change. Do we affect the system when we fish? Of course. But is it truly significant? Good question. Living creatures have the ability to adapt the rapidly changing conditions, despite the claims of those who seem always ready to shout doom and gloom. Examples? Hydrilla, snakeheads, gobies, zebra mussels, etc, etc, etc,,,,,,,,. Any of these things destroy the fisheries they "infected"?

Mother Nature must have been a Marine. She can always improvise, adapt, overcome.

Probably the most comprehensive research done on this subject is performed by Texas Parks & Wildlife. TP&W's research has been ongoing for the last 15 yrs.

No we cannot compare a 190,000 square acre Toledo Bend to a 5 acre farm pond!

At what size body of does the impact drop to being a non-factor?

Is that impact to the spawn 0% or 99%-?

scaleface reply :

I remember trolling down a bank and seeing hundreds of thousands of bass fry . I know they were bass because I caught several males guarding them . Do you think that if the majority of those baby bass just disappeared , there would still be approximately the same number of fish reach a year in age ? I'm thinking so but can never be certain .The bigger the spawn the lower the percentage will survive , the less the spawn the greater the percentage .

corn-on-the-rob reply :

Though these are usually tense topics, I encourage everyone to stay open-minded and calm because we can all always learn something, or at least gather other view points.

The trouble with any topic like this, is that though there have been some studies, there is no hard fact that points either direction. The only fact is that depending on the lake, the year, etc., it may or may not effect the bass, or it could hurt populations, or it could help populations. It is insanely difficult to discern which case your lake may be unless you have the data which is extremely hard to obtain, let alone a large enough sample across time to actually correlate it with enough certainty.

The only qualm I have about the topic are people on the extreme ends.

1. The guy who doesn't think he has any impact on populations and routinely keeps large bass to kill, no matter if during the spawn or not.

2. The guy who says don't bed fish but he is out slamming fish during the spawn season but doesn't think he is affecting anything because he isn't sight fishing. If you are fishing during the spawn at all, you cannot say for certain that the fish you caught by not sight fishing was less impacted than one that you left alone because you could see him. End of story.

Catt reply :

On 3/9/2017 at 1:39 AM, corn-on-the-rob said:

Though these are usually tense topics, I encourage everyone to stay open-minded and calm because we can all always learn something, or at least gather other view points.

The trouble with any topic like this, is that though there have been some studies, there is no hard fact that points either direction. The only fact is that depending on the lake, the year, etc., it may or may not effect the bass, or it could hurt populations, or it could help populations. It is insanely difficult to discern which case your lake may be unless you have the data which is extremely hard to obtain, let alone a large enough sample across time to actually correlate it with enough certainty.

The only qualm I have about the topic are people on the extreme ends.

1. The guy who doesn't think he has any impact on populations and routinely keeps large bass to kill, no matter if during the spawn or not.

2. The guy who says don't bed fish but he is out slamming fish during the spawn season but doesn't think he is affecting anything because he isn't sight fishing. If you are fishing during the spawn at all, you cannot say for certain that the fish you caught by not sight fishing was less impacted than one that you left alone because you could see him. End of story.

I greatly disagree!

Texas Parks & Wildlife has more data from more bodies of water than anyone.

Generally, a good male that is aggressive and active will attract more than one female to his nest and spawn with each of them. Along with that, an active female will spawn a number of times and, in most cases, in a number of different males' nests. She moves down the shoreline making it with different males. The male sits in one spot and waits for more females to come by. I think that is sort of a hedge (on the part of the female) against an infertile male spoiling the hatch of a good fertile female. So she spread her eggs around and he spreads his fertility around. That ensures a higher success rate for that spawn.

Ken Cook believes that the female often moves on and off of the bed to deposit more eggs (hatchery studies support this claim). Few females drop all of their eggs at once. Instead, they expel a portion and then move off to a nearbybreakline, bush or grass edge.

It is this sporadic purging of eggs and the ability to spawn with different males on several nests that keeps the annual spring bedding season from being severely impacted by large tournaments.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Clarence Bowling says studies have shown that a female (when handled properly) will simply locate a bed and an available male in the area where she is released and complete spawning.

GET A LOCK ON THE SPAWN By Tim Tucker

Team9nine reply :

Just to throw this into the mix, a new study out of Florida determined you only need 2 successful broods per acre in order to maintain the existing population.

WRB reply :

California's small trophy bass lakes like Dixon and Castaic lagoon can be affected by high fishing pressure from skilled anglers. Medium size lakes like Castiac upper lake and Casitas, both about 2,000 acres with clear water and minimal spawning sites can also be impacted from high pressure bed fishing. Both Castiac and Casitas set aside closed protected areas to insure decent recruitment classes from spawning bass. Both Castiac and Casitas no longer have trophy size bass populations due to low prey fish populations at Casitas and striper competition for prey fish at Castiac, not from bed fishing.

Catch & Release does play an important factor as the vast majority of bed bass are returned after being caught within a few hours. The problem is and always has been trophy size bass tend to end up poorly handled for photos, weighing and sharing/bragging with other anglers. Most recreational anglers tend to take home thier PB trophy bass, those bass are lost. Large size impoundments over 20,000 acres bed fishing is so widely spread out the impact would be minimal.

Tom

Catt reply :

@WRB while I agree with the results I disagree with the sizes. Not all Texas lakes are the size of Toledo Bend & TP&W studies still hold true.

Which brings us to the next point, it depends on each individual body of water!

Is that impact to the spawn 0% or 99%- ?

.ghoti. reply :

On 3/9/2017 at 5:05 AM, Catt said:

Which brings us to the next point, it depends on each individual body of water!

Is that impact to the spawn 0% or 99%- ?

I'll say it again. I don't know, and neither do you, or anybody else.

corn-on-the-rob reply :

On 3/9/2017 at 3:41 AM, Catt said:

I greatly disagree!

Texas Parks & Wildlife has more data from more bodies of water than anyone.

Generally, a good male that is aggressive and active will attract more than one female to his nest and spawn with each of them. Along with that, an active female will spawn a number of times and, in most cases, in a number of different males' nests. She moves down the shoreline making it with different males. The male sits in one spot and waits for more females to come by. I think that is sort of a hedge (on the part of the female) against an infertile male spoiling the hatch of a good fertile female. So she spread her eggs around and he spreads his fertility around. That ensures a higher success rate for that spawn.

Ken Cook believes that the female often moves on and off of the bed to deposit more eggs (hatchery studies support this claim). Few females drop all of their eggs at once. Instead, they expel a portion and then move off to a nearbybreakline, bush or grass edge.

It is this sporadic purging of eggs and the ability to spawn with different males on several nests that keeps the annual spring bedding season from being severely impacted by large tournaments.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Clarence Bowling says studies have shown that a female (when handled properly) will simply locate a bed and an available male in the area where she is released and complete spawning.

GET A LOCK ON THE SPAWN By Tim Tucker

I feel ya catt. I take it the part you are specifically disagreeing with is my comment about studies?

While I agree with everything you have said, I feel that you can only extrapolate the data on these lakes on very or somewhat similar fisheries, basically all I meant to say is that many lakes are/can/will be impacted at least a little differently than the next whether it be positively or negatively or not at all; there is not an absolute for ALL lakes.

WRB reply :

Back in the 90's peake period of Castaic and Casitas the fishing pressure on these 2 lakes was extremely high due in part to the hysteria created by Bassin mag's $1,000,000 prize offered for a new world record bass. It was a circus on those lakes from Feburary to April during the spawn cycle, boats from all over the country came to catch giant bass. There wasn't any live bait restrictions for Bassins prize money, if it's legal use it. The big bass populations took a heavy hit, hundreds of giant bass were hauled out of these small lakes.

During the spawn is the only time the big girls are up visible in shallow water, making them targets. After the spawn the catch numbers drop to very few caught the balance of the year. What was the % of the big bass population after 90's verses before...way down based on catch rates since then. The big bass population started to recover at Casitas until the trout plants stopped, the population crashed as a direct result of low high protein prey population, not bed fishing. Stripers invaded Castiac as a result of dam construction and took over being primary predators out competing the big bass, the population crashed but not from bed fishing after the Bassin prize money dissapeared in the late 90's. Normal tournament and recreational fishing combined with C & R, I would agree bed fishing isn't harmful with decent lake management policies.

Tom

slonezp reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 11:26 PM, Dwight Hottle said:

Yea but what did you catch?

Got the skunk once. Never saw her again after that.

clh121787 reply :

On 3/8/2017 at 12:54 AM, Catt said:

If Big Momma Nadine decided this morning she going to a net to lay eggs & ya catch her on the way is it not still interfering with the spawn?

If Big Momma Nadine has laid her eggs & decides to move on to another nest & ya catch her is this still not interfering with the spawn?

BOOM , mind blown. Bed fishing is bass fishing period. Don't bother me one bit. If you wanna eat a big female don't bother me one bit. I caught a few limit of bucks recently and wound up with 2 small girls full of roe ... do I even feel one iota of remorse? Hell no

Catt reply :

On 3/9/2017 at 5:15 AM, .ghoti. said:

I'll say it again. I don't know, and neither do you, or anybody else.

There it is right there!

How do ya watch each female?

How do ya watch each Juvenile?

How do ya watch each Fry?

How do ya watch each Fingerling?

Is there an impact?

Yes!

How much of an impact?

Don't know for sure; depends on the body of water!

HookRz reply :

This thread has opened up my mind quite a bit. I still won't sight fish, I hope you can respect that, but I'm willing to bet in hyper-productive fisheries the harm is minimal. I also believe selective harvest of smaller bass can be a good thing in small natural lakes. I often do so myself during the hard water season when bass flesh becomes more palatable. Frankly I don't bother keeping Crappie after early spring. My southern based fishing brothers won't understand but their texture when caught from warm water Crappie are like eating fried cottage cheese when compared to Yellow Perch or Walleye. But I digress.

It is 100% personal choice within the confines of the law. But I would implore you, when weighing scientific evidence to bolster your arguments confine yourselves to studies published in high ranked peer review journals. Forget self published university reports and what you read on a blog or in a magazine whose job it is to sell fishing stuff. Follow the money. Think about your own fisheries. If they are good, could they be even better?

The the fisheries are all different, the $$$ reaped by local economies vary, and that largely accounts for the lack of consensus among biologists not submitting their papers to respected journals.

Not only that that but the bass are different. In particular Smallmouth in Northern climes and riverine environments have been shown to suffer more from spawn fishing and tournament fishing in general. I'm glad to see them protected. I grew up on Lake Erie where forty years ago a Smallmouth Bass received no more respect than a sheepshead (freshwater Drum) and were routinely smacked on the gunnels and thrown to the gulls because they ate Perch and Walleye fry. Protecting them shows how far we have progressed as sport fisherman and how far respect for the bass has come.

Tight lines brothers! I can say one thing for sure. For the most part the best folk I know, the most concerned about the health of our waters and and the fish that swim in them, are you. Therefore I can respect each of your thought out decisions as to the stewardship of your waters.

On 3/8/2017 at 10:57 PM, TOXIC said:

Agreed.....It is a tradeoff for sure. Here is a Florida study....Just so that the expanse and location of St Clair is not a factor and this deals with greenheads.

FWRI researchers have completed a four-year study looking at the consequences of bed fishing.

The first two years were completed in hatchery ponds at the Florida Bass Conservation Center.

The Last two years were completed in small natural lakes in Ocala National Forest.

Bass were tracked genetically and each nest was marked and observed.

Nests were fished and caught bass were safely stored away for 60 minutes before being returned.

The results show that bed fishing does not significantly impact the numbers of young bass entering the next generation.

30% of all wild beds succeeded whether they are fished or not.

Floridas economy is effected by tourism, partly boosted by the influx of bassers looking to catch the trophy of a life time. Which journal reviewed, gave approval, and published this paper?

greentrout reply :

Remember the old Bill Dance forum when this topic came up and it was dynamite. Friends became enemies. Me, I've mellowed and no longer totally frown on bed fishing. But believe it depends on the circumstances of the body of water and conditions. I've seen small bodies of waters like ponds of 2 to 10 acres I believe were ruined by bed fishing. Saw guys who never fished year round but made it a point during the spawn to fish these small accessible waters and stage over the big female for hours to coax her into a bite with a frog or crawfish. Takes a long time to replicate 5 and 6 pound bass on small waters like that.

Bigger waters seem most of the time to be the exception although I do know in some of the Northern states bedding areas are roped off from fishermen. I'm no biologist and I do respect what they present as evidence but keep my skepticism that it depends on the body of water.

I won't judge another fisherman who is abiding by the law and has the right to fish a bed and keep the fish if caught. It's his decision.

As a side, Doug Hannon, the old Bass Professor, refused to fish for the LMB on a bed.

RichF reply :

Not a whole lot of sport pulling males of nests so I don't do it. If it's legal in your area, go for it. I tend to agree that all bodies of water are different and hence can suffer different effects from the practice. The good thing is, we as anglers, are more educated than ever before so I'm pretty confident that our fisheries will stay healthy for many years to come.

Neil McCauley reply :

Think it depends on the body of water and its bass population. If it's a small lake with declining fish from pressure, invasive speceies, habitat loss, whatever, and then someone is fishing spawning beds, seems worth frowning on. IMO respect of people's right to behave badly doesn't also exempt them from criticism and being called out.

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