Catch And Release Survival Rate 2024

Catch and Grease reply :

I hear a lot of people say that even if you handle a bass correctly there is a decent chance it can die after release, I have a pond in our yard stocked with bass and I catch them and release them back all the time and I have never seen a dead bass out there out of the 100s I've caught in it over the years... What do you guys think the survival rate is of properly handled bass? I'd say it would be darn near 100% bass are some tough fish...

Bluebasser86 reply :

There's a lot of variables in that question. Some it won't matter what you do, they won't make it. A vast majority will make it when handled properly though. It just stands to reason that if there was a "decent chance" that each bass would die after being caught that popular lakes would be littered with rotting bass.

SirSnookalot reply :

No one knows for sure what happens to any fish after you lose site of it, fish can eaten by other fish all the time. I don't recall ever seeing a bass go belly up after landing them.

Montanaro reply :

If b.a.s.s. can release all those bass that go in live wells, bags, weighing, and parading with few lost bass then I'd say odds are they will survive

Zach Dunham reply :

Bass respond extremely well to catch and release. Not all species do.

Preytorien reply :

I've always wondered this too. Some of the articles you read would make you think that a hook in the mouth = sure death for the fish, but like the OP, I fish a small pond that I regularly catch fish in, and I can somewhat embarassingly say I've deep hooked a few (successfully removed the hook), but I have yet to see a dead bass. It's a neighborhood pond so the traffic of carcass-removing animals isn't as high as it'd be in a more natural setting, so I have to believe the catch-and-release survival rate is actually probably pretty survivable for those fish. Makes me glad too, not only do I like knowing that most of my fish live to fight another day, I also like knowing that I have a sort of honey hole in this pond since the HOA gave me pretty strict "me-only" access to this pond since he caught me picking up trash a couple times.

Zach Dunham reply :

Spawn season is another way to tell how good the survival rate is in states where it is catch and release only. You can catch a bass that has obviously been caught 4 times in the last week (I always feel bad when that happens), but they are still alive and kicking.

KYBassin' reply :

When it comes to largemouth, this isn't something I really worry about. Not because I'm insensitive but because I have never seen a bass come belly up on me after release. I make sure to take extra care when a fish is hooked badly (cut line).

I've spent a lot of time fishing, catching and releasing muskies, now that's a completely different ball game.

roadwarrior reply :

Unless the fish is mortally wounded, immediate release results in nearly 100% survival.

The biggest issue I have observed is tournament fishing with bass held in the live well

when air temperature is high. There was a terrible instance at Falcon (B.A.S.S.) a few

years ago and we (BassResourse Roadtrip) observed a massive kill at Kentucky Lake

during a FLW tournament.

With today's technology an easy solution in my opinion is video recording, weighing and

imediate release. The weigh-in could be staged like a rock concert with all the bells and

whistles.

speed craw reply :

B.A.S.S did an article if I recall roughly a year or so ago about the many lbs of fish caught and the release I believe it may have been roughly % 92 or better survival rate .

KYBassin' reply :

On 5/27/2014 at 9:33 PM, roadwarrior said:

Unless the fish is mortally wounded, immediate release results in nearly 100% survival.

The biggest issue I have observed in tournament fishing with bass held in the live well

when air temperature is high. There was a terible instance at at Falcon (B.A.S.S>) a few

years ago and we (BassResourse Roadtrip) observed a massive kill at Kentucky Lake

during a FLW tournament.

With todays technology an easy solution in my opinion is video recording, weighing and

imediate release. The weigh-in could be staged like a rock concert with all the bells and

whistles.

100% agree with this.

Catch and Grease reply :

I find it hard to believe cutting the line for a gut hooked fish is the right thing to do ( I still do it because everyone else does it haha ) a hook can take a month to erode out of his throat and that's a whole month without feeding if its obstructing his ability to swallow... Just seems like it would definitely kill the bass, maybe not quickly but eventually. I have caught bass and cleaned them and found hooks and fishing line in their stomachs before, its crazy how tough bass can be.

KYBassin' reply :

On 5/27/2014 at 9:45 PM, Catch and Grease said:
I find it hard to believe cutting the line for a gut hooked fish is the right thing to do ( I still do it because everyone else does it haha ) a hook can take a month to erode out of his throat and that's a whole month without feeding if its obstructing his ability to swallow... Just seems like it would definitely kill the bass, maybe not quickly but eventually. I have caught bass and cleaned them and found hooks and fishing line in their stomachs before, its crazy how tough bass can be.

Yeah, I guess by cutting the line I'm hoping to be picking the lesser of 2 evils.

Violinguy reply :

I thought I read a few years back that the survival rate for released bass was about 50% on average. Professionals and tourneys have better equipment and means to be better at catch and release so I'm sure it's higher in a tournament or professional setting.

Personally, I think the survival rate is more like 80% or else we would be seeing dead bass all over the place. If handled properly and released quickly, I would think most fish would survive without issue.

Of course, just because one thinks the survival rate is high, one should not be lazy when releasing or handling fish. It's up to each angler to help keep the bass population healthy.

CDMeyer reply :

I would say if everything is done right the survival rate is near 95%..... unlike a northern which seem do die right after you net them

WRB reply :

Post mortality rates are anywhere from zero to over 30% depending on how the bass is handled after catching, the depth of water and the temperature of water the came out of or when put into a livewell.

What kills bass isn't being mortally wounded, it's suffocation and thermal stress. When a bass is bleeding, that is visual and a obvious problem. When a bass rolls over from stress, it's usually past the point of recuperating.

The bass is released and swims away out of sight out of mind, doesn't insure it survived.

Summer the surface water is often in the mid 80's, water near the thermocline may be in the low 70's, over a 10 degree sudden temperature change can be fatal to bass and this is a big problem with tournament bass anglers that don't maintain livewell temperature in the low 70's or DO levels between 3-12 mg/L.

Tom

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

I dont know about survival rates after bass are released but I GUARANTEE that the survival rate is higher in bass that hit water vs bass that hit oil.

quanjig reply :

Tom is spot on! During summer tournaments, I try to maintain my livewell temps around 10* colder than my surface temp readings and if I'm catching fish deep have fin weights available for the fish that are having difficulty maintaining equilibrium! I try to minimize time spent out of the water as well.

Zach Dunham reply :

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/100-survival-rate-classic-bass

Survival rate was 100% at the point of releasing them back into the water after the weigh ins and all. I'd be willing to bet 99% survived. I am pretty sure BASSs estimate on this was well over 95% in something I read once.

mmrivera86 reply :

There's a very nice sized fish in one of my favorite ponds that I have caught three times! I have pictures to prove it too. It has very distinctive spots on its mouth and head. My buddy was with me for two of the times so we've gave it a nickname, haha. So being that it was caught multiple times and still going hard, I'm sure other bass are just fine after release.

geo g reply :

Remember Dottie was caught and released many times over a long period. See did quite well until the end.

Catt reply :

On 5/27/2014 at 11:27 PM, WRB said:

Post mortality rates are anywhere from zero to over 30% depending on how the bass is handled after catching, the depth of water and the temperature of water the came out of or when put into a livewell.

What kills bass isn't being mortally wounded, it's suffocation and thermal stress. When a bass is bleeding, that is visual and a obvious problem. When a bass rolls over from stress, it's usually past the point of recuperating.

The bass is released and swims away out of sight out of mind, doesn't insure it survived.

Summer the surface water is often in the mid 80's, water near the thermocline may be in the low 70's, over a 10 degree sudden temperature change can be fatal to bass and this is a big problem with tournament bass anglers that don't maintain livewell temperature in the low 70's or DO levels between 3-12 mg/L.

Tom

Better do another google search!

Today's bass boats have far better live wells than those of your tournament fishing days!

I've seen mortality rates of 83.67-92.88% in small local tournaments

Catch and Grease reply :

He is saying that 0 - 30% of fish die not 0 - 30% survive BTW, at least I think that what he meant

Alonerankin2 reply :

If you have never seen a LMB/SMB go belly up? Or bleed out from ... Say a crankbait hook harpooning the top of the head.. Or a jig deep throated.. Open hook tube... Geez... I have seen and been apart of this many times..... It happens.. A lot more than some may want to admit.

Zach Dunham reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 1:21 AM, Catt said:

Better do another google search!

Today's bass boats have far better live wells than those of your tournament fishing days!

I've seen mortality rates of 83.67-92.88% in small local tournaments

By mortality rate he meant that many die. Not survival rate, which is what you gave. You mixed up the two.

WRB reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 1:21 AM, Catt said:

Better do another google search!

Today's bass boats have far better live wells than those of your tournament fishing days!

I've seen mortality rates of 83.67-92.88% in small local tournaments

Best case 7% died worse case 26% a little over 1 out 4 of died and that is good livewell management! You flipped your numbers.

The Falcon fiasco was the low point for B.A.S.S. managed pro bass events for a few reasons, warm weather, big bass, poor livewell and weigh in procedures.

Tom

hoosierbass07 reply :

Well bass sure are more hardy than trout. In the early spring I went trout fishing and caught my first ever trout. Cool I thought. But it fell out of my hands and flopped on the ground a few times. I then grab it again and released it in the water. It turned upside down and sank. I picked it up and set right side up again. It swam a foot out, turned upside down, and sank again. Thank goodness I've never seen a bass do that.

Goaltender reply :

I am actually doing a "teach the club" this month on this topic. Bass mortality increases greatly from stress. Stress can be caused during the fight/landing the fish - by this I mean taking too long to land the fish. Improper handling by removing slime coat or by holding the fish from the jaw incorrectly will increase mortality. You can break a bass' jaw (and not even know it) by holding them from the jaw without supporting them from their belly/tail causing them to not be able to feed. Stress within the livewell also increase mortality. Low oxygen levels is the biggest contributor. Saturated oxygen levels in water drop considerably as the water warms. Dropping livewell temps 10 degree's increase oxygen levels. That's why ice is recommended once surface water temps reach 75 degrees.Other tricks include installing an aerator, adding hydrogen peroxide, and there are oxygen pellets you can buy to drop in your tank that will release oxygen into the water for up to 9 hours. Studies show highly stressed fish may live 6 days or more before finally perishing. Amonia levels within the livewell also contribute. I learned water should be changed 2-3 during an 8 hour tourney. University of WI did a study following six bass tournaments and saw mortlaity after 6 days of up to 35% on poorly treated fish that were caught, kept in a livewell, and eventlaully released.

There is some GREAT reading throughout Bass Resource on this subject!

Glenn reply :

Speaking of which, here's a start (there's tons more)

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/catch_release_bass.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/livewell1b.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/caring_for_bass.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/reducing_bass_mortality.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/preserving_the_resource.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/fish1.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/handling_summer_bass.html

http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/handling-bass.html

Enjoy!

Catch and Grease reply :

Wow thanks for all the links I enjoy reading this stuff

RoLo reply :

On 5/27/2014 at 9:33 PM, roadwarrior said:
With today's technology an easy solution in my opinion is video recording, weighing and

immediate release. The weigh-in could be staged like a rock concert with all the bells and

whistles.

BULLSEYE!

In today's computer age, there's no excuse for hauling bass several miles to a Bass Pro Shops photo-op weigh-in,

showboating them in the atmosphere, then hauling them back to a random spot far from their home.

Delayed mortality cannot be accurately assessed, but is generally worse than projected.

Last year, Marty Stone hosted a unique tournament on Lake Istokpoga, FL, which I thought was the cat's meow.

Every boat had a weighmaster, where each bass was photographed, weighed then immediately released.

If the bass was permitted to contact the boat's deck, the angler was imposed a time penalty during which he couldn't fish.

Add "barbless hooks" to this scenario and we're cooking with gas.

Provided a rule applies equally to all participants, it poses no hardship or disadvantage to anyone.

Roger

Alonerankin2 reply :

Yea it sounds good.... And with tournament officials in B.A.S.S tourneys (Boats) already... Seems like a logical route to me.. I suppose FLW has officials in the Boat w/ Anglers? Idk... I don't keep up with the tourneys much anymore. However, I do believe it's a great ideal.

FrankW reply :

Major Bass tournaments can be very hard on Bass. Just think about a big bass caught first thing in the morning and is beat up in a live well all day and the temps soar. Then they race back to the launch and motor forty to seventy miles to a convention center. They finally get to weigh-in then the fish are transported back to the lake and released. Now add in that the tournament is held during the spawn with that added stress. The major Bass organizations are concerned with TV and money and have little concern that they are killing a percentage of Bass every tournament. Lets remember that during the spawn the very biggest and most important bass are caught and a percentage of these fish die.

Frank

Montanaro reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 8:38 PM, FrankW said:

The major Bass organizations have little concern that they are killing a percentage of Bass every tournament.

Frank

B.A.S.S. have specialized boats that release bass back to near the areas of where they were caught and they document and post pictures to show they care.

Saying they have little concern is simply untrue.

Catch and Grease reply :

BASS is deeply concerned and constantly improving release techniques.

RoLo reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 11:09 PM, Montanaro said:

B.A.S.S. have specialized boats that release bass back to near the areas of where they were caught and they document and post pictures to show they care.

Saying they have little concern is simply untrue.

The token care given to bass is driven by pressure from concerned sportsman and groups.

Indeed we do see a belated expression of concern, but their concern is driven by the profit motive.

Regrettably, delayed mortality from traumatic degradation can occur several weeks after the release

Roger

Catch and Grease reply :

Does whether or not its driven by profit matter? Profit or not they are still doing their best to give the bass the best chance of survival while still putting on a good show.

Catt reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 11:56 PM, RoLo said:

The token care given to bass is driven by pressure from concerned sportsman and groups.

Indeed we do see a belated expression of concern, but their concern is driven by the profit motive.

Regrettably, delayed mortality from traumatic degradation can occur several weeks after the release

Roger

The entire bass fishing industry is profit driven!

The tournament anglers have done more to educate the public than all other groups combined

How does one prove delayed mortality that occurs several weeks later was from catch & release?

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

How does one disprove it?

Alonerankin2 reply :

There's nothing overly wrong with {profit} or {Non- profit}.....I just don't understand this perceived notion that a for { Profit } ideal is wrong...

Catt reply :

On 5/29/2014 at 12:43 AM, SPEEDBEAD. said:
How does one disprove it?

By trying to prove it

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

Makes sense.

tatertester reply :

RATIONALIZE: To devise plausible explanations for ones acts , beliefs , etc , usually in self-deception.

WRB reply :

The Sure-Life Labs products Catch & Release and Please Release Me are both excellent livewell additives, Tony and Lane Gergely are experts n this field.

When the Falcon lake B.A.S.S. event had high mortality rates do to mismanagement the Gergely's were vocal about the poor protocols being used at this event. As I recall Gene Gilliland was B.A.S.S. consultant at that time. The Gergely's and Doug Hannon came out promoting the use of ice and H2O2 3% hydrogen peroixed to help manage livewell temps in the 70's and use 1/2 cup of 3% H2O2 to 15 gallons of livewell water.

Gene Gilliland at the same time was writing articles in Bassmaster discouraging 3% H2O2 as being harmful to bass.

I believed Sure-Life, yes they have a dog in this hunt with their products and something to gain with promoting good livewell management, they are also experts in this field and looking at the health of the bass.

Check out the vedio's, I believe there is a link on this site.

Tom

merc1997 reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 11:09 PM, Montanaro said:

B.A.S.S. have specialized boats that release bass back to near the areas of where they were caught and they document and post pictures to show they care.

Saying they have little concern is simply untrue.

how is it that they know where the bass came from???

roadwarrior reply :

On 5/29/2014 at 2:41 AM, WRB said:

The Sure-Life Labs products Catch & Release and Please Release Me are both excellent livewell additives, Tony and Lane Gergely are experts n this field.

When the Falcon lake B.A.S.S. event had high mortality rates do to mismanagement the Gergely's were vocal about the poor protocols being used at this event. As I recall Gene Gilliland was B.A.S.S. consultant at that time. The Gergely's and Doug Hannon came out promoting the use of ice and H2O2 3% hydrogen peroixed to help manage livewell temps in the 70's and use 1/2 cup of 3% H2O2 to 15 gallons of livewell water.

Gene Gilliland at the same time was writing articles in Bassmaster discouraging 3% H2O2 as being harmful to bass.

I believed Sure-Life, yes they have a dog in this hunt with their products and something to gain with promoting good livewell management, they are also experts in this field and looking at the health of the bass.

Check out the vedio's, I believe there is a link on this site.

Tom

They are a sponsor: http://www.sure-life.com/

merc1997 reply :

someone had good thoughts about weighing the bass on the water and immediately release instead of hauling them around in the livewell. one of the drawbacks to that would be during spawning season, and most are caught sight fishing. a lot of times, the same bass can be caught over and over. not really quite right, and it is hard on the bass. perhaps there could be a way around that point. weighing and immediate release would be good, but the public weigh-ins are another source of revenue and exposure for the tournament and contestants. got to push the sponsors names somehow.

merc1997 reply :

i might add that i have used catch and release for years, and it definitely helps keep your bass in good shape while in the livewell, providing you handle your water temps and o2 levels properly.

Dwight Hottle reply :

Easy solution is for the state to ban all tournaments during spawning season like PA does. I also like the catch, weigh & release concept for tournaments.

WRB reply :

The goal for most states is to provide a renewable resource for public waters and regulate those waters for the health of the fish population. Catch and release isn't the goal, catch and harvest within regulations is the goal.

How many top level professional bass anglers are there? Maybe 200, nation wide. The number of local weekend tournament anglers number well over 10,000 and this is what can impacts the local fishery depending on the size and health of that fishery that are being managed for catch and harvest by the recreational anglers.

Along came cast for cash bass tournaments with rules to prevent or try reduce cheating. Catch and Release was fought by Ray Scott, now he is considered the father of C & R, how ironic! C. & R was done to promote the sports image and it had some positive benefits,now it's become a cult by it's purist followers.

Mortality rates happen, some bass die as a result of being caught and a higher % die when placed in a livewell. I can't see how on the water self regulation will prevent cheating when money is the reward.

The catch needs to be validated quickly by impartial referee on the water, can't be your partner or yourself!

Some tournaments tried catch and release boats for on the water validation and that doesn't work because of the nature of bass fishing itself is impossible to keep a boat close enough to the anglers without shutting off the bite. All this can work for 200 pros nation wide, not over 10,000. Education is the key for the local anglers and few anglers agree there is a problem.

Tom

CWB reply :

I agree with Tom. I think the majority of the top guns really do care and are careful about handling the fish. At least I think they do. They have major sponsors and get paid something just by going out on the water and other obligations. The weekend warrior is another story. I've seen a guy actually toss back a short fish like it was a frisbee. Pretty sad. Dwight brings up a good point as well. Close tournaments during spawning season. There's a lake somewhere were they aren't spawning. I think Major League Fishing has the right idea. An official in the boat, and penalties if the fish are mishandled. Putting something like this in place at local tournaments might be a bit tough to implement though.

RoLo reply :

On 5/29/2014 at 7:32 AM, WRB said:

Some tournaments tried catch and release boats for on the water validation and that doesn't work because of the nature of bass fishing itself is impossible to keep a boat close enough to the anglers without shutting off the bite.

Tom

I'm not sure what tourneys you're referring to Tom, but that wasn't the format employed in Florida's C&R tournament.

There were no release boats in the pro-tournament held on Lake Istokpoga. Instead, a scale-bearing official

was present in the boat of every professional angler. If the referee seen your bass so much as touch the deck,

he imposed a brief time-penalty during which you couldn't fish. A penalty was also imposed for a broken line.

To spice up the event, every angler was kept abreast of his current standing throughout the day, right to the ounce.

http://highlandstoday.com/hi/local-news/americas-best-anglers-try-their-luck-at-istokpoga-544452

Roger

greentrout reply :

Not a tournament basser. But I'm with Aaron Martens and Doug Hannon, don't fish for bass during the spawn. Pick up your

Crappie or Sac-a-lait gear and fish for a wonderful fish and let the old girls do their thing.

porkleaker reply :

I had dozens upon dozens of giant, amazing bass wash up on my shore because of a poorly executed tournament. It was an exceptionally hot summer and I know this lake, they all went to deeper, cooler water and caught them, then released them in the shallow, oxygen depleted bay without giving a care. For me, that's like driving drunk, they should've have their fishing licenses revoked for 5 years and have to take a course on preserving fisheries.

Catt reply :

The research data strongly shows no ill effects on the spawn. Few females drop all there eggs at once. Instead, they expel a portion and then move off to a near by breakline, bush, or grass edge.

It is this sporadic purging of eggs and the ability to spawn with different males on several nests that the annual spring bedding season from being severly impacted by large tournaments. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Clarence Bowling says studies have 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

Ray Scott is not the father of "Catch & Release", he implemented it into B.A.S.S. rules after being lead to it by Pro Anglers like Ken Cook who is an Oklahoma Fisheries biologist.

WRB reply :

Roger,

I don't get the Outdoor Channel so haven't watched the Major League bass fishing tournaments. I have heard about it and the format is interesting, eliminates poor bass handling issues. The time penalty was discussed a lot, as I recall the conversation the hooked bass can't break off or touch the anglers body or any part of the boat without a penalty being called by the referee. The penalty being a 5 to 15 minute time out from fishing.

They also have a no cull rule, you must decide if the bass caught gets weighed or released without weight with a 5 bass limit. Lots of strategy goes on. 24 of the top tournament anglers compete from both B.A.S.S. and FLW. Circuits

I need to watch this series, sounds very interesting.

Thank you.

Tom

WRB reply :

Regarding protecting spawning bass from over harvest. What some of the trophy small bass lakes have done is buoy off a few of the spawning coves during the spawn with signs the area is closed to fishing. This keeps everyone out of those areas, providing sanctuary zones.

I agree that larger bodies of water have enough natural sanctuary areas that bass successfully spawn without additional help. The giant bass are vulnerable during the spawn because it's the time of the year these rare fish are visible and up in shallow water being targeted by recreational anglers, weekend tournament anglers, guides with clients and pro tournaments. Very few giant bass are caught after the spawning cycle is completed.

The survival rate of giant bass caught is low because they get poorly handled, photographed, weighed, shown off to buddies and a large % end up in a freezer, some on the den wall.

If every state had a program like theTexas Share a Lunker, giant bass low survival rate problem would be nearly eliminated.

Tom

CWB reply :

Major League Fishing has an official in every anglers boat. If a fish is hooked. It cannot touch the angler or the deck while being landed. If so a two minute penalty is accessed. All caught fish count toward the total weight as long as they are legal. Angler must agree with the official's weight. Fish must be released properly and not just thrown back in the water. Constant updates are given. Could be the way of the future.

And if I recall, the first people to actively promote catch and release and probably coined the phrase were the guys at In-Fisherman. B.A.S.S. And others soon followed. I saw an BFL event a few years back where the bay behind where the fish were weighed in was littered with dead bass. This was at the resort that held the event and weigh-in. Didn't have to drive for miles to weigh in fish. Just drive up to the dock, bag and weigh the fish, and release them a few yards away.

Catch and Grease reply :

So in the major league fishing tournaments y'all are saying the fish can't touch the angler during landing so does that mean you have to net them? Like is there a no lipping rule?

greentrout reply :

I consider it unethical to fish for bass on their spawning beds. They are locked into their nests; they will not leave unless driven off by a larger predator (usually man or a drastic, sudden change in water temperature). A big bass is highly vulnerable while spawning. Often spawners are easily seen...and easily taken. I've seen fishermen throw heavy lines rigged with grab hooks to snag big females on their spawning beds. While most would never resort to a such a lowly method of gathering a trophy, many believe it's okay to catch bass on their beds with artificial lures or live bait. I'm a fisherman and a researcher, not a preacher. All I can say is that once you really get to know the bass, bed fishing simply becomes out of the question.

Doug Hannon -- The Bass Professor

WRB reply :

I believe B.A.S.S. start catch and release in 1973 before On-Fisherman was formed in 1975.

In-Fisherman used the term Selective Harvest.

I wrote a article in 1969 for Western Outdoor News regarding releasing big bass during March to May and a warning that the modern bass angler could impact big bass populations. I sent the article to Ray Scott and received his reply that stated anglers couldn't possibly impact bass populations.

Looking back we were both right, my experience was with small reserviors and Scotts bass lake were massive in comparison; 2,000 acres vs 40,000+ acres.

I got a lot of hatefull feedback from local anglers and after a few years of beating my head against a wall gave the cuase.

Today the pendulum has swung too far toward C & R and the In-Fisherman Selective Harvest is a better approach.

Tom

Catt reply :

The real story according to Bill Dance

http://www.billdanceoutdoors.com/bills-blog__2.php?p=406

geo g reply :

I think most on the tournament level today are trying to provide the right environment for bass to survive the tournament ordeal. It is far better today, then it has ever been. We have better products on the market today, and better built livewells and O2 systems in the new bass boats, to promote survival. Are some fish going to die, YES, but what is the alternative, stop tournaments? I don't think so, that is a non issue. The positives from tournaments far outweigh any negatives!!!!!!! The sport is growing, lets keep making it safer for the fish.

lmoore reply :

I don't remember what group did it, but I saw a study from a BASS Nation state tournament several years ago where they tagged all day one fish. Not only did they find a high survival rate over the next several days, but something like 20% of the bass weighed in on day 2 were tagged. Really surprising stuff, as I always assumed a bass caught today won't bite tomorrow.

Of course, safety/mortality rates will always depend on fish handling. Things happen when you hook fish and you can't always control how deep/where a fish gets stuck, but you can always control how you handle it once you have it out of the water until you release it. Just my opinion.

Catch and Grease reply :

Do you guys think a bass can survive with one eye? I was fishing a spinnerbait around some grass and a good sized jackfish smashed it and I landed him and the hook was through his mouth and out his eye, I got the hook out and he swam off but then maybe 10 cast later it happened with a one or two pound bass. In his mouth and out his eye, I got it out as gently as I could but his eye was messed up but he also swam off good...

I don't see why they couldn't live with one eye but maybe the stress from losing it could kill them.

Alonerankin2 reply :

On 5/30/2014 at 11:46 AM, WRB said:

I believe B.A.S.S. start catch and release in 1973 before On-Fisherman was formed in 1975.

In-Fisherman used the term Selective Harvest.

I wrote a article in 1969 for Western Outdoor News regarding releasing big bass during March to May and a warning that the modern bass angler could impact big bass populations. I sent the article to Ray Scott and received his reply that stated anglers couldn't possibly impact bass populations.

Looking back we were both right, my experience was with small reserviors and Scotts bass lake were massive in comparison; 2,000 acres vs 40,000+ acres.

I got a lot of hatefull feedback from local anglers and after a few years of beating my head against a wall gave the cuase.

Today the pendulum has swung too far toward C & R and the In-Fisherman Selective Harvest is a better approach.

Tom

Tom, was not Ray Scott's B.A.S.S tourneys originally a Ten fish limit? Also I believe using chain wire stringer? Were not fish often Dead when weighed in? This is what I remember from being 14 in those years... Seems much has improved to be sure

Dwight Hottle reply :

On 5/31/2014 at 12:25 AM, Catch and Grease said:

Do you guys think a bass can survive with one eye? I was fishing a spinnerbait around some grass and a good sized jackfish smashed it and I landed him and the hook was through his mouth and out his eye, I got the hook out and he swam off but then maybe 10 cast later it happened with a one or two pound bass. In his mouth and out his eye, I got it out as gently as I could but his eye was messed up but he also swam off good...

I don't see why they couldn't live with one eye but maybe the stress from losing it could kill them.

I have caught numerous smallmouth bass & walleye that had only one eye. They were all healthy looking without any signs of stress or malnourishment.

Montanaro reply :

As long as they have one eye they will be fine assuming they have the capability of their other senses

WRB reply :

The all American tournaments in '67, '68 and '69 had a 15 bass limit and the bass were eaten after the tournament during a fish fry dinner. The extra bass were given to local church's for charity.

I had a Coleman cooler "livewell" with home made aeration back in the late 60's and my first "bass boat" was Astroglass with a front built in livewell in ' 71. I believe the late '60's Skeeter, MonArk or Kenzie made a bass boat with livewell built in, not sure?

Tom

Dinky reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 11:56 PM, RoLo said:

The token care given to bass is driven by pressure from concerned sportsman and groups.

Indeed we do see a belated expression of concern, but their concern is driven by the profit motive.

Regrettably, delayed mortality from traumatic degradation can occur several weeks after the release

Roger

And you know this how???

Dinky reply :

On 5/30/2014 at 2:03 AM, WRB said:

Roger,

I don't get the Outdoor Channel so haven't watched the Major League bass fishing tournaments. I have heard about it and the format is interesting, eliminates poor bass handling issues. The time penalty was discussed a lot, as I recall the conversation the hooked bass can't break off or touch the anglers body or any part of the boat without a penalty being called by the referee. The penalty being a 5 to 15 minute time out from fishing.

They also have a no cull rule, you must decide if the bass caught gets weighed or released without weight with a 5 bass limit. Lots of strategy goes on. 24 of the top tournament anglers compete from both B.A.S.S. and FLW. Circuits

I need to watch this series, sounds very interesting.

Thank you.

Tom

Major League Fishing actually counts the weight of every legal fish caught-there is no limit on numbers caught or weight. And they are penalized for mishandling the fish--including allowing it to touch the boat deck.

Dinky reply :

On 5/29/2014 at 6:46 AM, Dwight Hottle said:
Easy solution is for the state to ban all tournaments during spawning season like PA does. I also like the catch, weigh & release concept for tournaments.

The most recent empirical evidence suggests that tournament fishing and C&R of spawning bass pose no threat to bass spawn in a given body of water. Nonetheless, regional differences in weather patterns and type of habitat, and availability of forage could dictate different rules for different states.

Obviously, if tournaments had resulted in reduced spawns in a state it would have become apparent by now.

Overpopulation that is not supported by the available food supply can also be a huge problem.

RoLo reply :

On 5/31/2014 at 5:28 AM, Dinky said:
And you know this how???

In post #31 above I stated: "Delayed mortality cannot be accurately assessed, but is generally worse than projected"

Delayed mortality is tough to confirm because holding-tank studies usually don't run much longer than 72 hours,

after which they become cost ineffective. There have been several instances however where tagged bass

and bass with conspicuous field marks like Dottie had, were used to substantiate delayed mortality that ran into weeks.

In the grand scheme of things, this is not recognized as a widespread event.

Roger

geo g reply :

Rolo, you made an assumption, you have few if any facts! Dottie was caught and released a number of times over years of successful living. Dottie was also toward the end of her life cycle. Size alone would be an indicator of that. To get that big she was not a youngster. Dottie if anything, is an example of successful catch and release since it happened many times to her, and DOCUMENTED. There are few facts in your last statement, but a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions.

WRB reply :

The problem with catching big female bass during the spawn is a high percentage are the anglers personal best catch and get over handled or taken home. When female bass spawn it is stressful and a few don't survive as a result, without being caught. Add the stress of being caught, put into a livewell, weighed, photographed etc and a stressed bass to start with, the odds increase they may die. These bass don't always roll over and die instantly, they swim around like a zombie and starve unable or no desire to chase or catch food.

If we use Dottie as a catch and release example, she was a star. Dottie was always caught off a bed, never documented being caught any other time of the year. Dixon lake is small, the weigh station minutes away from where Dottie was caught so she didn't stay in a livewell more than a few minutes and was handled by expert trophy bass anglers and biologists, ideal conditions few other giant bass had.

Tom

Catch and Grease reply :

When our pond at our house first got dug we wanted it stocked with bass, so at the lake we would catch bass and put them in a cooler full of cool water and they would stay in there for a couple of hours then be driven back to our house and be put in our pond. Just thought I'd share that...

RoLo reply :

On 5/31/2014 at 10:28 PM, geo g said:
Rolo, you made an assumption, you have few if any facts! Dottie was caught and released a number of times over years of successful living. Dottie was also toward the end of her life cycle. Size alone would be an indicator of that. To get that big she was not a youngster. Dottie if anything, is an example of successful catch and release since it happened many times to her, and DOCUMENTED. There are few facts in your last statement, but a lot of unsubstantiated assumptions.

You misinterpreted what I wrote.

Dottie was only mentioned as an example of a fish with a conspicuous field mark which served to identify her the same as a fish tag.

Dottie got her name from a conspicuous 'dot' on her tail, but I never stated that Dottie herself was a victim of delayed mortality.

As most anglers know, Dottie was an unusually robust bass that was caught and released by 3 different anglers:

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2009/Feb/01/1s1outdoors214857-tv-looks-bass-legend-dottie/

Roger

WRB reply :

Correction, The dot was on her gill cover.

Tom

Dinky reply :

On 5/30/2014 at 8:36 AM, Catch and Grease said:
So in the major league fishing tournaments y'all are saying the fish can't touch the angler during landing so does that mean you have to net them? Like is there a no lipping rule?

No. They cannot use a net and they cannot let the fish touch the boat deck or any other part of their body-other than their hands of course.

Dinky reply :

On 5/28/2014 at 4:26 AM, Goaltender said:

I am actually doing a "teach the club" this month on this topic. Bass mortality increases greatly from stress. Stress can be caused during the fight/landing the fish - by this I mean taking too long to land the fish. Improper handling by removing slime coat or by holding the fish from the jaw incorrectly will increase mortality. You can break a bass' jaw (and not even know it) by holding them from the jaw without supporting them from their belly/tail causing them to not be able to feed. Stress within the livewell also increase mortality. Low oxygen levels is the biggest contributor. Saturated oxygen levels in water drop considerably as the water warms. Dropping livewell temps 10 degree's increase oxygen levels. That's why ice is recommended once surface water temps reach 75 degrees.Other tricks include installing an aerator, adding hydrogen peroxide, and there are oxygen pellets you can buy to drop in your tank that will release oxygen into the water for up to 9 hours. Studies show highly stressed fish may live 6 days or more before finally perishing. Amonia levels within the livewell also contribute. I learned water should be changed 2-3 during an 8 hour tourney. University of WI did a study following six bass tournaments and saw mortlaity after 6 days of up to 35% on poorly treated fish that were caught, kept in a livewell, and eventlaully released.

There is some GREAT reading throughout Bass Resource on this subject!

These are all great tips.

I installed an oxygenator in my live well-- it had an aerator in it already and a recirculator as well. It may not be easy to install in all livewells, but it is well (no pun intended) worth it.

In addition, I mash down all my barbs on my hooks when I fish for small mouth bass in Canada. It makes removing a deep hook bloodless and quick. Very seldom lose a fish because of it.

I also believe that those who use extremely light line and thus often break it off may be causing increased mortality also.

geo g reply :

In post #73 you stated Dottie substantiated delayed mortality. There is still no evidence of that, and she could be a victim of simple old age. I respect your opinion, but it is only an opinion, just as death by old age is only an opinion. We must separate opinion from fact, there is a big difference.

FishChaser1 reply :

Very high; you don't see dead bass floating around

RoLo reply :

On 6/2/2014 at 7:06 AM, geo g said:
In post #73 you stated Dottie substantiated delayed mortality. There is still no evidence of that, and she could be a victim of simple old age. I respect your opinion, but it is only an opinion, just as death by old age is only an opinion. We must separate opinion from fact, there is a big difference.

How can you respect an opinion that you don't understand?

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Roger

Lund Explorer reply :

On 6/2/2014 at 11:15 PM, RoLo said:

How can you respect an opinion that you don't understand?

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

Roger

Perhaps the best reply to this often repeated question is the same one I was taught when getting my degree in accounting. When asked for the answer to what one plus one was, the only real answer becomes "What do you want it to be!".

It doesn't matter how many universities or fisheries departments have found in their science based studies. Too many people need the answer to be that no fish die because of their actions. I guess that if it makes them sleep better at night, then they should be happy knowing that no fish has ever ended up as turtle food. It's rather like saying no horse has ever broken a leg on the track.

WRB reply :

Bass anglers like to think there bass are tough fish, like junk yard dogs. Bass are tough compared to trout for example that are fine scaled fish subject to stress easily. Bass are fragile compared to catfish or carp, those fish are junk yard dogs and can take a beating and keep ticking.

The bigger a bass is the older it is and with age comes weakness to the adverse stress of being caught. Very difficult to keep big bass alive in a livewell for hours and it takes time for recovery, some don't survive.the odds go way up when a bass is released immediately.

Tom

frantzracing0 reply :

On 5/27/2014 at 10:08 PM, Violinguy said:

I thought I read a few years back that the survival rate for released bass was about 50% on average. Professionals and tourneys have better equipment and means to be better at catch and release so I'm sure it's higher in a tournament or professional setting.

Personally, I think the survival rate is more like 80% or else we would be seeing dead bass all over the place. If handled properly and released quickly, I would think most fish would survive without issue.

Of course, just because one thinks the survival rate is high, one should not be lazy when releasing or handling fish. It's up to each angler to help keep the bass population healthy.

Honestly, I think your assumption is bass akwards. Tourney fish are kept in livewells for hours, transfered to bags, flashed to the crowd. In and out of water how many times? Our fish are looked at for 20 seconds and set free. In my views, tourney fish stand a much higher chance of death

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