Does anybody feel bad targeting bedding bass? 2024

gotarheelz14 reply :

Coming from an angler, someone who likes to stick hooks in fish for fun, the following is definitely going to sound weird. This I do admit. But, here goes.

I have never fished the spawn. I started fishing in late april here in NC and I think a lot of the bass were spawned out by that point. But just from reading about the huge ordeal and how taxing it is on fish, purposely targeting bedding fish is not something I would like doing. It just seems like it's unfair for them and just one more thing that they have to go through.

Now before you guys say it i'll admit it myself. I'm a huge sissy when it comes to animals. ;D. I genuinely feel bad enough about sticking hooks through their lips. Doing it to them while they are bedding would be even worse.

I don't think there is anything wrong with doing it though. And, from most of the things I have read, if returned quickly to their beds, males will go back to guarding their eggs.

I'm really just curious. Just want to see what you guys think haha.

.dsaavedra. reply :

i think its a lot of fun and a great challenge. i suck at it ;D

burleytog reply :

Nope.

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

Nope. Absolute favorite way to fish.

I do however get a little uneasy feeling about tournaments and bed fishing.

islandbass reply :

I don't have a problem if others do, but I choose not to.

Fish Chris reply :

Thank you island bass. I wish everybody but me, chose not to. Might make it a little bit easier to find giant bass on beds, and put them in my boat

Anyway, the only thing that makes me feel bad about bed fishing, is when I spend several hours on one big fish, and never do get it to come into the boat with me I'll cry over that for days !

Peace,

Fish

koulaid reply :

If you don't catch it others will.

Jig Man reply :

You will hear a lot of yelling about some old boy keeping a few bass to eat but the same guy yelling will stand and take fish off nests all day long.

I think the season should be closed during the spawn in all states.

FishinDaddy reply :

My attention span won't allow m....errrrr...what were we talking about? :-?

I prefer to fish just outside of spawning areas looking for the pre and post fish.

salmicropterus reply :

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i think its a lot of fun and a great challenge. i suck at it ;D

X2 LOL

I'm terrible at sight fishing-I just don't see the fish the way the good anglers do. My technique is to find a bedding area and make longer pitches or casts with a slow sinking bait like a senko or fluke, slightly nose weighted to make it seem like it is diving in on the bed. Also, a Pro-Trap is very effective for this

Lund Explorer reply :

Depending on how much fishing pressure a lake gets, bed fishing can be either very easy, or extremely hard. Most of the lakes that I fish fall into the easy catagory. Smallies are even easier to catch off of their beds because they seem to protect a larger area.

I don't feel bad about it, but I also don't feel challenged by the method. That pretty much takes the fun out of it. While I'm sure that in many places it takes a lot of skill, in this neck of the woods, snatching a trophy off it's bed isn't grounds for bragging.

SausageFingers23 reply :

I personally don't do it.

HookSetDon reply :

our season here in central ontario doesnt open until post spawn which i think is very important, not fishing spawning beds is the same as catch and release fishing, look after our sport now and we'll enjoy it many years to come..

Bigs reply :

going for bedding bass in a tournament can only hurt the bass population especially if you put the buck and the female in the livewell. I fish for bedding bass but throw them right back in so no harm done in most cases

CJ reply :

Unless you are fishing a small pond with very few nice females in it, you can't hurt the population by fishing for spawning bass. More fisheries are effected by "overpopulation". A very small percentage of fry need to survive for a fishery to be stocked for that year.

senile1 reply :

If an angler handles the fish properly and gets it back in the water quickly near the bed, I don't have an issue with it. In most of my lakes, the water is so dingy sight fishing is impossible in most cases though I can fish the area.

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Nope. Absolute favorite way to fish.
I do however get a little uneasy feeling about tournaments and bed fishing.

I have the same uneasiness about tournaments and bed fishing.

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

You can bet your paycheck that if I see a bed, something is getting pitched to it.

CJ reply :

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You can bet your paycheck that if I see a bed, something is getting pitched to it.

I don't think they talkin' about woo.....

senko_77 reply :

So you won't fish for bedding bass, but you will rip a hook in them before they make it to the bed, when they are feeding to give the eggs proper nutrition to develop and also after, when they are exhausted, starving, and in a desperate attempt to gain back lost weight?

The bed fishing debate has always made me laugh because of what I wrote above. Not fishing for bedding bass to "protect" them is the same as getting them before and after IMO.

jdw174 reply :

Doesn't bother me at all, cuz I don't do it. Not sayin' that I've never caught a bass off a bed, but if I did it was by accident.

roadwarrior reply :

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I think the season should be closed during the spawn in all states.

I use to be VERY opposed to bed fishing,

but have been turned around by some of our

most respected members and professional

studies.

Fishing at Lake Fork was an eye opener. We had

the 2nd Annual Roadtrip there four years ago

during spawn. During this period the lake gets

absolutely pounded and literally thousands of

fisherman target beds exclusively. I even got to

watch fivebasslimit and gary pull both

the male and female off a nest.

So what's the point? Lake Fork produces more

big bass for the Texas Lunker Program than all

other lakes combined. The numbers and size,

year after year, speak volumes. Based on this

specific example I am convinced that bed fishing

has ABSOLUTELY NO IMPACT on the bass

population, numbers or size.

8-)

Tin reply :

Every February to May this comes up...

Use the search tool...

Nice_Bass reply :

I dont like it, and dont do it.

No problem if others do it though i dont think it has a huge affect-

I actaully like senko77's logic...never really thought of it that way-

Catt reply :

Roadwarrior nailed it

There are 10 times the numbers studies showing ABSOLUTELY NO IMPACT than there are showing other wise.

Hot Rod reply :

There is nothing wrong with fishing bedding bass according to scientific research.

Here in PA the spawn period is catch and release only and it is illegal "to make repeated casts to a bass that is visibly on a bed/nest."

"repeated" being the key word. I still bed fish but only make one cast at them. That is within the law.

What most people don't realize is that science now shows that bass spawn a lot deeper than once thought. The clearer the water the deeper they can spawn, but 10'+ is not uncommon. My point is there is a lot more spawning going on than what you may perceive in just the "shallows".

grimlin reply :

Immediate release,I have no problem with it. I don't do it either...least not on purpose.

Don't agree with it in tournaments where the fish is kept in live well for a few hours.

We have a Bass season here in the North,where it's suppose to help protect those spawning bass.But like I said,I'm all for immediate release of the bass after caught.So I'm kinda on the 50/50 about our bass season where it's closed to fishing for Bass completely.Which I don't entirely agree with.

Fish Chris reply :

Ya' know, their are a whole lot of anglers out there who will will tell you, "I want to catch a monster bass ! ..... but I want it using this particular method... at this time of year... at this certain place.... etc, etc, etc."

The problem with this kind of thinking, is that its already very hard to catch a giant bass in the first place ! So, when a guy starts putting all kinds of restrictions on himself, before you know it, he has restricted himself right out of the opportunity to reach his goal of catching a giant bass !

People ask me all the time, "How do you catch so many giants" ? Well, of course their are a thousand little things {No silver bullets} however, one of the more important things, is > "Keeping an open mind" !

You don't want to bed fish ? That's fine, but understand that you have just hurt your odds.

Have a problem with live bait ? That's fine too, but you have just knocked your odds down a little more.

Just don't have the patience to get out and throw a BIG swimbait all day, day after day, without getting bit ? Okay, but your still just chopping away at what were already tough odds of catching a giant fish.

13 years ago I decided I was going to start sticking giants, and so I decided I would do anything and everything (legal of course) to reach that goal.

If I were to put it all in the most simple terms, it would be, "I do anything, and everything to maximize my odds at sticking a big fish". Bedfishing is just one of those things.

Fish

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

As long as you release the fish or if both male and female are still on the bed then leave one to protect the bed if you're in a tournament,then release the fish close to where you caught it or the exact spot after the tournament so it can get back faster

Siebert Outdoors reply :

I dont have the patience. I might goof around for a minute or two but thats it. I get bored too quick to watch a fish watch my lure. its like a no blink contest. I lose those too. ;D

Intrepid reply :

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Unless you are fishing a small pond with very few nice females in it, you can't hurt the population by fishing for spawning bass. More fisheries are effected by "overpopulation". A very small percentage of fry need to survive for a fishery to be stocked for that year.

i was thinking about this as i read down the thread to your post, and it rings true to me the more i think about it. i fish a small pond frequently on a farm. i call it my 'test pond' where i test different lures and stuff. bass and bluegill are the only fish in the pond, the bass stay chasing them away from the beds all day long. i catch the same bass over and over all summer in that pond, i know whats in there. its actually rare i see real small baby bass swimming around, so im thinking very few make it, and wonder if its because ive pulled these bass off their beds numerous times the last 3 years, or if because all the babies get ate due to lack of food other than bluegill. i was actually encouraged on sunday when i did see a 5 inch or so bass swimming around, the other fish havent woken up yet as it just iced out last week, but theres this little bugger cruising around looking for something to eat all by himself/herself, i hope it found what it was looking for...but seriously, now im having second thoughts about fishing this small pond while theyre on the beds, i think youre absolutely right when you say bedfishing might only really affect small ponds

bassfisherjk reply :

Nope.

WanderLust reply :

meh... Throwin' em back as soon as I get a photo anyway.

Nice_Bass reply :

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Ya' know, their are a whole lot of anglers out there who will will tell you, "I want to catch a monster bass ! ..... but I want it using this particular method... at this time of year... at this certain place.... etc, etc, etc."
The problem with this kind of thinking, is that its already very hard to catch a giant bass in the first place ! So, when a guy starts putting all kinds of restrictions on himself, before you know it, he has restricted himself right out of the opportunity to reach his goal of catching a giant bass !

People ask me all the time, "How do you catch so many giants" ? Well, of course their are a thousand little things {No silver bullets} however, one of the more important things, is > "Keeping an open mind" !

You don't want to bed fish ? That's fine, but understand that you have just hurt your odds.

Have a problem with live bait ? That's fine too, but you have just knocked your odds down a little more.

Just don't have the patience to get out and throw a BIG swimbait all day, day after day, without getting bit ? Okay, but your still just chopping away at what were already tough odds of catching a giant fish.

13 years ago I decided I was going to start sticking giants, and so I decided I would do anything and everything (legal of course) to reach that goal.

If I were to put it all in the most simple terms, it would be, "I do anything, and everything to maximize my odds at sticking a big fish". Bedfishing is just one of those things.

Fish

I would say fishing in IL decreased my odds...bed fishing not so much. For every fish sitting on a bed there is another fish done or getting ready to. Again, nothing wrong with bed fishing- but I would think that after not eating for a bit during it anyhow that they would be fractions smaller, plus who wants a male when the big girl should be nearby. If your fishing for giants than fractions mean a lot to me between a single and double digit bass. Mostly because I dont have a double...

zero reply :

i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny

nice bass filets

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Fat-G reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Hahahaha x10!!

SENKOSAM reply :

I don't target bed fish. I do target shallow prespawners that haven't nested and are in a real aggressive mood to hit a bait 5' away, especially when it is a surface lure. It's like a torpedo leaving a wake and then exploding!

Each to his own and it's up to the individual to decide if spawn fishing hurts. I have doubts it does hurt the population seeing as how many thousands of fry are born annually. Fish kills and bad spawns happen; disturbing fifty or so females is not going to change the poor fry numbers that may survive that year.

Grey Wolf reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

Gavin reply :

I dont see anything morally wrong with bed fishing, but its not how I choose to play the game. Cheers.

BassThumb reply :

Roadwarrior made a very interesting point. I wonder if it would apply to the small to mid-sized natural lakes that I fish, that are likely a lot less resilient than the Southern bass paradise that is Lake Fork.

I personally have no problem with people bed fishing for bass, just as long as they practice C & R and handle the exhausted fish respectfully after they've been caught. The season in MN doesn't open until Memorial Day weekend to protect the spawners, so it doesn't matter a whole lot anyway. By the time we are able to bass fish, most of the big females are gone, likely recovering in deep water haunts near their beds. I tend to go after the post-spawn females rather than pluck males from their beds. But I do love to spend a few hours on the morning of Opener cruising the beds with my pitching sticks, a few swimjigs, and a pack of Senkos. Last year's Opener was a top 5 trip of the season, and I hope it's like that again this year.

Lund Explorer reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in torunynice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

I'm still trying to figure out what a "toruny" is.

slonezp reply :

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I dont have the patience. I might goof around for a minute or two but thats it. I get bored too quick to watch a fish watch my lure. its like a no blink contest. I lose those too. ;D

X2 Half the time, by the time I see the fish they've seen my ugly mug and make a bee line to safety.

slonezp reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in torunynice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

I'm still trying to figure out what a "toruny" is.

Under cooked eggs

Nixstyx reply :

I think the fact that there is even a discussion about whether to fish for bedded bass shows a lot about the sport. If fishing for bass on beds caused a real problem, it seems like a lot of people wouldn't do it. It is nice to know that most people on this site (and hopefully most anglers) are generally concerned with maintaining quality fisheries.

Personally I do catch bass on beds. I like the challenge of getting a fish to bite something it isn't really interested in eating. But I do my best to return them to the water ASAP, especially in the small ponds.

Intrepid reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

look, i dont eat fish at all, but i have no problem with others keeping fish of any type to eat as long as its within the law(not going above limit, within size slots, etc). it kinda ticks me off when people start complaining about someone legally catching and keeping bass(or any other type of fish, but bass in this scenario). its your choice not to do it, its someone elses right to keep legal bass if they so choose. whether zero wrote is joking or not doesnt even matter. if someone catches a limit of five 10lb+ bass(eggs or no eggs) and keeps them all and its legal, you have no legitimate right to complain about that person, if you want to complain, complain to who made the laws for your state or the body of water youre fishing. i dont keep fish often, only if family or friends want them to eat, and yes some people love the taste of largemouth and even smallmouth bass. i certainly dont expect everyone to agree with me, but its my belief that if someone wants to take some bass home to eat then its their right and you wont hear a word from me chastising them

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

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Quote

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

look, i dont eat fish at all, but i have no problem with others keeping fish of any type to eat as long as its within the law(not going above limit, within size slots, etc). it kinda tickss me off when people start complaining about someone legally catching and keeping bass(or any other type of fish, but bass in this scenario). its your choice not to do it, its someone elses right to keep legal bass if they so choose. whether zero wrote is joking or not doesnt even matter. if someone catches a limit of five 10lb+ bass(eggs or no eggs) and keeps them all and its legal, you have no legitimate right to complain about that person, if you want to complain, complain to who made the laws for your state or the body of water youre fishing. i dont keep fish often, only if family or friends want them to eat, and yes some people love the taste of largemouth and even smallmouth bass. i certainly dont expect everyone to agree with me, but its my belief that if someone wants to take some bass home to eat then its their right and you wont hear a word from me chastising them

Yea...you kinda have the right to complain about it?That's like saying because it's legal to eat dogs in some countries you dont have the right to complain about it because it's not illegal.I dont have a problem if you eat bass,as long as you usually do catch and release.We keep some every now and then.But eating bed fish, that's messed up.

Fish Chris reply :

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But eating bed fish, that's messed up.

Eating a fish caught off of a bed, has the exact same effect as eating that same fish a week, or 6 months before it started spawning !

Either way, if it's a small to medium sized fish, it really doesn't hurt anything.

Now, if it's a giant female, it sucks if a person catches it and kills / eats it off of a bed OR a week, or 6 months before it started spawning.

Do you see what I'm trying to say ????? Big fish are valuable to a fishery (to anyone who is interested in catching big fish, anyway) REGARDLESS of when the fish spawn.

Also (and I say this all the time, but I often wonder if people ever pay any attention to this ?) It doesn't matter if a giant fish produces 100,000 offspring in it's life time > Their are still no guarantees than ANY of those offspring will ever get as big as that one giant female that produced them !!!

Spawn, shwann......

What's REALLY important, is that one giant female that has already beaten incredible odds to get as big as she has !

Oh BTW, somebody (correctly) said earlier, the problem far more often, is too many juvenile bass (over-recruitment) which leads to stunting, rather than not enough (under-recruitment).

Heck, I wish the bed fishing in my lakes did have a stronger effect, in reducing the numbers of juveniles. Fewer fish, means BIGGER fish

Fish

Intrepid reply :

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Quote

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

look, i dont eat fish at all, but i have no problem with others keeping fish of any type to eat as long as its within the law(not going above limit, within size slots, etc). it kinda ticks me off when people start complaining about someone legally catching and keeping bass(or any other type of fish, but bass in this scenario). its your choice not to do it, its someone elses right to keep legal bass if they so choose. whether zero wrote is joking or not doesnt even matter. if someone catches a limit of five 10lb+ bass(eggs or no eggs) and keeps them all and its legal, you have no legitimate right to complain about that person, if you want to complain, complain to who made the laws for your state or the body of water youre fishing. i dont keep fish often, only if family or friends want them to eat, and yes some people love the taste of largemouth and even smallmouth bass. i certainly dont expect everyone to agree with me, but its my belief that if someone wants to take some bass home to eat then its their right and you wont hear a word from me chastising them

Yea...you kinda have the right to complain about it?That's like saying because it's legal to eat dogs in some countries you dont have the right to complain about it because it's not illegal.I dont have a problem if you eat bass,as long as you usually do catch and release.We keep some every now and then.But eating bed fish, that's messed up.

did you even read what i wrote? if you want to complain, complain to the people who make the laws, not the person legally keeping fish within the law as it is, same goes for dogs or any other animal. get it? keeping a few bedding bass in a large body of water isnt going to destroy the fishery for that species(but possibly could in small ponds). this has nothing to do with whether people catch and release sometimes. despite these modern times, some people still fish for food moreso than for pleasure. there sole goal is to put fresh fish on the table. and if they do this within the law, then they shouldnt have to hear criticisms from you or anyone else who bass fish solely for the sport of it, or otherwise. also, whether the fish are bedding or not doesnt matter. by that logic(ie-your logic), no one should ever keep a non-bedding fish to eat because eventually it will bed next spawning season...

Nice_Bass reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

look, i dont eat fish at all, but i have no problem with others keeping fish of any type to eat as long as its within the law(not going above limit, within size slots, etc). it kinda ticks me off when people start complaining about someone legally catching and keeping bass(or any other type of fish, but bass in this scenario). its your choice not to do it, its someone elses right to keep legal bass if they so choose. whether zero wrote is joking or not doesnt even matter. if someone catches a limit of five 10lb+ bass(eggs or no eggs) and keeps them all and its legal, you have no legitimate right to complain about that person, if you want to complain, complain to who made the laws for your state or the body of water youre fishing. i dont keep fish often, only if family or friends want them to eat, and yes some people love the taste of largemouth and even smallmouth bass. i certainly dont expect everyone to agree with me, but its my belief that if someone wants to take some bass home to eat then its their right and you wont hear a word from me chastising them

Yea...you kinda have the right to complain about it?That's like saying because it's legal to eat dogs in some countries you dont have the right to complain about it because it's not illegal.I dont have a problem if you eat bass,as long as you usually do catch and release.We keep some every now and then.But eating bed fish, that's messed up.

did you even read what i wrote? if you want to complain, complain to the people who make the laws, not the person legally keeping fish within the law as it is, same goes for dogs or any other animal. get it? keeping a few bedding bass in a large body of water isnt going to destroy the fishery for that species(but possibly could in small ponds). this has nothing to do with whether people catch and release sometimes. despite these modern times, some people still fish for food moreso than for pleasure. there sole goal is to put fresh fish on the table. and if they do this within the law, then they shouldnt have to hear criticisms from you or anyone else who bass fish solely for the sport of it, or otherwise. also, whether the fish are bedding or not doesnt matter. by that logic(ie-your logic), no one should ever keep a non-bedding fish to eat because eventually it will bed next spawning season...

I think I am sticking my feet in the proverbially fire but here it goes.

Legality and morality are different. If someone keeps and eats bed fish it is 100% legal in most states. That does not mean I also don't reserve the right to call them an idiot. I keep bass only from time to time, but only smaller ones and i don't pitch to beds for them. Sure, someday they will be on a bed again, but they are not when I catch them. If someone eats dogs by all means eat them, but you wont see them do it while they are reproducing or carrying. I think that is the line. Same in deer hunting- you can kill and eat all the mama deer with young you want and no one may ever find out...does not mean you should though even if populations will be okay. Quite frankly it just lacks respect for what you are eating.

Fish are different than mammals, and I am not sure why we are comparing them in the first place.

ROCbass reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

look, i dont eat fish at all, but i have no problem with others keeping fish of any type to eat as long as its within the law(not going above limit, within size slots, etc). it kinda ticks me off when people start complaining about someone legally catching and keeping bass(or any other type of fish, but bass in this scenario). its your choice not to do it, its someone elses right to keep legal bass if they so choose. whether zero wrote is joking or not doesnt even matter. if someone catches a limit of five 10lb+ bass(eggs or no eggs) and keeps them all and its legal, you have no legitimate right to complain about that person, if you want to complain, complain to who made the laws for your state or the body of water youre fishing. i dont keep fish often, only if family or friends want them to eat, and yes some people love the taste of largemouth and even smallmouth bass. i certainly dont expect everyone to agree with me, but its my belief that if someone wants to take some bass home to eat then its their right and you wont hear a word from me chastising them

Yea...you kinda have the right to complain about it?That's like saying because it's legal to eat dogs in some countries you dont have the right to complain about it because it's not illegal.I dont have a problem if you eat bass,as long as you usually do catch and release.We keep some every now and then.But eating bed fish, that's messed up.

did you even read what i wrote? if you want to complain, complain to the people who make the laws, not the person legally keeping fish within the law as it is, same goes for dogs or any other animal. get it? keeping a few bedding bass in a large body of water isnt going to destroy the fishery for that species(but possibly could in small ponds). this has nothing to do with whether people catch and release sometimes. despite these modern times, some people still fish for food moreso than for pleasure. there sole goal is to put fresh fish on the table. and if they do this within the law, then they shouldnt have to hear criticisms from you or anyone else who bass fish solely for the sport of it, or otherwise. also, whether the fish are bedding or not doesnt matter. by that logic(ie-your logic), no one should ever keep a non-bedding fish to eat because eventually it will bed next spawning season...

I think I am sticking my feet in the proverbially fire but here it goes.

Legality and morality are different. If someone keeps and eats bed fish it is 100% legal in most states. That does not mean I also don't reserve the right to call them an idiot. I keep bass only from time to time, but only smaller ones and i don't pitch to beds for them. Sure, someday they will be on a bed again, but they are not when I catch them. If someone eats dogs by all means eat them, but you wont see them do it while they are reproducing or carrying. I think that is the line. Same in deer hunting- you can kill and eat all the mama deer with young you want and no one may ever find out...does not mean you should though even if populations will be okay. Quite frankly it just lacks respect for what you are eating.

Fish are different than mammals, and I am not sure why we are comparing them in the first place.

Actually, it's not the same in deer hunting at all. Most hunting seasons occur during and immediately after the rut, or breeding season, and taking does is encouraged in areas with high populations. I'm not sure how taking a doe that could be pregnant and/or has a fawn from the previous year shows a lack of respect for what you are eating. By this logic, eating eggs would be disrespectful as well.

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

Man, I love eggs almost as much as I like bed fishing.

You are right though, different situations.

Nice_Bass reply :

Man...we are getting way too hypothetical here. I eat baby cow at least once a month. Looks like I am pulling a NIMBY and need to leave it alone...to each his own.

J Francho reply :

These threads always spiral emotionally out of control.

I don't feel bad. Period. I've seen bass on beds as late as July up here. I've also seen guys that claim not to target bedding bass drag a tube in 12' of water for smallies in Lake Ontario. They are catching bedding smallmouth without realizing it.

Do you think that I'm passing a fish up because its bedding? No way, if it's a big one. We have a short enough season as it is, why limit your possibilities?

I also strongly agree with Fish Chris on this one. If you remove a big fish from the system, its gone forever. Its never getting bigger, and the chances of another one taking its place are slim.

JigMe reply :

Are we still on bass fishing?

Munkin reply :

I just snag them with a 4/0 treble hook as it is easier than getting them to bite.

Allen

Intrepid reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

look, i dont eat fish at all, but i have no problem with others keeping fish of any type to eat as long as its within the law(not going above limit, within size slots, etc). it kinda ticks me off when people start complaining about someone legally catching and keeping bass(or any other type of fish, but bass in this scenario). its your choice not to do it, its someone elses right to keep legal bass if they so choose. whether zero wrote is joking or not doesnt even matter. if someone catches a limit of five 10lb+ bass(eggs or no eggs) and keeps them all and its legal, you have no legitimate right to complain about that person, if you want to complain, complain to who made the laws for your state or the body of water youre fishing. i dont keep fish often, only if family or friends want them to eat, and yes some people love the taste of largemouth and even smallmouth bass. i certainly dont expect everyone to agree with me, but its my belief that if someone wants to take some bass home to eat then its their right and you wont hear a word from me chastising them

Yea...you kinda have the right to complain about it?That's like saying because it's legal to eat dogs in some countries you dont have the right to complain about it because it's not illegal.I dont have a problem if you eat bass,as long as you usually do catch and release.We keep some every now and then.But eating bed fish, that's messed up.

did you even read what i wrote? if you want to complain, complain to the people who make the laws, not the person legally keeping fish within the law as it is, same goes for dogs or any other animal. get it? keeping a few bedding bass in a large body of water isnt going to destroy the fishery for that species(but possibly could in small ponds). this has nothing to do with whether people catch and release sometimes. despite these modern times, some people still fish for food moreso than for pleasure. there sole goal is to put fresh fish on the table. and if they do this within the law, then they shouldnt have to hear criticisms from you or anyone else who bass fish solely for the sport of it, or otherwise. also, whether the fish are bedding or not doesnt matter. by that logic(ie-your logic), no one should ever keep a non-bedding fish to eat because eventually it will bed next spawning season...

I think I am sticking my feet in the proverbially fire but here it goes.

Legality and morality are different. If someone keeps and eats bed fish it is 100% legal in most states. That does not mean I also don't reserve the right to call them an idiot. I keep bass only from time to time, but only smaller ones and i don't pitch to beds for them. Sure, someday they will be on a bed again, but they are not when I catch them. If someone eats dogs by all means eat them, but you wont see them do it while they are reproducing or carrying. I think that is the line. Same in deer hunting- you can kill and eat all the mama deer with young you want and no one may ever find out...does not mean you should though even if populations will be okay. Quite frankly it just lacks respect for what you are eating.

Fish are different than mammals, and I am not sure why we are comparing them in the first place.

if morality had anything to do with it then you probably wouldnt be sticking fish with hooks in the first place...

warwickforlife reply :

I love bed fishing. It's always a thrill to see a big fish just cruising around. I catch them, and if it's a big one, I snap a quick photo and right back in they go.

The Deer analogy was awful...I always go for at least one doe before I take a buck. One buck can impregnate an entire herd. Population does'nt go down if I don't shoot does! Like the previous poster said, less of a population means a healthier and in turn, a bigger population. Good for both White Tail and Large Mouth!

Nice_Bass reply :

Quote
I love bed fishing. It's always a thrill to see a big fish just cruising around. I catch them, and if it's a big one, I snap a quick photo and right back in they go.
The Deer analogy was awful...I always go for at least one doe before I take a buck. One buck can impregnate an entire herd. Population does'nt go down if I don't shoot does! Like the previous poster said, less of a population means a healthier and in turn, a bigger population. Good for both White Tail and Large Mouth!

you missed the point. A creature with young- not just a female by itself...Quite frankly I hunt for meat- dont really get the thrill of killing a buck for the number i get to associate it with... i only hunt doe's here in IL.

RoLo reply :

"Bed-fishing", just like "live-bait fishing", comes with an undeserved stigma.

Oddly enough, bed-fishing & live-bait fishing are both very difficult techniques to master.

Any angler who thinks that bed-fishing is easy, ought to give it a whirl.

In many cases, blind fishing for pre-spawn & post-spawn bass will offer much better odds.

In any case, I'd be less than honest if I said that I never feel pangs of guilt.

At nearly every bass bed you find, you will notice several cruising baitfish.

To be sure, the moment you remove the steward those baitfish will be dining on bass eggs.

Nevertheless, this is just a human reaction but in the grand scheme, it has never

been shown that bed-fishing causes measurable damage to the bass population.

In fact, nest-fishing may actually play into increasing the growth rate of bass.

Roger

Steve_IA reply :

Quote
I prefer to fish just outside of spawning areas looking for the pre and post fish.

May I board your boat, Sir?

steve

BadBassWV reply :

I can see how people would think that bed fishing would increase the growth rate for the existing bass, but it seems it would hurt the overall population. Anytime man screws with nature it changes the outcome.

Pa Angler reply :

I don't mind although it's illegal to do so in PA.

Tight Lines

Pa Angler

Scorcher214 reply :

I don't care. I am mainly a shore fisherman and spring is the only time i can get in on some good bassin. The Michigan bass season is open 3rd week in april, but i go out a little earlier. What they gonna do? Ticket me? I'll just say i was fishing for pike.

Fish Chris reply :

BadBass

Quote
I can see how people would think that bed fishing would increase the growth rate for the existing bass, but it seems it would hurt the overall population

It might "reduce" the overall population..... but that is not neccessarily to say, it would "hurt" the population. If the lake is suffering from over-recruitment / over-population, then "reducing" the overall population would be a benefit..... especially to anyone wanting to catch bigger, healthier fish.

Fish

dday07 reply :

standing over a fish for an hour instigating it to take something it knows is not a fish but bites anyway because it's still an intruder is not my ideal of fishing

royal0014 reply :

Have I done it? No. Would I do it? Yes.... but I wouldn't cast to every bed I could find.

Actually, it has been my experience that if you can see the fish, they see you, and won't bite. But then, I'm fairly new to the game :-[

Big Bait Fishing reply :

bed fishing is lame , there is no sport in it .. why don't you use dynamite , that'll get you a lot of fish : : :

Big Bait Fishing reply :

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standing over a fish for an hour instigating it to take something it knows is not a fish but bites anyway because it's still an intruder is not my ideal of fishing

exactly , i know it won't hurt the bass population , don't care if it's a 20 lb. fish , it's just not very sporting i mean come on , you could throw a carrot with a hook on it and catch a bedding bass with it , is that sporting ????? :-? :

mferris reply :

i'm not against it as long as the bass is released right away and not taken away from it's bed.i don't like to be taken away from my bed either!!!!!!!!!!

South FLA reply :

Not at all, but I leave bedding bass alone in my backyard.

David S. reply :

I'm just curious how many of you that hunt and fish who said they would not fish the beds also refuse to hunt the rut. I have never heard anyone say they would not hunt the rut but its the one time of the year that the bucks are distracted by competition. Also, if you won't fish a bed do you refuse to hunt post rut when the does are pregnant????

Just a thought.

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

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i do target them and i keep those when i am not in toruny
nice bass filets

Even if that is intended as a joke, it's dumb.

You no funny...

Zero is pathetic at times and this is one of those times.

look, i dont eat fish at all, but i have no problem with others keeping fish of any type to eat as long as its within the law(not going above limit, within size slots, etc). it kinda ticks me off when people start complaining about someone legally catching and keeping bass(or any other type of fish, but bass in this scenario). its your choice not to do it, its someone elses right to keep legal bass if they so choose. whether zero wrote is joking or not doesnt even matter. if someone catches a limit of five 10lb+ bass(eggs or no eggs) and keeps them all and its legal, you have no legitimate right to complain about that person, if you want to complain, complain to who made the laws for your state or the body of water youre fishing. i dont keep fish often, only if family or friends want them to eat, and yes some people love the taste of largemouth and even smallmouth bass. i certainly dont expect everyone to agree with me, but its my belief that if someone wants to take some bass home to eat then its their right and you wont hear a word from me chastising them

Yea...you kinda have the right to complain about it?That's like saying because it's legal to eat dogs in some countries you dont have the right to complain about it because it's not illegal.I dont have a problem if you eat bass,as long as you usually do catch and release.We keep some every now and then.But eating bed fish, that's messed up.

did you even read what i wrote? if you want to complain, complain to the people who make the laws, not the person legally keeping fish within the law as it is, same goes for dogs or any other animal. get it? keeping a few bedding bass in a large body of water isnt going to destroy the fishery for that species(but possibly could in small ponds). this has nothing to do with whether people catch and release sometimes. despite these modern times, some people still fish for food moreso than for pleasure. there sole goal is to put fresh fish on the table. and if they do this within the law, then they shouldnt have to hear criticisms from you or anyone else who bass fish solely for the sport of it, or otherwise. also, whether the fish are bedding or not doesnt matter. by that logic(ie-your logic), no one should ever keep a non-bedding fish to eat because eventually it will bed next spawning season...

I just dont like how you said you "don't have the right to complain about it".If you dont like it you can complain about it,and most people on here dont like the idea of keeping a bedding bass.

Grey Wolf reply :

Quote
I'm just curious how many of you that hunt and fish who said they would not fish the beds also refuse to hunt the rut. I have never heard anyone say they would not hunt the rut but its the one time of the year that the bucks are distracted by competition. Also, if you won't fish a bed do you refuse to hunt post rut when the does are pregnant????
Just a thought.

This is a fishing site not hunting. A Whole different set of rules for hunting. Just saying.

Senkoman12 reply :

im not against it. in fact i love to fish spawn. i love to fish beds. its legal. any of you have a problem about it, too bad

marinetech reply :

I have caught a few off beds but do not go out just to target them. I would never remove one from its bedding area and take it to a weigh in , don't agree with that. JMO

grimboy reply :

I see nothing wrong with bed fishing ,and i do not belive it hurts the populaton of bass.They have to compete with so many other things then just man,and taken them of beds and realeaseing them is no big deal.

hookingem reply :

I feel bad when I cant convince her to engulf my lure!

10165

Does anybody feel bad targeting bedding bass? 2024

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