Kill The Bass! 2025
BrianSnat reply :
I'm heading up to the Adirondacks this week for a paddle/camping trip. I've heard the bass fishing is good at my destination (Bog River and Lows Lake), so I'm bringing my rod and tackle.
I was cruising the Internet trying to get some info on how to fish the area as I've never bass fished in a the Adirondacks before.
What I learned was a surprise. People suggesting that all bass caught be kept. One person who said he catches bass there and tosses them in the bush for the raccoons and bear to eat. Bass are a considered a pest and an invasive by the locals. Apparently the lake and river were a top notch brook trout fishery until someone introduced bass in the not too distant past. The bass have thrived to the detriment of the trout.
As someone who has always practiced catch and release, I'm still hesitant to keep any bass I catch, but at least for once I can probably grill up some bass for dinner without feeling a tinge of guilt.
Anybody else ever hear of a situation where bass were an unwelcome species?
NBR reply :
No! I have never heard of a location where bass were considered pests. I do know of private and public lakes where the owners and DNR ask that fish be taken home since the lakes are over stocked. I'd ask the NY DNR what their position is on destroying the bass. Local opinion with out scientific studies are rarely correct.
J Francho reply :
The ADKs have several highly managed/controlled lakes. Brook trout are a rapidly disappearing species, often easily displaced by non endemic species. It's just a single lake management thing. There are other lakes in the park that are totally bass friendly. Upper Saranac,Black Lake, Cranberry, Raquette, Butterfield, etc. are a few good bass lakes.
J Francho reply :
Here's the NY DEC's list of reclaimed trout ponds:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/64503.html
Hooligan reply :
On 9/23/2011 at 9:33 PM, briansnat said:Anybody else ever hear of a situation where bass were an unwelcome species?
You mean, like most of Japan?
WRB reply :
Back in the early 70's bass were considered trash fish in the state of Washington everywhere except the Columbia river area. It was common for anglers to tell you to kill every bass. Time tends to change how anglers think about one species verses another.
Today in California it's lake Tahoe experiencing smallmouth bass and the trout fishing community is going nuts...kill those dam bass.
Tom
South FLA reply :
Get your recipes ready 
J Francho reply :
Trout fisherman up here are all catch and release, but the smallies they catch, those go on a rope - blows my mind. It's all about perspective.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 9/24/2011 at 4:28 AM, Hooligan said:You mean, like most of Japan?
That was the first thing that came to my mind. Pretty sure it's even illegal to release them in Japan like it is with a snakehead or asian carp here.
islandbass reply :
On 9/24/2011 at 5:32 AM, WRB said:Back in the early 70's bass were considered trash fish in the state of Washington everywhere except the Columbia river area. It was common for anglers to tell you to kill every bass. Time tends to change how anglers think about one species verses another.
Today in California it's lake Tahoe experiencing smallmouth bass and the trout fishing community is going nuts...kill those dam bass.
Tom
You beat me to it. Some people still think that.
J Francho is is 100% right about it being perspective.
SirSnookalot reply :
There are always some that look down at what other's fish for. I've seen many a trout fisherman snub a bass or pike fisherman, even look down at saltwater anglers. Some bass fishermen look down their noses at walleye anglers, I don't understand it but to each their own. We catch fish down here some call trash, I call them sport, hard fighting that will test your skill and your equipment, some are horrible to eat and others absolutely delicious. There are trash fish I'd rather catch than gamefish, I'm there for the fun of it.
Lund Explorer reply :
Even the trout fishermen can't agree amongst themselves. Go to Yellowstone and try releasing a lake trout there.
Quillback reply :
I lived in Washington state for 20 years. Trout fishing is very popular there, much more so than bass fishing. The state stocks millions of trout every year at considerable expense. Some of the lakes are managed as trout only lakes, it is possible to stock fingerling trout in these lakes and have them reach catchable size the next year, it saves the state quite a bit of money to do that instead of stocking catchable sized fish. But if bass get introduced into a trout only lake, they will eat all the trout fingerlings. So the state ends up having to use rotenone to kill all the fish to get rid of the bass. It's not just a "perspective" thing, springtime trout fishing is hugely popular in Wa during the spring, it creates quite a positive economic impact for local communities that are close to the lakes.
MAD reply :
Ask someone from AK what they do to Northern Pike. In some rivers it is illegal to release a pike. Also, many reports of bass anglers killing muskies around here because they eat all the bass. Like J Francho said it's all perspective.
Mike
zenyoungkoh reply :
On 9/24/2011 at 1:55 PM, Bluebasser86 said:That was the first thing that came to my mind. Pretty sure it's even illegal to release them in Japan like it is with a snakehead or asian carp here.
Nope! you are wrong! Bass are unwelcome is natural lakes, but they are stocked pretty often in larger artificial impoundments of water. Catch & release is very common in Japan, even in big natural lakes like Biwa.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 9/25/2011 at 2:56 AM, zenyoungkoh said:Nope! you are wrong! Bass are unwelcome is natural lakes, but they are stocked pretty often in larger artificial impoundments of water. Catch & release is very common in Japan, even in big natural lakes like Biwa.
Has it changed since they published this article in Bassmaster? Or is it just in this particular lake?
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/37957024/Manabu-Kurita-New-World-Record-Largemouth-Bass
That's good news if they have since Japan obviously has great big fish potential.
zenyoungkoh reply :
On 9/25/2011 at 1:30 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Has it changed since they published this article in Bassmaster? Or is it just in this particular lake?
http://www.docstoc.c...Largemouth-Bass
That's good news if they have since Japan obviously has great big fish potential.
The article was talking about lake biwa. Biwa is a natural lake. Although its 'illegal' many pros, manufacturers, guides have special permission to release the bass. Many regular bass fisherman also do 'boatside release'. LOL
fishermantony reply :
On 9/24/2011 at 9:37 PM, Quillback said:I lived in Washington state for 20 years. Trout fishing is very popular there, much more so than bass fishing. The state stocks millions of trout every year at considerable expense. Some of the lakes are managed as trout only lakes, it is possible to stock fingerling trout in these lakes and have them reach catchable size the next year, it saves the state quite a bit of money to do that instead of stocking catchable sized fish. But if bass get introduced into a trout only lake, they will eat all the trout fingerlings. So the state ends up having to use rotenone to kill all the fish to get rid of the bass. It's not just a "perspective" thing, springtime trout fishing is hugely popular in Wa during the spring, it creates quite a positive economic impact for local communities that are close to the lakes.
Very true, bass are certainly not the most popular fish here. Many times I'll be the only bass fisherman on the water. I went to a Walmart in Texas and I felt like I was in BPS, I saw things I had never seen before. Very different from the Walmarts around here that are geared toward trout fisherman. But, with all that said, I've been here for 10 years and hope I never leave, you can fish for bass almost any way you want.
NorcalBassin reply :
I hear ya Tony... spent a week up your way this summer and seemed to be one of just a couple bass boats on the water. I have to admit that it was a nice change from NoCal.
SirSnookalot reply :
You wouldn't know it by the representation on this forum, but in reality I see very few bass fisherman as compared to saltwater in South Florida. Outside of BR I do not know 1 bass fisherman in Florida.
oteymc reply :
QuoteAlso, many reports of bass anglers killing muskies around here because they eat all the bass.
That's interesting, the Indiana DNR have been stocking Muskie in a lot of the lakes around here that are overrun with gizzard shad in lieu of killing all of the fish off because they supposedly seldom prey on LM bass, Crappie, and Blue Gill. Maybe that's only when there's an abundance of shad.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 9/28/2011 at 6:44 AM, oteymc said:That's interesting, the Indiana DNR have been stocking Muskie in a lot of the lakes around here that are overrun with gizzard shad in lieu of killing all of the fish off because they supposedly seldom prey on LM bass, Crappie, and Blue Gill. Maybe that's only when there's an abundance of shad.
I think that similar to guys that kill alligator gar because they "eat all the bass" despite several studies that have been done that show bass make up less than 1% of the gars diet. I'm sure muskie do eat some of the bass but not like they eat shad, suckers, carp, walleye, and perch. You get a group of ignorant people together like that and they can be dangerous when they decide to be self made fisheries biologist.
Hooligan reply :
On 9/25/2011 at 2:56 AM, zenyoungkoh said:Nope! you are wrong! Bass are unwelcome is natural lakes, but they are stocked pretty often in larger artificial impoundments of water. Catch & release is very common in Japan, even in big natural lakes like Biwa.
I used Japan as the instance because of it's stand on natural fisheries. Much as in the original post, that's all.
mrjjangles reply :
On 9/27/2011 at 2:24 PM, SirSnookalot said:You wouldn't know it by the representation on this forum, but in reality I see very few bass fisherman as compared to saltwater in South Florida. Outside of BR I do not know 1 bass fisherman in Florida.
Well now you know 2! I just moved to Polk County from central Ohio and love the bass fishing. My largest so far since moving here is a 7 pounder (3lbs larger than my largest of the year in Ohio) caught on a buzzbait at 11:00pm!! 
SirSnookalot reply :
On 10/4/2011 at 11:12 AM, mrjjangles said:Well now you know 2! I just moved to Polk County from central Ohio and love the bass fishing. My largest so far since moving here is a 7 pounder (3lbs larger than my largest of the year in Ohio) caught on a buzzbait at 11:00pm!!
As I say I see few if any bass fisherman, everyone I know strictly fishes saltwater. In my area of Florida just about every trailered boat I see is an offshore boat, this part of Florida the emphasis is not on bass.
That does not mean I don't enjoy bass fishing, I do, it's relaxing and a nice break from my normal routine.
Big Fish Rice reply :
On 9/24/2011 at 9:37 PM, Quillback said:I lived in Washington state for 20 years. Trout fishing is very popular there, much more so than bass fishing. The state stocks millions of trout every year at considerable expense. Some of the lakes are managed as trout only lakes, it is possible to stock fingerling trout in these lakes and have them reach catchable size the next year, it saves the state quite a bit of money to do that instead of stocking catchable sized fish. But if bass get introduced into a trout only lake, they will eat all the trout fingerlings. So the state ends up having to use rotenone to kill all the fish to get rid of the bass. It's not just a "perspective" thing, springtime trout fishing is hugely popular in Wa during the spring, it creates quite a positive economic impact for local communities that are close to the lakes.
Going through this right now as our local Biologist will be killing off my favorite lake within 3 years. The trout anglers get upset because their fishing conditions are too tough.
It makes me sick just thinking about WA state killing these bass. I've caught numerous 5-6lb fish that could easily be replanted at other area lakes. They're 15 years old - at least give us bass anglers something to look forward to as well.
I'm not against trout ina any way possible, but it's sad that the majorit of trout anglers don't give the bass guys and gals the same respect.
Perspective is right. It all depends on where your interest sits.
fishermantony reply :
On 10/5/2011 at 6:45 AM, DanielR said:Going through this right now as our local Biologist will be killing off my favorite lake within 3 years. The trout anglers get upset because their fishing conditions are too tough.
It makes me sick just thinking about WA state killing these bass. I've caught numerous 5-6lb fish that could easily be replanted at other area lakes. They're 15 years old - at least give us bass anglers something to look forward to as well.
I'm not against trout ina any way possible, but it's sad that the majorit of trout anglers don't give the bass guys and gals the same respect.
Perspective is right. It all depends on where your interest sits.
What lake are you speaking of if you dont mind me asking? Hope it isn't one that I fish.
Big Fish Rice reply :
On 10/5/2011 at 11:04 AM, fishermantony said:What lake are you speaking of if you dont mind me asking? Hope it isn't one that I fish.
Badger Lake, south of Spokane.
fishermantony reply :
On 10/5/2011 at 11:28 AM, DanielR said:Badger Lake, south of Spokane.
Awe man, one of my favorites! Let me know if there is anything I can do to help the cause.
Chaz Hickcox reply :
On 9/27/2011 at 2:24 PM, SirSnookalot said:You wouldn't know it by the representation on this forum, but in reality I see very few bass fisherman as compared to saltwater in South Florida. Outside of BR I do not know 1 bass fisherman in Florida.
Same here in Virginia Beach. If you are primarily a fresh water guy such as myself you are actually kind of snubbed at local tackle shops. The bass fishing scene here is pretty small and everyone knows each other. Hell, if you want to go to a bass boat dealership around here you have to drive a few hours to get there (other than BPS in Hampton). Even the BPS sucks as far as fresh water goes. It's all about the salt around here.
Speaking of perspective, in the Colorado River System they stocked Stripers a while back. The deep cool water in Lake Powell was so conducive to their habits that they all but annihilated the shad populations, which negatively effected the SMB and LMB populations. Now there is no bag or size limits on stripers. I remember being a kid and fishing cut bait by the dam and we'd bring in 20+ stripers for a cookout at the campground. So in reality it depends on the fishery and ecosystem. Bass can be a detriment to trout populations, therefore, if you are trying to build a trophy trout fishery then yes bass need to be removed. However, throwing them in a bush is wasteful of such a good eating fish. IMO.
urp reply :
Oregon is another state not altogether pleased with bass. Many previously pristine trout fisheries have seen the illegal introduction of bass, both large and small, but they've pretty much given up trying to fight it. They have given up a lot of fingerling stocking and instead stock a little larger trout so the bass don't feed on them. They do now have laws regulating bass harvest but the laws are not enforced because bass are not a native fish.
basscatcher8 reply :
I know this is a bass forum, but i heard that some walleye made it into the white river in arkansas that were making life difficult for the trout guys. This was heresay from a couple fisherman down there on the river was just wondering if anybody else had heard anything about this. I kinda want to go down there and fish the river for walleye myself now lol.
Fish Chris reply :
Chuckles 
I'll tell you what I find funny about this, is that by removing all of the bass caught, you will end up with a smaller population of bass > but the bass that are left, will have more food and available habitat, only helping them to get bigger, and to be an even worse threat to those Brook trout
....and I'd be out there throwing a Hud in Brook trout pattern 
LOL
Fish
00 mod reply :
On 1/24/2012 at 1:29 AM, basscatcher8 said:I know this is a bass forum, but i heard that some walleye made it into the white river in arkansas that were making life difficult for the trout guys. This was heresay from a couple fisherman down there on the river was just wondering if anybody else had heard anything about this. I kinda want to go down there and fish the river for walleye myself now lol.
I do know that when they open the flood gates, some walleye as well as other species do come in to the river. All of the guides will remove them if caught. You will not find great amounts of them, or likely even be successful targeting them. I have only ever caught trout(all 4), river suckers, and 1 hybrid bass. Guide said it was the first one caught in his boat in 36 years of guiding on the river, and he promptly smacked it in the head with a mallet, and put it in the livewell.
Jeff
basscatcher8 reply :
On 1/24/2012 at 10:52 AM, 00 mod said:I do know that when they open the flood gates, some walleye as well as other species do come in to the river. All of the guides will remove them if caught. You will not find great amounts of them, or likely even be successful targeting them. I have only ever caught trout(all 4), river suckers, and 1 hybrid bass. Guide said it was the first one caught in his boat in 36 years of guiding on the river, and he promptly smacked it in the head with a mallet, and put it in the livewell.
Jeff
Yeah I have only ever caught trout there myself. Still would be cool if some walleye could survive and thrive in there. I just dont know if they could handle it when the water gets real low and clear.
weezy109 reply :
I saw a Hank Parker episode where he was on a small private lake and they encouraged taking out crappie to help the bass. How does that work? Crappie is a forage species for bass and would only be detrimental to fry right?
J Francho reply :
Crappie are super efficient nest raiders. They physically designed for decimating fry. If rule number one for a good bass pond is to actually have bass in it, then rule number two is no crappie, lol.
weezy109 reply :
That is interesting, is it just really small lake phenomenon because most of the successful bass fisheries that i know of are also successful crappie lakes. On the same topic is the types of bluegill you can put into that type of pond/lake important?
Lund Explorer reply :
On 1/24/2012 at 12:59 PM, weezy109 said:That is interesting, is it just really small lake phenomenon because most of the successful bass fisheries that i know of are also successful crappie lakes. On the same topic is the types of bluegill you can put into that type of pond/lake important?
In this area both bass and crappie are natural co-habitants in most lakes. In the few lakes where I know that crappie have been introduced by man, as their population grows, the quality of bass and bluegill have suffered. Crappie are not only successful nest raiders, but also feed on the same forage base that smaller bass and/or larger bluegill feed on. I would think that it is this competition for a forage base that reduces the bass' ability to grow to its potential.
weezy109 reply :
Are those lakes small lakes? Most of the places i fish are man made so there are no native fish really, most all of them are stocked species, I guess you count what was in the river prior to the dam being built as true natives though.On 1/24/2012 at 4:50 PM, Lund Explorer said:In this area both bass and crappie are natural co-habitants in most lakes. In the few lakes where I know that crappie have been introduced by man, as their population grows, the quality of bass and bluegill have suffered. Crappie are not only successful nest raiders, but also feed on the same forage base that smaller bass and/or larger bluegill feed on. I would think that it is this competition for a forage base that reduces the bass' ability to grow to its potential.
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 1/24/2012 at 4:54 PM, weezy109 said:Are those lakes small lakes? Most of the places i fish are man made so there are no native fish really, most all of them are stocked species, I guess you count what was in the river prior to the dam being built as true natives though.
i have to believe its a small lake thing for the most part. ive always heard crappie will take over a small body of water. they compete with the bass for the same food, i think thats more of a problem than them being nest raiders. think about it, if they didnt raid the nests in smaller bodies of water then you would just have that much more undersized bass. in larger bodies of water there is more food and more room for the bass and crappie to spread out, i dont think crappie affect the bass near as much in larger bodies of water...
J Francho reply :
On 1/24/2012 at 12:59 PM, weezy109 said:That is interesting, is it just really small lake phenomenon because most of the successful bass fisheries that i know of are also successful crappie lakes. On the same topic is the types of bluegill you can put into that type of pond/lake important?
Smaller waters. I'm not sure about blue gill species, but I bet it comes down to geography/climate.
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