Pa Anglers - Bed Fishing Warning... Its Illegal 2024
jhoffman reply :
"NOTE: It is not a violation of the bass regulations if a bass is immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken. It is unlawful for an angler to cast repeatedly into a clearly visible bass spawning nest or redd in an effort to catch or take bass."
http://fishandboat.com/fishpub/summary/inland.html
flyfisher reply :
Interesting but good to know.....
central.PA.bass reply :
I believe this should only be while bass is out of season, correct?
flyfisher reply :
I read it as it doesn't matter what the season is but i would guess that the closed season coincides with when yo uwould most likely see bass on the beds.
jhoffman reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 12:00 AM, flyfisher said:I read it as it doesn't matter what the season is but i would guess that the closed season coincides with when yo uwould most likely see bass on the beds.
Exactly
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Bed fishing is not illegal.
Bed fishing while making repeated casts is illegal. Doesnt mean I can't pitch to it and let it soak.
jhoffman reply :
You swing and miss, chuck it in there again you are in trouble... technically.
Im not gonna lie, I have fished for bass on beds, repeated casts. I never knew this law was in effect.
State has whack laws in fishing and hunting.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I'm there with you, just stating my argument if I were to ever get called on it.
I've let a bait sit in a bed for quite some time on a single cast. Honestly, the guys around here are pretty cool especially if they know you are releasing the fish.
Oddly enough, my biggest bass have been caught in July and August. The one in my avatar is a fish from the end of July. I would LOVE to see her sitting on a bed at the beginning of May. No telling how big she might be.
J Francho reply :
Probably another reason I see so many PA plates up here.
Here's you answer to not making repeated casts: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html
flyfisher reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 1:34 AM, J Francho said:Probably another reason I see so many PA plates up here.
Here's you answer to not making repeated casts: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html
You are definitely getting your use out of that link here lately 
Great article to by the way and it helped me to catch my PB last spring
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
LOL, I was thinking of posting that as I just read it the other day.
Good stuff.
May I also add that "making repeated casts" IMO is not the same as casting beyond the bed from multiple angles and dragging it throug the area. The laws are so ambiguous here that they would not likely hold up too well if challenged.
J Francho reply :
PA has some delicate fisheries, definitely not as robust as the Finger Lakes and Great Lakes up here. Some of those fisheries can easily be damaged by bed fishing, or that's the perception anyway. Susky, Juni, etc.... Some go NUTZ if they hear you were fishing beds. A biologist told me that 70% of the population do not spawn. Where are those fish? Just beyond the beds, lol.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I'll show you places where they spawn 
jhoffman reply :
My local lake recieves no bass stocking of any kind due to such high natural reproduction
J Francho reply :
Outside of the initial stock, most waters do not require stocking.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 2:39 AM, J Francho said:Outside of the initial stock, most waters do not require stocking.
I meant the rivers where they say spawning doesnt happen or is suffering. I beg to differ....
J Francho reply :
Oh, I know. It can be a sensitive topic, though.
Dwight Hottle reply :
In Pa on lake erie waters the bass season is open all year. Just a change in bag limits during possible spawning period. Most of the inland lakes & rivers/streams do have a closed season April 13th thru June 14th.
Flyfisher
QuoteI read it as it doesn't matter what the season is but i would guess that the closed season coincides with when yo uwould most likely see bass on the beds.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I'm really glad it's not like Canada or some of the states where the season is actually CLOSED to fishing for bass. That would be no bueno. Someone may get hurt. 
flyfisher reply :
I am pretty sure there are places that are closed in PA where you cannot target bass....The susky comes to mind as i know i try and fish with my dad up there a few times a year and we always wait until after the closed season to plan our trips but by then the water levels are usually so low he can't even take his jet boat so we are stuck paddling the kayaks
On 4/5/2013 at 8:37 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I'm really glad it's not like Canada or some of the states where the season is actually CLOSED to fishing for bass. That would be no bueno. Someone may get hurt.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Not that I am aware of.
They have times and areas that are closed to tournaments, but that's about it. Catch and release is good year round AFAIK.
J Francho reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 9:03 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:Not that I am aware of.
They have times and areas that are closed to tournaments, but that's about it. Catch and release is good year round AFAIK.
The Susky is closed in several counties from May 1 - Jun 14.
http://fishandboat.com/fishpub/summary/bass_cr.htm
QuoteDuring the closed season, it is unlawful to target or attempt to catch a bass. A bass that is accidentally caught during the closed season must be immediately released unharmed without being removed from the water. It is unlawful to possess bass in, on or along these waters.
flyfisher reply :
I think it is because they consider it a trophy bass area or something. I am sure i coudl go out ther and say i am targeting a different species but i figure it isn't worth the hassle and i would feel guilty.... lol
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Ah, that would be why I didnt know it was closed. I'm fishing other areas and lakes during that time. Really only fish in there during winter (warmwater discharge) and summer (great wading with low water).
That's the imaginary "threatened" area they talk about.
flyfisher reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 9:40 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:Ah, that would be why I didnt know it was closed. I'm fishing other areas and lakes during that time. Really only fish in there during winter (warmwater discharge) and summer (great wading with low water).
That's the imaginary "threatened" area they talk about.
For a threatened area i wil ltell you it sure produces some monster fish...lol They can keep calling it threatened as long as they want to, especially if it keeps people away.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Exactly!
Hit me up sometime if you guys make it up this way. I can show you some other areas if you like. I can take another guy on my boat if it's just one of you.
ColdSVT reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 1:34 AM, J Francho said:Probably another reason I see so many PA plates up here.
Here's you answer to not making repeated casts: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html
or because you are not far from some of the best smally fishin in the northeast!
J Francho reply :
Largies, smallies, trout - it's all good. Plenty to go around.
flyfisher reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 10:16 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:Exactly!
Hit me up sometime if you guys make it up this way. I can show you some other areas if you like. I can take another guy on my boat if it's just one of you.
Will do. Thanks for the offer.
Sun Fish reply :
Officer, I was casting at that big pickerel over there! Didn't even know that was a bed!
Megastink reply :
And that's why my club fishes the Upper Chesapeake....
robdob reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 2:33 AM, jhoffman said:My local lake recieves no bass stocking of any kind due to such high natural reproduction
hardly any lakes get stocked with bass.. unless they were drained and refilled or some unique situation like that. maybe one out of every 300 "bass" lakes actually requires stocking
SuskyDude reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 3:09 AM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I meant the rivers where they say spawning doesnt happen or is suffering. I beg to differ....
I fish the N. Branch Susky, but I keep tabs on what's happening in the mainstem and S. branch. YOY recruitment has been below average for a number of years in PA. Read if your interested:
http://fishandboat.com/images/reports/2012bio/susq_yoy2012bass.pdf
The increasing size of fish, with fewer and fewer younger year classes being caught, indicate a crash is coming. The fishing may be top notch now, but the future looks bleak
Koofy Smacker reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 1:34 AM, J Francho said:Probably another reason I see so many PA plates up here.
Here's you answer to not making repeated casts: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html
You probably see them because I know a lot of clubs during the closed season down here (from mid april to mid june) go to NY or MD for their tournaments. Personally, NY has awesome smallie fishing, MD has some of the best LM fishing, so it goes year round for me 
Koofy Smacker reply :
On 4/5/2013 at 9:34 PM, flyfisher said:I think it is because they consider it a trophy bass area or something. I am sure i coudl go out ther and say i am targeting a different species but i figure it isn't worth the hassle and i would feel guilty.... lol
On 4/5/2013 at 9:40 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:Ah, that would be why I didnt know it was closed. I'm fishing other areas and lakes during that time. Really only fish in there during winter (warmwater discharge) and summer (great wading with low water).
That's the imaginary "threatened" area they talk about.
The areas in question have been pretty dessimated the past dozen or so years. Yes there are big fish still there dont get me wrong, but there are a lot of weird diseases and such going on, so closing it all together on those stretches is somewhat of their attempt to bring it back to what it was
J Francho reply :
On 4/11/2013 at 10:08 PM, Koofy Smacker said:You probably see them because I know a lot of clubs during the closed season down here (from mid april to mid june) go to NY or MD for their tournaments. Personally, NY has awesome smallie fishing, MD has some of the best LM fishing, so it goes year round for me
We're closed to catch and release until the 3rd Saturday in June as well. I'm talking all summer long, mostly on the Finger Lakes. I think it's got more to do with a lack of waters that can handle 30-40 boat tournaments.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
On 4/11/2013 at 3:49 AM, SuskyDude said:I fish the N. Branch Susky, but I keep tabs on what's happening in the mainstem and S. branch. YOY recruitment has been below average for a number of years in PA. Read if your interested:
http://fishandboat.com/images/reports/2012bio/susq_yoy2012bass.pdf
The increasing size of fish, with fewer and fewer younger year classes being caught, indicate a crash is coming. The fishing may be top notch now, but the future looks bleak
I just wonder if they consider how many YOY bass are in the tribs and not the main river?
flyfisher reply :
On 4/12/2013 at 10:10 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I just wonder if they consider how many YOY bass are in the tribs and not the main river?
Interesting question. I wonder how far bass move when spawning. I know of a few smaller creeks that i fish that are tributaries of larger bodies of water that i only have success on in the spring and not sure if it is because of the spawn or spring time water levels normally being higher and allowing more movement.
I am always shocked though when i hear the susky isn't doing well because every time i have fished there i am amazed at the amount of forage in that river. My dad and i did a 3 day float last year and when we would get out and wade with every step we woudl see tons of crayfish scurrying away. I actually snagged quite a few of the little guys when banging crankbaits on the bottom.
One thing i do know, i am looking forward to heading back out there this summer and chasing some brown bass
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
That's my point.
I fish a few AMAZING areas in the spring but come late summer there are not nearly the number of fish in the tribs. I know we are not talking "salmon run" for spawning but those fish go somewhere.
I gotta trust my experience. That Susquehanna is a BIG river and there are plenty of places that can't be hit by boat and only the most determined wading anglers make it to. I just have a hard time believing that removing fishing from the equation is the answer. How many YOY bass are eaten by flathead catfish, stripers, muskies, etc?
How much pollution is put into the river from all the communities, large and small, along the river?
Start with the problem, IMO, not the people who put the money into the fishery.
SuskyDude reply :
On 4/12/2013 at 10:10 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I just wonder if they consider how many YOY bass are in the tribs and not the main river?
Good question, but I'm sure that its safe to use the number of YOY bass found in the Susky as a surrogate for whats happening in the tribs. In other words, if the recruitment in the main river has been below average, the recruitment in the tribs has likely been below average as well.
Unless, of course, more YOY have been staying in the tribs than in years past. Considering how hot and dry the last few summers have been, which reduces the tribs (at least in my neck of the woods) to barely above a trickle, I can't imagine thats the case.
On 4/12/2013 at 10:18 PM, flyfisher said:Interesting question. I wonder how far bass move when spawning. I know of a few smaller creeks that i fish that are tributaries of larger bodies of water that i only have success on in the spring and not sure if it is because of the spawn or spring time water levels normally being higher and allowing more movement.
I am always shocked though when i hear the susky isn't doing well because every time i have fished there i am amazed at the amount of forage in that river. My dad and i did a 3 day float last year and when we would get out and wade with every step we woudl see tons of crayfish scurrying away. I actually snagged quite a few of the little guys when banging crankbaits on the bottom.
One thing i do know, i am looking forward to heading back out there this summer and chasing some brown bass
Its not from a lack of forage. The poor recruitment is mainly being attributed to floods at the worst possibe times (shortly after the spawn), and outbreaks of columnaris due to bacteria that flourishes when the river becomes warm and low. Basically, floods are killing the young in the late spring, then these hot dry summers we've been having are causing disease that wipe out a bunch more.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I dont know that the tribs are comparable to the main river however, especially the portion of the susqy from the confluence of it and the Juniata above Harrisburg.
They flow through drastically different areas with different problems encountered on each. The Juniata is a mainly rural flowing river with few occurrences in concrete jungles and the Susqy (again referencing below the confluence) flows considerably urban. The J river deals with pasture runoff, granted, but I have to imagine the salt and road waste from 322 and I-81 coupled with the crap that ends up in the river from Harrisburg has to be more damaging to the Susqy.
Another consideration, how much water is taken from the Susquehanna and used by communities along it's banks? That's gotta be considered as part of the low water problem as well, right?
I'm not a scientist, just kinda throwing stuff out there that makes sense to me. I may be way off base, but I believe these to be valid points.
SuskyDude reply :
On 4/12/2013 at 10:35 PM, SPEEDBEAD. said:That's my point.
I fish a few AMAZING areas in the spring but come late summer there are not nearly the number of fish in the tribs. I know we are not talking "salmon run" for spawning but those fish go somewhere.
I gotta trust my experience. That Susquehanna is a BIG river and there are plenty of places that can't be hit by boat and only the most determined wading anglers make it to. I just have a hard time believing that removing fishing from the equation is the answer. How many YOY bass are eaten by flathead catfish, stripers, muskies, etc?
How much pollution is put into the river from all the communities, large and small, along the river?
Start with the problem, IMO, not the people who put the money into the fishery.
I don't think they (PFBC) are entirely sure what the problem is. I outlined what I and many others believe in the post above, but pollution and predation may also play a role. From what I understand, not everyone in the PFBC is even willing to admit there is a problem, depite the data.
You're right, the problem is much bigger than fishermen, but reducing fishing pressure while a real solution can be found can't hurt.
And for the record, I doubt much of your liscensing fees go to the Susky. If PA is anything like NY, most of it goes to trout stocking. Not that it's the fault of the PA angler, the PFBC makes those decisions.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
I can understand the prohibition of tournaments during that time but I just don't understand how C&R is all that bad.
SuskyDude reply :
C&R fishing has low impact, but not zero impact. Post catch mortality, nest abandonment, even the one minute or two minutes that the nest is ungaurded while a male is landed and unhooked, all have an impact.
Again, I'm not saying C&R, or any fishing for that matter, is causing the below average recruitment, but it sure isn't helping. I think the restrictions are more about reducing impact while the problem can be further researched and identified, rather than as a fix in itself.
SPEEDBEAD. reply :
Works for me, especially that time of year. Like I said, I prefer the tribs and wading anyway or fishing for largemouth and muskies.
SuskyDude reply :
I hear ya. Personally, I don't have a horse in the race as I'm on the NB and things are great up here. But from what I've read and from what I heard, a problem is definetly brewing in PA.
I hope that the powers that be figure it out though. It would be a real shame if the best smallie river in the mid atlactic gets ruined.
tomustang reply :
On 4/4/2013 at 11:19 PM, jhoffman said:"NOTE: It is not a violation of the bass regulations if a bass is immediately returned unharmed to the waters from which it was taken. It is unlawful for an angler to cast repeatedly into a clearly visible bass spawning nest or redd in an effort to catch or take bass."
http://fishandboat.com/fishpub/summary/inland.html
This is the same as last year
On 4/5/2013 at 1:34 AM, J Francho said:Probably another reason I see so many PA plates up here.
Here's you answer to not making repeated casts: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/dropshot-bedding-bass.html
We have so many trout anglers here its ridiculous, more of them complain there's no trout here because of the overflow of trout targeting. Our system is so damaged on how to rectify the ratio it doesn't work. The next step is many pack up and take a trip up by you.
Nice article.
On 4/5/2013 at 9:28 PM, J Francho said:The Susky is closed in several counties from May 1 - Jun 14.
http://fishandboat.com/fishpub/summary/bass_cr.htm
On 4/5/2013 at 9:34 PM, flyfisher said:I think it is because they consider it a trophy bass area or something. I am sure i coudl go out ther and say i am targeting a different species but i figure it isn't worth the hassle and i would feel guilty.... lol
Our director PFBC john arway has been trying to get the DEP to get the susky to become protected since there's diseased and dying bass but there's too much evidence of anglers catching good sized smalles the protection goes dismissed. So closing some sections is good as they can do for now.
When I was up there last year some of the WCO's were talking about how the progress is getting better and it might be a few more years for better results.
tomustang reply :
On 4/13/2013 at 12:37 AM, SPEEDBEAD. said:I can understand the prohibition of tournaments during that time but I just don't understand how C&R is all that bad.
From what I've seen where I fish in canals and my one river, there's so many carp and plenty of catfish scouring around the bed territory, I mean it gets bad to the point when you see 10lb carp getting pummeled by a 2lb smallie protecting a bed. Meanwhile there's enough suckers, walleye, and other panfish probably are lurking close by. Something is bound to happen quickly
Downeaster2010 reply :
When a state makes a law like that, and fishermen test the waters fishing beds. This is when a state
makes a new law stating no bass fishing until after the fish have ceased to spawn giving a known date.
J Francho reply :
QuoteWe have so many trout anglers here its ridiculous, more of them complain there's no trout here because of the overflow of trout targeting. Our system is so damaged on how to rectify the ratio it doesn't work. The next step is many pack up and take a trip up by you.
Nice article.
Ohhh, the PA trout guys are some of the worst! Not all, but many. They are so used to cutthroat behavior on the ditches, it doesn't even register when they hot hole you. Most guys apologize, and move on. Some get agitated and confrontational. DEC Police is on speed dial. I love seeing guys scatter when they show up. Get the ditch to myself.
Thanks, it's almost time to try that technique out.
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