Spawn

[basscattrent]

I love to bed fish. I love to throw all sorts of baits at them. The wind does not like me though. Almost every time I go bed fishing the wind starts to howl.

[Darth Baiter]

Come on speed if your ok with using blue gill to hang A hog then thats your business. But I dont know how much of a challenge there is in that. Or how you can take pride in it. Maybe its a west coast thang homie...

Mickey

 

+1000

 

 

Its more rewarding for me to go out with swimbaits and get skunked knowing that I tried then to go out there and use Live bait to catch fish...But thats just me

Me Three, or Four, or Five....anyway, I agree!

[accord98]

i agree. swimbait fish, or even fish on artificials (plastic worms, jigs, cranks, jerkbaits, etc.) is way more rewarding. it takes the right presentation, and action of an artificial lure or swimbait to fool a fish. lets you know that you are doing things right if you get a fish to bite! definitely a great feeling. also helps to pick up patterns that fish are on.

[Urban]

One thing I want to point out is there is a wealth of peer reviewed literature concerning the effects to populations from fishing during the spawn. This is expected because every state agency has pondered whether they should or shouldnt allow fishing during the spawn, and especially what effects tournaments have when they occur during the spawn (as in moving the fish great distances from their beds). Most of the available research indicates a negligible effect to recruitment. And its true, 95% of the beds arent visible on most lakes. Not that it matters, if you are fishing during the spawn you are catching bass off beds, intentional or not.

 

Ive never caught a DD off a bed. The fun of swimbaiting, well fishing period, is the element of the unknown. The unknown being wtf is on the end of my rod! The excitement of hooking a swimbait fish, and for the first 10 seconds not knowing how big it is, then watching it explode into the air to confirm its a toad, is indescribable. I think its those 10 seconds that is the best part for me. I dont get that from bed fishing. So for me its so much more exciting to fish for the prespawn fish then to sit on a fatty for 8 hours. And normally when fatties are on beds, there are 10 times more that you cant see sitting in deeper water in predictable areas that are tearing it up. So, you may get that DD after 8 hours, but I got 2 DD's and a bunch of other good fish and had alot more fun casting.

 

I dont bait fish, but I used to do it once a year for many years when on the annual family trip to Florida. I have to admit it was pretty damn fun, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. But I would hate myself if my PB was caught on live bait!

[offduty]

I understand that the DFG has done studies about fishing during the spawn and they feel the affects are negligible. The DFG also I believe gets funds paid to them by tourney orgs to get permits for tourneys. I know the DFG is underfunded and losing tourney funds would also be quite significant. I am pretty sure there are waters that get closed during the spawn as well, just none I know of around here. No matter who it is I will never believe that pulling fish off a bed in a tourney and hauling them around all day in a livewell to be released in another area does not affect the spawn. I have to believe this would be stressful and disorientating as well.

 

Rich

[Urban]

I understand that the DFG has done studies about fishing during the spawn and they feel the affects are negligible. The DFG also I believe gets funds paid to them by tourney orgs to get permits for tourneys. I know the DFG is underfunded and losing tourney funds would also be quite significant. I am pretty sure there are waters that get closed during the spawn as well, just none I know of around here. No matter who it is I will never believe that pulling fish off a bed in a tourney and hauling them around all day in a livewell to be released in another area does not affect the spawn. I have to believe this would be stressful and disorientating as well.

 

Rich

 

There are definitely effects at the individual level, but no effects at the population level. Its the population level that managers are concerned with. I dont know of any waters in CA that are closed during the spawn, and just off the top of my head I can think of only one lake that has different regulations during the defined spawning period.

[SPEEDBEAD]

Keeping bass and eating it too is also legal. Now as hardcore bass fisherman does that sound alright? Live bait fishing, especially when someone claims they are swimbait fish is just wrong to me.

 

First of all, I hope the last point is aimed at your boy Chump196 and not me...

 

Second, if everyone caught and released absolutely everything then you would see a severe decline in the quality of fish in ANY body of water. Its called selective harvest and it works. Period.

 

I am ok with being in the minority. Not a problem. What I am not a big fan of is a label like "poser" or "child" being thrown around with regards to a fishing technique.

 

I realize that I might not "get" the whole west coast thing (whatever that is), but damn man.

 

Ben, catching fish is bueno to me, no matter how it's done legally.

[offduty]

I understand that the DFG has done studies about fishing during the spawn and they feel the affects are negligible. The DFG also I believe gets funds paid to them by tourney orgs to get permits for tourneys. I know the DFG is underfunded and losing tourney funds would also be quite significant. I am pretty sure there are waters that get closed during the spawn as well, just none I know of around here. No matter who it is I will never believe that pulling fish off a bed in a tourney and hauling them around all day in a livewell to be released in another area does not affect the spawn. I have to believe this would be stressful and disorientating as well.

 

Rich

 

There are definitely effects at the individual level, but no effects at the population level. Its the population level that managers are concerned with. I dont know of any waters in CA that are closed during the spawn, and just off the top of my head I can think of only one lake that has different regulations during the defined spawning period.

 

It happens just not in this state. When bed fish do get targeted it is the prize of the gene pool that most guys are looking for.

 

Rich

[SPEEDBEAD]

Skin doesn't come much thicker brotha and I agree, we got way off topic.

 

You keep making baits and I'll keep fishing them. I dont think either of us would be good politicians.

[bronzefly]

If you fish during the spawn, you're going to catch spawning fish whether or not you're bed fishing. My biggest problem with fishing the spawn are tournaments where guys are loading the livewell with big females that were about to drop their eggs. The spawn is already stressful, then add being caught, sloshed around in a livewell all day, weighed in, then dumped back into the water potentially miles from where they were spawning... it doesn't sound like it can be anything but bad for the overall health of the fishery. That being said, I HAVE bedfished and ALWAYS catch and release immediately. I'm not saying it's good or bad, just being straight up about it. I do know that I've had my ass kicked by bed fishermen in tournaments where I KNEW there were big females to be caught. I just won't do it myself.

[CombatWombat]

Speed,

 

The last point wasn't directed to you at all. I'm just going to leave it at that since this has gone way out of topic.

 

Keeping bass and eating it too is also legal. Now as hardcore bass fisherman does that sound alright? Live bait fishing, especially when someone claims they are swimbait fish is just wrong to me.

 

First of all, I hope the last point is aimed at your boy Chump196 and not me...

 

Second, if everyone caught and released absolutely everything then you would see a severe decline in the quality of fish in ANY body of water. Its called selective harvest and it works. Period.

 

I am ok with being in the minority. Not a problem. What I am not a big fan of is a label like "poser" or "child" being thrown around with regards to a fishing technique.

 

I realize that I might not "get" the whole west coast thing (whatever that is), but damn man.

 

Ben, catching fish is bueno to me, no matter how it's done legally.

[bigworm]

As far as harassing spawners goes Bronzefly is right. If you fish the bank in the spring you are going to catch some spawners. Even if you are fishing deeper water. On a clear water spring i have seen fish spawning on clear lake where you would not expect them. As far as sight fishing goes it sure is hard not to throw at fish you can see, but I don't have the patience to do it for to long. Fisheries have survived so far, although in urban areas with lots of meat fishermen it must be really hard to see stringers of big bed fish.

[bsp]

although in urban areas with lots of meat fishermen it must be really hard to see stringers of big bed fish.

 

This is why I leave park lake bass alone if they are on a bed during the spawn. I'll still fish to try and target pre spawners (and by doing this have definitely caught the unintentional bed fish), but these fish just get hammered by poachers who will snag them. I call the DFG and park workers and have had mixed results, and am amazed that there are fish left after these bucket brigaders are done poaching. Still, enough big girls spawn far out that the population manages to pull through.

[colbypearson]

although in urban areas with lots of meat fishermen it must be really hard to see stringers of big bed fish.

 

This is why I leave park lake bass alone if they are on a bed during the spawn. I'll still fish to try and target pre spawners (and by doing this have definitely caught the unintentional bed fish), but these fish just get hammered by poachers who will snag them. I call the DFG and park workers and have had mixed results, and am amazed that there are fish left after these bucket brigaders are done poaching. Still, enough big girls spawn far out that the population manages to pull through.

 

i hate situations like that i see the same thing in my area, i try to do everything in my power to stop them it sucks how people treat fish in theyre most vulnerable time

[nobody]

Better get some thick skin my man , We are under ground!!!! The buck stops here !!!! No more POSER stuff .... Gonna call it black if its black , white if its white , But there aint gonna be alot of gray... You feel me ??? The guy owns a bait company , but caught the world record on a blue gill ??? Then promotes his bait ???? POSER , POSER , POSER .

Mickey

 

 

Yeah, he caught the world record on a blue gill. He said he caught the fish on a blue gill. He didn’t hide it. He didn’t “pose†a swimbait in the fish’s mouth. He also promotes his bait. I’m sure he promoted baits before he caught the world record too. So what!

 

Why is he a POSER, POSER, POSER?

 

Is it because he doesn’t fish exclusively with swimbaits? I don’t recall him ever saying he ONLY fishes swimbaits. I bet a lot of people who are known “swimbaiters†also fish other baits like rats, frogs, topwaters, swimjigs, worms, etc.… Are they all swimbait posers?

 

He claims to catch fish with live bait. He also claims to catch fish with swimbaits. And I’m sure he does with both. I have no reason to doubt him. I’ve never fished with him. Have you???

 

Not sure why you feel the need to talk trash on this guy.