Jfish Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I have to admit I see it coming here in so cal...the fish are moving up more and more each day as the full moon approaches. I see these guys showing up to the spots that haven't been out all winter with their finesse rigs and $200 polarized glasses and I get kind of ill. They speed down the bank like they are shopping at the supermarket looking for their next target. I see em' jumping around like Mike Iaconelli winning the bassmasters after each fish they harrass into biting. The fish have multiple holes in their mouths and who knows how many times they get caught. I don't have any ethical issues with it but I think the potential for abuse is really high. Stressing fish and moving them around...it does happen. I typically go striper fishing until post spawn because I prefer to catch a fish that actually wanted to eat my lure because it was hungry and I fooled it into striking. So enough of my biases. My real question is how you guys approach the spawn? Do you drag bluegill baits around the nest....wait til' the spawn is over....fish conventional techniques? I know not all fish spawn at the exact same time but my experience is the same this time every year. I find the fish so interested in laying and protecting eggs that they simply don't chase any more. Of course, post spawn is a totally different story and one of my absolute favorite times to throw wakes and surface stuff...wham bam... JK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmkiernan Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I guess I don't understand your post. You just put bed fisherman on blast then ask what's the best bed fishing technique? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDBEAD Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I guess I don't understand your post. You just put bed fisherman on blast then ask what's the best bed fishing technique? LOL, yep. To the OP, I like to catch fish. I do what I have to do and make it happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I'm not a big fan of bed fishing. I won't say the guys who do it are wrong (unless it is specifically stated as being against the law in that particular state) but I never set out to bed fish when I leave the ramp. That being said, I can't say I wouldn't be tempted if I discovered a true giant sitting on a nest. Mission Fish or SoftGill would be my plan of attack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPEEDBEAD Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 As you know, the typical way of bed fishing is not legal in PA. "Repeated casts" to a bed are a no-no. Single casts are not. BTW, a single cast with a soft gill can last a LOOOOONG time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtelarkin08 Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Not all fish spawn at the same time. you can fish for post spawn, spawning, and pre spawn bass all in the same day here in most of our lakes. I assume it's that way there too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwimbaitsatLMV Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I bed fish because at my home lake, you catch them once and there gone. I have already lost 2 10+ lb fsish this week. And I swimbait fish when the weather s poor, cuz that's when prespawners bite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyforfish21 Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Personally don't like fishing for spawners, it bothers me at times when i hit a local lake and the same dude is in the same spot, hammering all the fish. But there isn't much i can do about it. Not saying if a 10 lber was sitting in sight on a bed i wouldn't make a cast or two. Did it last week and got her to bite. But i'm throwing swimbaits 100% of the time, to make repeated casts into an area while 20+ people are watching at all times, that fish will be harrassed like crazy. To me, the OC lakes are too small for that kind of attention. I just fish out deep for pre/post spawn fish to avoid being watched. It's gonna happen whether we like it or not. Just think about all the reports people put up, and all the lurkers who haven't signed up for an account. You drop a lake name in that post, and BAM, new spot for them to fish. The concentration of fish to people in Socal is stupid. I'm movin to Texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathando23 Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 1 thing to helps when i was fishing with jigs for bed fish there is always 1 little spot that in the bed that they will attack anything, rather is 1 inch or 1 foot if u find the the sweat spot in the bed u should get him, also be very patient. hope that advice can help you get a toad. jonathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwimbaitsatLMV Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Also, the only swimbait I fish on beds are the mattlures bluegills. Jigs give a MUCH better hook up ratio. And Jonathan, don't just look inside the bed, look around. Sometimes the female will Flo if you hit a rock 5 ft away.... just don't limit yourself to the eggs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mofish Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Fish the breaks and catch them coming and going. Why limit yourself to beds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offduty Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I dont fish beds at all unless I am trying to get a kid a fish. I will let them do it. For me it is just not a responsible way to maintain our fisheries as I believe it is the most crucial time for them to be not stressed as they are continuing the growth cycle that gives me fish to catch in the first place. I know a lot of guys do it and would disagree with me and I am not targeting anyone in any of my above comments. This is just my personal way of doing things and I do realize it is a somewhat free country to do your own thing. I do get really hot when I see a guy going from bed to bed and pulling all the fish off especially if they are toads that go in a livewell. I have been known to push maximum water next to these guys multiple times with the boat to make it hard on them. Thats right, thats how I roll. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG HUNGRY Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I'm not a 100% against bed fishing, but I do believe that you should go about doing it very carefully. I never stay on one spot for too long, and I keep moving until I find the easiest fish to catch. Once I catch that fish, I immediately unhook it and return it to the exact same spot where I pulled it out of the water and then move on to the next spot so I don't possibly catch that same fish again. Fortunately for the fish, I can't see them in the lakes I fish. So, bed fishing can actually be pretty tough. I know where the beds are, but I can't dangle a bait right in front of a fishes mouth like you can in clear water, and even if I do catch a fish, there's no telling if it is actually a bedding fish or prespawn/postspawn fish. My swimbait of choice during this time of year would be Matt's softgill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jmkiernan Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 It's funny that some of the same people who think bed fishing is not right are the very same people who give guys like Mike Long and Matt Servant so much praise for their big fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimbait 24/7 Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 I dont fish beds at all unless I am trying to get a kid a fish. I will let them do it. For me it is just not a responsible way to maintain our fisheries as I believe it is the most crucial time for them to be not stressed as they are continuing the growth cycle that gives me fish to catch in the first place. I know a lot of guys do it and would disagree with me and I am not targeting anyone in any of my above comments. This is just my personal way of doing things and I do realize it is a somewhat free country to do your own thing. I do get really hot when I see a guy going from bed to bed and pulling all the fish off especially if they are toads that go in a livewell. I have been known to push maximum water next to these guys multiple times with the boat to make it hard on them. Thats right, thats how I roll. Rich +1 I'm in on this one, It's a false reading on a skill level and you then you suck the rest if the year. "Out of site out of mind" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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