PDA

View Full Version : Fishing the Spawn. Ethical or Not?


Chuck Coger
October 8th, 2003, 03:20 AM
I am sure this question has been posed here before, but I can't remember the
answers, so here it goes.

Do you feel it is ethical to fish during the spawn?
And if so to what level?
Catch and Release on the spot.
Tournament style Catch and Release.

I am not against fishing the spawn myself, as long and catch and release is
practiced to the tournament style level. I have seen things that are a lot
more devastating to the bass population than catch and release fishing the
spawn.


---
Chuck Coger
http://www.fishin-pro.com

J Buck
October 8th, 2003, 03:50 AM
<Catch and Release on the spot.
Tournament style Catch and Release>

what is the difference between these 2 methods? Thanks

Craig
October 8th, 2003, 03:59 AM
I will share with you the answer I replied with at the outdoors forum.

Let's have a general understanding. The female bass is a little hussies. She
swims along the first major breakline and waits for a suitable male to come
a courting. If she feels he is worthy, she swims to his nest and lays some
of her eggs and then off she goes to let him guard the nest while she goes
and waits for another suitable male to come along. She will continue laying
her eggs in serveral nests until she has laid all of her eggs. She does this
to ensure at least some of her babies will survive.

So while there is a lot of stress on the smaller male bass during spawn, the
female's stress level is a lot less. She can also be pulled and released
miles away from the nest in which she was caught with no harm being done,
because the male is the one who guards the nest. She will probably go, after
being released, to the next spawning area and flirt with those males.

The cool thing about pro's is that they don't play with a fish. They
typically use heavier line, bigger rods, and horse a fish into the boat as
fast as they can, while it is the Am using light line and tackle that play
with a bass too long. They don't do it on purpose, they just don't have the
equipment or skills. They just hold on until the fish gets tired, and this
is what kills or injures a fish. Because all the muscles in a fish secretes
an acid (latic?) that can cause temporary paralysis, opening the fish up to
attack by other fish or animals. If serverly stressed this acid can destroy
her eggs.

So if you are going to fish a spawning nest, know that the smaller male
protects the nest so don't fish for them. If you are going to catch a big
female, have the equipment to pull her in as fast as you can. But better
yet, fish along the first major breakline and concentrate your efforts on
the bigger females, and those bass in pre or post-spawn mode.


--
Craig Baugher
Living in The United States, and Loving It!
Practicing My Freedom of Speech, and Enjoying It!
Knowing how to Thank those that paid for it, by Honoring It!
God Bless America, and Those That Serve It!

John Kerr
October 8th, 2003, 05:02 AM
Great answer Craig....had knowledge behind it too! That is how my son
and Mike Long fish the spawn for the big females....and they catch them
again the next year <g>...no harm at all.

Chuck Coger
October 8th, 2003, 05:22 AM
The difference would be releasing them at the bed you caught them on.

Or releasing them at a tournie weigh in.

---
Chuck Coger
http://www.fishin-pro.com

"J Buck" > wrote in message
...
> <Catch and Release on the spot.
> Tournament style Catch and Release>
>
> what is the difference between these 2 methods? Thanks
>
>

J Buck
October 8th, 2003, 05:31 AM
Ok, thank you. Have fished off and on all my life but never in
tournaments and wasn't aware of the term.

<The difference would be releasing them at the bed you caught them on.
Or releasing them at a tournie weigh in>

<<Catch and Release on the spot.
Tournament style Catch and Release
what is the difference between these 2 methods? Thanks>>

G. M. Zimmermann
October 8th, 2003, 09:12 AM
To me, its pretty much a moot point. In my home state of Pa., bass season is
closed from april to june. Bass caught must be immeadiately released. No
tournaments are permitted until bass season opens in mid-june. It is also
illegal to cast to a bass on a visble nest so basicly, if you can see the bass
gaurding a nest or in the act of spawning, its illegal to fish for him/them.

-Zimmy

RGarri7470
October 8th, 2003, 09:24 AM
>Do you feel it is ethical to fish during the spawn?

I wrote an article for Outdoorfrontiers.com about this -
http://outdoorfrontiers.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=15 if you
are interested in a long answer.
Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Gone Angling
October 8th, 2003, 12:56 PM
Most of the spawn seasons here for game fish are shut down by reg. There is a
few that are not such as salmon. If it is legal then the ethical arguement
should not come into the picture. If you pose such ethical arguements that
overide legal rights to fish you will give anti-angling types a forum. JMHO

alwayfishking
October 8th, 2003, 05:43 PM
I thought the rule in P.A was you were not allowed more than 1 cast to a
spawning bass, not that it could really be enforced
"G. M. Zimmermann" > wrote in message
...
> To me, its pretty much a moot point. In my home state of Pa., bass season
is
> closed from april to june. Bass caught must be immeadiately released. No
> tournaments are permitted until bass season opens in mid-june. It is also
> illegal to cast to a bass on a visble nest so basicly, if you can see the
bass
> gaurding a nest or in the act of spawning, its illegal to fish for
him/them.
>
> -Zimmy

Calif Bill
October 11th, 2003, 05:53 AM
In Calif. there is not closed season for bass. But the spawn goes on for
months here. The Sacramento Delta is 1500 miles of waterways. And goes
from the bay to Sacramento in the center of the state. So there are
different temps, tides and salinity's all over the river. If the spawn was
closed, we would lose spring and most of the summer.
bill

"G. M. Zimmermann" > wrote in message
...
> To me, its pretty much a moot point. In my home state of Pa., bass season
is
> closed from april to june. Bass caught must be immeadiately released. No
> tournaments are permitted until bass season opens in mid-june. It is also
> illegal to cast to a bass on a visble nest so basicly, if you can see the
bass
> gaurding a nest or in the act of spawning, its illegal to fish for
him/them.
>
> -Zimmy