Interesting Study of Bass movements

Henry Hefner wrote:
Doug wrote:


The possible implications are food for thought, such as Bass
populations declining in a particular watershed to a point of where it
could effect the entire balance of the system, simply by releasing the
fish in another location. It's rare that they make it back home after
weigh in.


http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/publi.../largebass.pdf

Thoughts? Opinions?

Doug

I'm really taxing my rememberer here,(do you smell wood burning?) but I
seem to recall an article several years back on the Texas Parks and
Wildlife website about tagging bass to see if they hung around weigh-ins
at Lake Fork. I've tried searching for the article but can't locate it.
This study showed them returning to the area they were caught in rather
quickly, even when released miles away. It impressed me because I had
expected the opposite result.

Found it, sort of. It wasn't TPWD, I read it on the Texas Fishing Forum.
I posted about it here on 3/25/04. Here's a copy/paste:

I just read an interesting post on TFF
about bass behavior. copy/paste:

Jesse Parker did a survey on Lake Fork several years ago. He had a study
of several dozen trophy fish. He advertised a bounty for any bass
between 10 and 13 pounds that did not qualify for Share a Lunker program.

He had the angler complete a survey and then had local business donate
money for the fiberglass reproduction of the fish. He then tagged the
bass and released them all from the same location. On the tag was a
bounty for any angler who caught the fish again.

The second angler then completed the same survey, un-aware of the the
first survey. They were paid cash money for the second bounty as well.

The results were incredible. The first fish to be re-caught was caught
three days later. She had travel 17 miles by water, caught within
casting distance of her first catch.

Over the course of the next year, the majority of these fish were
re-caught. The results were almost identical for the most part. The vast
majority of the fish, came from the same area, during the same lunar
cycle, and most often, caught on the same or very similar type bait.

The results were published in an Angler's Choice magazine back in 1997
or so. I know Jesse personally and he let me review the surveys one
evening himself. It was quite incredible. Due to the expense of the
program, it only lasted one year. But when you have two anglers who
complete the same survey with no knowledge of what the other one said,
it was remarkable.

It really opened my eyes to how fish migrated and responded to
tournament pressure.

Some of the posts got me to wondering....there are three unconnected
lakes here, and I have been putting some of the bigger bass I catch from
the back lake, into the lake in front of my cabin. I have never seen a
dead bass in any of the lakes, so I figured they were adjusting to a
different home.

Do you guys think there is any reason I shouldn't be doing this?

John B

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:46:53 -0600, (John B) wrote:

Some of the posts got me to wondering....there are three unconnected
lakes here, and I have been putting some of the bigger bass I catch from
the back lake, into the lake in front of my cabin. I have never seen a
dead bass in any of the lakes, so I figured they were adjusting to a
different home.

Do you guys think there is any reason I shouldn't be doing this?

John B

Is it against the DNR rules? IIRC, in WI it is, unless it is into a
private lake.

Dan

Is it against the DNR rules? IIRC, in WI it is, unless it is into a
private lake.

Dan

========

They are all private lakes, under one ownership. And I have legal
control of the property. My only question was the welfare of the bass.
We allow fishing in the lakes with permission....but a lot of people
don't realize that they need a license to fish a private lake here in
Kentucky (except for the owner of the lake). Some people get an
unpleasnat surprise when the FGD shows up unexpectedly!

Thanks for the input!

John B

On Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:46:22 -0600, (John B) wrote:


Is it against the DNR rules? IIRC, in WI it is, unless it is into a
private lake.

Dan

========

They are all private lakes, under one ownership. And I have legal
control of the property. My only question was the welfare of the bass.
We allow fishing in the lakes with permission....but a lot of people
don't realize that they need a license to fish a private lake here in
Kentucky (except for the owner of the lake). Some people get an
unpleasnat surprise when the FGD shows up unexpectedly!

Thanks for the input!

John B

There can be ailments that can be transferred from one lake to another
that way.

Dan

John B wrote:
Some of the posts got me to wondering....there are three unconnected
lakes here, and I have been putting some of the bigger bass I catch from
the back lake, into the lake in front of my cabin. I have never seen a
dead bass in any of the lakes, so I figured they were adjusting to a
different home.

Do you guys think there is any reason I shouldn't be doing this?

John B


I know several people that have moved large bass into their private
ponds and caught them again later, apparently in good shape.

On Feb 28, 7:46*pm, (John B) wrote:
Some of the posts got me to wondering....there are three unconnected
lakes here, and I have been putting some of the bigger bass I catch from
the back lake, into the lake in front of my cabin. I have never seen a
dead bass in any of the lakes, so I figured they were adjusting to a
different home.

Do you guys think there is any reason I shouldn't be doing this?

John B

Any lake can support a certain number of pounds per acre of bass. Most
lakes are pretty much stable. If you move bigger bass, something has
to give. It might be a 10 pound bass replaces ten one pound bass -
fine until that 10 pounder dies and there is not one growing to
replace it.

Moving a few big bass may not make much difference in a fairly large
body of water. And you can increase the number of pounds per acre by
raising the fertility of the lake.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

Any lake can support a certain number of pounds per acre of bass. Most
lakes are pretty much stable. If you move bigger bass, something has to
give. It might be a 10 pound bass replaces ten one pound bass - fine
until that 10 pounder dies and there is not one growing to replace it.
Moving a few big bass may not make much difference in a fairly large
body of water. And you can increase the number of pounds per acre by
raising the fertility of the lake.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

=======

Thanks Ronnie, I will probably stop doing it...for the reasons you and
Dan gave. Actually there are more bass in all three lakes than there
probably should be. I catch tons of 1-2 lb. bass, and the occasional 4-6
lb. ones. The biggest bass caught since I've been here was just over 8
lbs., and a few people have told me some 10 lb. ones have been caught in
the small back lake.

Thanks for all the input guys!

P.S., it was almost 60 degrees and sunny today, and I caught 6 bass this
morning...getting ready to try the late afternoon bite right now!

John B

On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 15:55:12 -0600, (John B) wrote:


Any lake can support a certain number of pounds per acre of bass. Most
lakes are pretty much stable. If you move bigger bass, something has to
give. It might be a 10 pound bass replaces ten one pound bass - fine
until that 10 pounder dies and there is not one growing to replace it.
Moving a few big bass may not make much difference in a fairly large
body of water. And you can increase the number of pounds per acre by
raising the fertility of the lake.

Ronnie

http://fishing.about.com

=======

Thanks Ronnie, I will probably stop doing it...for the reasons you and
Dan gave. Actually there are more bass in all three lakes than there
probably should be. I catch tons of 1-2 lb. bass, and the occasional 4-6
lb. ones. The biggest bass caught since I've been here was just over 8
lbs., and a few people have told me some 10 lb. ones have been caught in
the small back lake.

Thanks for all the input guys!

P.S., it was almost 60 degrees and sunny today, and I caught 6 bass this
morning...getting ready to try the late afternoon bite right now!

John B


John, shut up with the temp talk. g

http://tinyurl.com/29eq5f

Dan

John, shut up with the temp talk. * g

http://tinyurl.com/29eq5f

Dan

========

After reading that 10 day forecast...I put my jacket on!

We had some cold weather last week, but I have the best of all
worlds...the lake in front of my cabin is just 15 feet from my front
door, I can run in and get warm, and go back out again.

But cheer up...springs is just 21 days away! grin

John