5 Yr Research SHOWS Exactly Where TOURNAMENT BASS Go After Being Released (I Shouldn't Share This)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- Have you ever wondered where do tournament bass go after they've been released? Do they make it back to where they were originally caught or do they stay around the release site?
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One of the most interesting studies that I found was conducted back in 2011 and 2012. Researchers took bass caught from Lake Champlain during nine different tournaments throughout the 2 year study.
There was a total of 2,301 fish were tagged using T-Bar Tags, including 1,160 Largemouth bass and 1,141 Smallmouth bass. In addition to the 2300 bass that were tagged with T-Bar Tags, another 91 bass had radio transmitters implanted into them (Radio Tags), this included 53 Smallmouth and 38 Largemouth.
Researches tracked the radio tagged bass and anglers who recaptured the T-Bar Tagged bass were asked to contact the researchers to track the information.
Of the tournament bass that were tagged, 264 bass were recaptued and reported. Of these 264 fish, 185 Largemouth were recaptured and 79 Smallmouth were recaptured. The information that was taken from these 264 fish is extremely interesting.
Out of all the tournament bass that were released and recaptured only one Smallmouth actually made it back to its original capture area, which was in the Inland Sea, in which it was recaptured 4 months later.
It was found that the majority of the bass actually stayed in Cumberland Bay for up to two months before they started to disperse. By the end of the 2 year study 56% of the radio tagged smallmouth bass and 44% of the radio tagged largemouth bass eventually left the bay and swam to other parts of the lake. The t-bar tagged bass dispersal was very similar.
This means that 56% of the Largemouth that were caught in tournaments over the course of those two years actually stayed in Cumberland Bay. The interesting thing about this is Anglers told researchers that the majority of the Largemouth bass (70%) that were caught in these tournaments came from two main areas of the lake. Ticonderoga on the South End of the Lake, and Miquoy Bay on the north end of the lake. However of the recaptured Largemouth none of them had returned to those areas.
Looking at the smallmouth, the majority of them stayed in the bay for 2 months before they dispersed from the bay. Although the majority ended up leaving there were still a large percentage 44% that stayed in the bay throughout the study.
One of the most interesting things was discovered in this study is that bass did not cross deep water as they dispersed from the bay. Deep water is known as a pelagic Zone and in this experiment, deep water was considered 65ft deep. Instead the bass hugged the shoreline as they started moving out of the Bay.
Similar results were found in a study done by Gilliland in 1999 that showed 84% of tournament-released bass traveled along continuous shoreline and only 16% crossed deep, open water.
Researchers suggested that bass used different landmarks to get from place to place. There were a few smallmouth that made it back to the Vermont side of the lake but this was after they had traveled along the New York side to the northern part of the lake and then crossed into Vermont Waters. All fish crossed to the Vermont water and less than 65 ft of water.
Lake Shasta in California the department of fish and wildlife tagged 580 tournament caught bass. Of the bass that were tagged there was 497 Smallmouth and 83 Largemouth.
Of the 83 Largemouth that were tagged, 34 were recaptured by Anglers over the three-year study. Of the 34 that were caught 13 of them were caught less than 1 mile away from their release point. The other 21 we're captured between 1 and 7 miles from the release site.
Looking at the analytics the Department of Fish and Wildlife concluded that during the first 40 days after being released, the average distance traveled by the Largemouth was less than a mile, and the average for the entire three-year study period was less than two miles.
However, smallmouth dispersed quicker and farther than Largemouth. 87% of the released bass were caught from 2-15 miles from the release site. Within the first 20 days after being released, the majority of the smallmouth bass traveled at least 3 miles and a few traveled as much as 8 miles.
The conclusion of the biologists was that largemouth bass travel short distances after being released. They established new territory and continued on with their lives. However, smallmouth bass often travel back to where they were caught. Why smallmouths have this homing ability and largemouths do not, no one knows for sure.
I think it is important to remember that a smaller percentage of bass actually get caught than we think in bass tournaments, which I mention in a study at the end of this video. I don't think bass tournaments are bad for a fishery, most lakes around the country seem to be producing bigger fish year after year despite continued angling pressure. However, it is important that we take care of the fish that are in our livewells
there's more to a lake than bass populations
That is a huge lake tho. I am curious to know how smaller lakes would affect the behavior.
Tournaments may not be bad for the fish, but they certainly do not help them. The only ones who benefit from fishing tournaments are the promoters, contestants and the merchants that sell goods and services to them. Tournaments are held, because humans make money from them, not to benefit the fish.
Bullshit! I fished tournaments, lots of casualties on warm days. I watched Onieda lake in NY turn to shit with relentless bass tournaments. We also get all Pennsylvania’s fishing clubs because they don’t have any lakes big enough to run tournaments. Get a clue, 100 of the best fisherman in the world ran to a new platform that takes care of the fish. All the the old tournament practices are unsustainable. Throw them in a bag and hold em out by the lip one last time! People will justify anything these days to not feel guilty.
Livewells kill bass they don't like to be thrashing in a livewell. Also why would you have bass tournaments on hot 90-95 degree days total fish kill. They kill what they catch by half
This is why I like the MLF format. Weigh and put right back. No 4-6 hours in a livewell being drug miles from where they are caught.
Don't they catch 500 fish a day, though? Look at all the and no limits in the zeros at the Pickwick Elite. It should be weigh and release for top weight only to keep the numbers caught down.
@@deckmonkey1459 don’t see what is wrong with catching so many? Every other tournament is big 5. I like how it is unique. Makes guys go find the fish and fish hard the whole tim.
@@deckmonkey1459 Regardless if it's top 5 or most total weight like MLF, the top 5 are still trying to catch their top 5. They could catch just as many fish if not more trying to find their top 5.
@@mr.t1581 Not really. They only go to spots for big fish and fish baits most likely to catch them. A lot of guys don't even get 5 fish counting ones that are too small. MLF guys I would say are throwing smaller baits to lots of groups of small fish because 2 lbs is all you need. I haven't watched it much but I've seen guys catch a fish almost every minute for a long period of time. The chance to gut hook with a smaller bait is higher and they smash the fish as hard as they can for speed and almost rip their spines out. I think they should just weigh and release in every tournament. If MLF wants to keep the excitement of lots of fish they should put a limit on numbers to make guys target a little bigger fish to stop catching 1/2 pounders.
@@deckmonkey1459 Fair enough, I mean I think it depends on the tournament and how the fish are biting. MLF did change it to a 2LB minimum for a qualifying fish.
I was a huge bass tourney fan, I have done several events in the past, I saw the destruction on small waters and now encourage MLF or instant release style tourneys ..It just makes more sense, Great video and enjoyed the content.
i know a few tournaments will drive the bass back to their location of capture.
@@CertifiedForkLiftOperator69420there is zero need for that they need to have every boat recording with no cuts and you just weigh it infront of the camera and throw it back pretty simple or every boat has a tournament aid that weighs it and takes a pic and throws it back no need for live wells
Now I would like to see what the mortality rate of those bass that didn't leave that area because so few where caught again. Great info we all need more information and studies like this to help keep our fisheries healthy.
I should have included that in the video because it is on the study. On Champlain the post release mortality rate was roughly 3.5%. I am sure that mortality rate is higher at certain fisheries in the dead of summer
@@BassFishingHQ I'd be surprised if that percentage is accurate. Hauling bass around all day in a live well, handling them for weighing and "trophy" shots and further handling to the release area is highly stressful. Thank goodness that format is dying out in favor of the MLF format.
@@the45er Right how many and die later from complications from stress i.e. pathogen infection or just impossible to find
@@the45er i dont think we give enough credit to the toughness of bass. about the only situation i can think of where they really cant handle it is dead of summer 90+ degree water tournaments and thats completely understandable. low saturated O2 because hot water holds less than cold water when a fish really needs that precious oxygen after fighting for its life. at least when i watch fish in my livewell during the course of a fishing tournament, they do get settled in. the gill pumping slows and the fish folds its fins indicating its completely fine with whats going on. not trying to make an argument that keep tourneys are a better format than MLF but give some credit. these are bass. they wont die from being held funny like a rainbow would.
Love the comment sir
This is why I like my kayak fishing tournaments. We measure and release where they were caught. Lot less street.
Yes but another scientific study concluded the Kayak'ers were stressed after the tournament from having to paddle or peddle farther to get to the fish .
@@kls2020 well played!
@@kls2020 😂😂
😭🤣🤣🤣
I hope a lot less street. Those bass aren't tough enough to be on these streets!
A few years ago me and a buddy fished a bass tournament. We stayed around the boat ramp never got far enough away that we couldn't see the ramp. Everyone else took off to there fishing spots. We won the tournament. There had been a lot of tournaments out of that marina that spring, so my buddy said it should be a lot of fish still close by. I recon he was right.
Lol somebody was using their brain that day 👍👍
Buddy of mine and me done the same thing a couple of times lol
I hate it that they get caught off their spawning beds and taken miles from them. I love bass fishing but we need let them get thru the spawning process.
MARYLAND and PENNSYLVANIA lakes have a springtime CLOSED SEASON...fishing has gotten better...
Always important to return to the bed area
It's against the law in NY to catch or even harass fish on their spauning beds don't know where you got your info that's why there's a season
@@ericschulze5641 Everything is against the law in NY.
I don't live in New York. There's no season in Tennessee. So my comment makes perfect sense. I hate to see tournament fisherman take fish off beds and back to the weigh in station. I see that on Old Hickory lake.
@@jonnygranville281 in general there doesn't need to be a season & the eggs will feed the other fish
With tournaments starting to become so popular they definitely need to stop releasing at the launch. Catch, weigh, record proof, release on site. I've seen some huge bass die at weigh-ins. Our fisheries are already struggling sure to storms, algae, etc. Don't need to add to it.
Fisheries are only producing more and more big bass every year, not sure where you’re at that they’re struggling.
@@User-1543 maybe where you live but in Ca they are massively struggling. Maybe you live in a low population area so of course you won’t see this problem. It’s a huge problem!
Catch, weigh, and release immediately is the way to go.
Negative that’s not tournament fishing catch 5 and weigh them. MLF sucks
I see where your coming from but from a conservation and population dispersion standpoint MLF seems like the best option.
@@solomonsmith5511 could still only count the biggest 5 and not keep a live score tracker and would have the same thing except not moving fish!
I can agree with some points but in most lakes the population of fish is strong and a tournaments won’t hurt the population density in a lake
Catch and eat is better 🙂
👽 🐟 man👀If I was snatched out of my bed it would take me two months to get up the nerve to go back home and tell my wife where I was.
Lolol so true
The study shows bass are smarter than you because some realize they are free and don't ever go home. Let her deal with the kids.
LMBO
funny
🤣🤣🤣 facts
MLF format is the way to go, since it also doesn't allowing flipping the fish on to the deck.
Some of those bigger fish that get boat flipped and land on the deck has to be damaged in the spine, just an observation, I could be wrong. It just looks damaging.
There is definitely some truth to this line of thinking!!! These fish are not built to be hoisted by just their jaw, everyone thinks this is the proper way to handle them, sure, if they are 3 pounds or less. I believe that a 5 or 6 pound fish (and up of course) is hurt pretty badly by the weight of its own body put completely on its jaw, it's similar to whales, in the water they're fine, put them on land and their enormous weight just crushes them!!! Fish that big NEED to be handled with TWO hands and with great care!!!!!! They are already under an extreme amount of stress from the whole ordeal of the catch!! One second, excited to be fed and chase prey, the next second they realize they aren't getting food and even worse they're being yanked around by who knows what??!?! Then there are fish caught in deeper waters and reeled in too quickly and not given the chance to adjust the ALL IMPORTANT swim bladder!!!!
I'll quit my rant, sorry. I just don't think that many people consider any of this stuff when they get a bite, adrenaline takes over and they just aren't thinking about anything but landing the fish. If you love fishing as much as you say you do, then your respect and consideration for the fish should be equally as high!!!!
@@jeffffro7674 Good words and I totally agree. I think we should consider ourselves lucky to be able to outsmart some of the fish but in doing so we should be as respectful as we can to them. Get them in, handle them well, take pictures or weigh them and marvel over them without wasting time, release them with care asap (not by throwing or tossing). There is way too little respect afforded fish. Fish are tough, but they're not that tough.
@@thomasmartin8202 one that bothers me quite a bit, the dang belly slap by Ben, I realize you're excited there brother, I really do, but there's no need to smack the poor fish on the stomach!! We know a lot about these creatures, but I'm willing to bet what we don't know is equal to or maybe even greater than what we do! If you want to eat a fish you catch, quickly dispatch the little guy and then you can do whatever you like to it for the camera!!!
A lot of people are really bad when it comes to what we're talking about here, honestly, Ben isn't half as bad as most of them!!! You can tell that he has a genuine love for those fish, he just gets VERY excited and when that happens, even the best of us can easily lose control and do things that we're gonna regret down the road! Especially when it's on camera!!!!
@@jeffffro7674 Who the hell's Ben?
@@thomasmartin8202 Ben Milliken, his channel is Milliken Fishing, he calls the subscribers M F'ers. Pretty funny. A week and a half ago, they went to Texas and caught a 5 fish limit of 60 pounds!! Then the guy with him caught a 16.4 largemouth!!!!! The next day Ben caught a 7.4 smallmouth!!!! The trip was absolutely insane, and I guess I just take for granted that anyone watching fish stuff on YT knows about this!!!! It reached most of the country basically overnight!!! Those fish were frickin MASSIVE!!!!! The guy working at the Share Lunker facility where they took the fish said, 25 years and I've never handled a fish that big!
Thanks for sharing these studies In a much less boring way
Hope you enjoyed it!
@@BassFishingHQ I sure did
I would like to see a similar study tracking the bass if they are just caught tagged and released instead of moving them to a new release location, just to see how much they actually travel naturally.
I have always wanted to know that to. I know catfish travel a lot but have no idea about bass. I would think they don't travel much but would be very interested is knowing for sure.
Ohio DNR has an upcoming study like this in Lake Erie, but it's going to take a few years before data are available. Tagging slated for 2023-24.
Thanks for the video....we all need to do as much as we can to keep the fish as healthy as possible. I think the MLF is on the right track with catch/weigh/release on the spot and is the best method. I know small tournaments and even smaller local tournaments can't do it because of no way to keep people honest. Surely someone can come up with a way to keep the fish from being handled and hauled around so much and stressed out. Guys in kayak tournaments are doing a measurement with a pic on there phone for results....we need more like this.
Interesting to see the differences in Smallie behavior between Champlain and Shasta, it would be interesting to see southern reservoirs and river systems and how they compare as well
I never got the whole live tournament weigh in. Literally like 10 people in the audience. Just catch, weigh, release immediately.
Ikr I don't give af about them showing off all the fish at once id rather keep them healthy
I think it more comes down to keeping the weigh in honest. It’s a lot more likely for people to lie if they aren’t weighed in front of others.
@@smurfpool9794 That’s true, but there should be official judges on each boat that record the weight. Lots of tournaments do that.
I learned more here then I’ve ever learned in school today😂👍🏽
Camped at B.A.S.S. tournament at Ky lake in the late 1990s was woken up at daylight with several people picking up dead fish all around the release site SICKENING.
And to know they use sedative's to destress , aerated bags, aerated tanks, chilling tanks, no nets, no kill policy .More sickening.... locals who are meat hunters and kill everything and they dont like tournaments guys on " their" lake.
Catch and release for me
At least someone is getting something to eat.
@@l8tapex poor wittle waif. Just hurtin all over. Gonna cry for everyone
@@superwilcox9026 Na sweetie. its ma job to get children on parents account with no content to snipe because they too scaaarrred.
Large mouth bass are also known to be much more adaptive to their surroundings when changed, but smallmouth are more territory orientated and thus are probably more driven to leave quicker to find a better territory to cover
im a firm believer that lake champlain smallmouth fishery is suffering from the tournement weigh in....weigh and release immediatly
Amen. Keep the tournaments off our lake
I fish 3000 acre lakes...with tournaments weekly...it is taking a huge toll....
@@davidkirk2554 Yeah I keep my boat at a marina on Lake Champlain where they usually do weigh-ins. There are dead bass everywhere the monday after a tournament.
@@markthelark00 they need to learn to take care of fish then
@@brycecox9420 I agree, or don't fish tournaments when it's 90 degrees out and keep fish in the livewells for 8 hours, release them into 80 degree water and expect them to swim away further than 10ft.
I would really be interested in seeing tournaments where the entrants don't use any technology. I think it has become a crutch to fill in for actual skill and experience.
I agree 100% there is no knowledge anymore. As long as you know technology you could win. 0 skill
@@mikebreier377 I don't know if I would go that far to say zero skill, but it definitely removes the needs for certain skills. I equate it to hunting with a deer radar. You just turn it on and know where they are. There would be universal outrage in the hunting community if something like suddenly appeared on the market
Partial agreement here. There is still the need to choose the right lure, choose how to twitch it or buzz it, and feel the most subtle hits on certain days. An analogy would be if you put a any guy in the top qualifying Indy car he would win the race and we all know that wouldn’t happen. These guys know how to fish really good but the electronics and other high tech stuff make a huge difference. Id love to see a “zero tech” tournament.
How about just GPS & Sonar day of tournament? Max 10 rods on board, 15 lbs of tackle, and 175 HP limit? I think it would be a cool trail to fish. Make it a real nail biter...no culling. If you put one in the livewell, you have to weigh it. Think of all the relocated fish that are culled on top the ones taken to weigh in.
@@jgringo5516 10 rods! How about 4 rods and 10 lure choices, and a speed limit so motor size doesn’t matter. Have a tournament spotter measure/weigh the fish and release it. That way they’ll have to do their homework on the lake and weather conditions even better. Take away the superbraids that let them yank a fish from the water 20’ from the boat too.
Strong work making this video. Thank you for taking the time to make it. Tight lines.
I do amateur kayak tourneys and I really enjoy the whole CPR format. Just quickly snap a picture of the length and release. Little pressure and right back where they came from.
MLF format is best format especially during the spawn
Awesome info🔥🔥 all lakes and regions are different however this is great information that can be used on any body of water for a general idea of what’s going on.
Thanks for sharing
The sad thing is alot of those bass die after tournaments. They should make a rule if the bass dies then you eat it.
Better yet have a charity fish fry & cook em all
They go straight to the bottom as turtle food.
@Mark Daniels thats not even close to factual. Half of them die atleast. Youve clearly never fished a tournament or seen the damage it can do. Sit down.
@UCJorZgMQDHCNrtqg_sRzLCg yeah you clearly are an avid fish killer, foolish.
Great information, Brother. I appreciate your time and effort for making us all alot smarter and compassionate anglers!
Thanks for watching Rob!
That is awesome information. The most important being that only 5% of the lakes bass were caught in a 12 month period.
Another interesting study. There has been numerous done in Canada as well. The basically show appoximatly the same results. Largemouth will stay if there is ample food. Smallmouth will return to where they came from depending on the complexity of the routing. Our 6 year study on Lake Simcoe showed some fish returning 26 km away in 4 weeks.
Very interesting! I feel like it is all just proving that largemouth are just lazy lol
This video told me an average of 95% of Bass in high pressured lakes are smart enough to not fall for an artificial lure.
Oh yeah of course.....we’ve all experimented with bass we can see in water and throw everything at them including live bait, and they won’t touch it. However, sometimes you can aggravate them enough they will start picking up baits and moving them, or attacking just out of frustration like bedding bass. I did that last year to some bass stuck in a pool in a creek. After catching one or two, no one would touch anything. So i took a tiny ned and spent like 45 minutes flipping it at the same fish over snd over. You could tell after a while he was getting mad and angrily rushing it, though not biting. Eventually he started gently swatting at it, then biting it, then I caught him. You can experiment like this sometimes to see how pressured and caught fish act.
@@catchofthedave8681 I agree 💯. Not only with bed fish...just by going by the sheer numbers of fish in the lake, and the number of fish being recaught, it’s mind blowing how many fish see your bait on an average cast with say a crank bait or whatever and don’t react to it.
This is when the good ol night crawler comes in handy
Excellent studies and supporting statistics. Thanks for sharing this with us. I believe in releasing the fish in the area caught immediately after weighing.
Awesome video. I live in Vermont and lake Champlain is my home lake. I am also studying fish and wildlife in college. The tough part about the study especially about lake Champlain is that there is lots of great habitat in Cumberland bay for both largemouth and smallmouth. So it’s tough to say if they just find a new “home” in Cumberland bay because it fits their environmental needs or if they can’t travel the great distances back to their original “home”
Yes that is very true. I think if proper habitat and bait are close to release site it will just up the odds of fish staying close
Great video! I have read these studies but it is great to see this explained visually. Thanks for sharing this Tyler.
I appreciate it. Thanks for watching Jason
Wow, such awesome information. Your efforts are really appreciated.
Most bass stay close to where they’re released. The bass released in the 2015 bassmaster elite sacramento are still being caught today (2021) in areas close to the release site.
I remember the days when there was no catch and release. I remember a big national tournament coming to False River in Louisiana back in the 70's and at the end of each day seeing hundreds of bass thrown in 14' bateaus and iced down. I'm glad those days are gone.
All fish should be released back into the water after a quick weight and measure. Putting them in live wells for the day and then into a bag for a public weigh in stresses them too much.
Very intriguing, I do catch alot of bass in this one big area where the larger tournaments do releases of the days catch!
How can this get a thumbs down by anyone? It was very informative and well explained.
Because tiktok is damaging minds. If the video is more than 30 seconds, people lose interest and their brains shut down. Also when he started giving numbers, he probably lost a lot of the slower folks too. I thought it was a fascinating video and I haven't been bass fishing in 25 years. Live in Colorado now and trout are king here
Fascinating. I'm just glad they were ACTUALLY returned!
Thanks again for sharing this interesting info. It’s something I always wondered about 🎣
Can’t wait to see this ! I was just thinking about this after Lake Okeechobee
Also in that Florida tournament they re-release the fish back all over the lake again !
Pickwick is loaded with bass from Wilson Lake that have been weighed in and released into Pickwick. Most large tournaments are allowed to lock through, but are still gonna weigh in at McFarland Park on Pickwick.
Awesome video , 22yrs ago at Amistad my father and I would catch 8 to 10lbers and lost a 14lb on the bridge pilings .1 mile from the major ramp . We used to say that those bass were released and used the pilings as feeding or resting spots for the big ones .
This was incredibly informative thank you!
I’m a fan of whatever management leads to the healthiest population of big bass!!! Lots all gear toward that 😎👍🏼
Very informative, thank you for all your work putting this together!
Thanks for the kind words, took some time so I appreciate it!
I used to live near Cumberland Head on Champlain. After big tourney weekends, we saw lots of dead fish.
They go straight too the fish lure identification station and report their findings and once a week the fish have a gathering and discuss the newest lures on the market .
Now tell us how many bass didn't survive being released, especially after a few hours in a live well.
Fish are sent around the world in bags of water for the aquarium trade with little loss. I am sure some bass die after being in a live well all day but the numbers are probably very low. More bass are dying from gut hook and gill hooks than stress from being in a live well.
Studies show the mortality rate is only about 3%-5%
Interesting video and analytics. Does seasonality play a part in the result? IE, what time of year were the studies conducted? If it was during the spawn would they skew the numbers? Good content and keep up the good work.
Absolutely love the evidence thats put forth to prove the point and its a very good arguement. Great video. Thx again
Thank you Tyler ! Appreciate all your knowledge and hard work .
I've long wondered this very question. Very interesting. Subbed!
It’s rather interesting they have did this study in New York in lake Champlain
People who hate on MLF obviously don’t care or have lack of knowledge. So many floaters after big tournaments especially during the summer. No spawning bass needs to be taken from her bed. Her spawn is basically ruined. Weigh and immediately release is the future if you want to see someone holding big bass at weigh ins catch them yourself
I agree ,a picture last a lifetime , weigh and release it’s simple ! She spawns out and more bass are made , shoot you can catch her and the buck weigh release them and keep fishing ! Simple math to an ole 44 year old country boy ! The weight is all that matters anyway !
Great job. I've watched some of your things before but this video got me to subscribe. Keep it up
Great explanation of the study! As a fisheries biologist, I really admire this video presentation! I want to point out too how much anglers contribute to maintaining wild fisheries in the USA (~1.5 billion $ annually based on 2013 data!) seeing a lot of stressed fish all at once during tournaments or research studies for that matter is always a little gutwrenching but we need to keep in mind how things that get people invested in fishing is really beneficial to the maintenance of these species. I spend a lot of time talking to managers in my state (MNDNR) and I am always encouraged to see how they are thinking about this kind of data and tiring to balance protecting the resource with making it available to the public. - Anyway great video.
BTW you can improve the health of the fish you catch by making sure that the water temperature stays cool and aeration in the live well is constant. You can also use barbless hooks to minimize damage when hooking up on a fish. Using sterile nitrile gloves to handle fish (or at least making sure your hands are clean) can help too. Overall the less fish are handled the better, so plan out what measurements and pictures you want to get ahead of time to minimize handling time.
Extremely insightful presentation.
As I kayak angler, I still wonder why I can’t have better luck closer to the release sites, even after 28 days.
I think that all lakes are different. If there is structure and cover close by I think the bass will establish themselves in those areas
Sounds like the bass are super finicky while recovering? Maybe more finesse?
Nothing short of amazing! A question that I’ve always wondered!
Dude, you've got a cool little niche here! Very glad I happened upon it. Great content and I will be sharing.
I wonder if spawning would make some of the largemouth more ambitious to return to the catch site. Do the fish that are caught whilst spawning still spawn if the conditions are right even though it takes up to 28 days to recuperate? That's my main question!
If they are released right away they will go right back to the bed. However, if they are hauled to another part of the lake, they may not get back
A good reason not to put fish in livewells during the spawn ?
I agree! I wish more tournaments would be like kayak tournaments and go by measurements. Even if it's a small percentage, killing a big spawning female would be tragic.
@@bassma5ter11 I agree! I asked this same question on a bass boat forum, thought they would kick me off!!
Oh, and a side note, I'm trying to sell my bass boat, get a kayak or bass raider style boat.
Your thoughts on which one and why?
The tourneys here on the Mississippi river in WI. have a 3 pool area they can fish . One pool up and one pool down . Fish taken from a pool above the locks and dams have almost no chance to go back to the pool they were caught once being taken to a lower pool !
Awesome freaking work man. Thank you
This video confirms for me something I have been fighting for for years--We need to stop the old school tournament style of bass fishing where bass are taken to a weigh in. It needs to be all done like kayak tourneys or MLF. TourneyX style catch, photo (or weigh), and release. All this research proves it takes months and months for stressed bass to disperse release area and get back to normal, and they often never go back to original catch point. We need to be stressing these fish as little as possible. Tourney X style FTW. Sure there are flaws, and potential to cheat, but so is there in traditional format.....why do you think they introduced polygraph tests in traditional circuits. Cuz if someone wants to cheat bad enough, they will regardless. Taking care of the fish should be 1st priority.
This being said.....I know for next couple kayak tourneys, I’m going to look up where the weigh ins were at last bass tournaments, and fish in that area. This really makes sense.....Cumberland is a big, long, highland reservoir. But for some reason all the best bass are consistently caught near the dam snd creeks closest to the dam.....tourney after tourney thats where people catch winning fish. It’s also where all the fish are released after weigh ins. Go figure
Fascinating! Great work. Dorsal fin...
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. I've been lucky enough to speak with Michigan Biologists regarding similar studies on Lake Erie walleye population. Loooooong story, short version; Smallmouth and walleye are way more similar than folks realize. Keep up the great work, enjoying your content.
Thanks for watching Jon, I appreciate it, would love to hear more about those studies
@@BassFishingHQ th-cam.com/video/zvFZay5HTRQ/w-d-xo.html Travis Hartman is the Ohio DNR fisheries biologist worth looking into. This pod cast is lengthy.....but good. Ross can be a challenge to listen too..... but has great passion for fishing. Travis Hartman is the gentleman worth googling. All his effort is Lake Erie walleye related, however; numerous common denominators will pop out at you regarding smallies. As you already know they are both "Predarors" that target similar food sources. Again, thanks for your You Tube work.
@@BassFishingHQ th-cam.com/video/2MAzC-DaSTg/w-d-xo.html Travis was a big part of the info in this video, Travis isn't presenting it, another person is.
Thanks for the info Tyler. There are always so many specific questions that arise from these studies. I fish Santee Cooper a lot and a ton of pressure during the spring and lots of giants brought to the scales. One of the locations that holds lots of club tournaments is in the canal (deep and fast running water). A female full of eggs, where does she go to deposit and how long before she drops her eggs? Do they go to the nearest spawning area accessible? With fast running water in a canal, are they more than likely to swim a shorter distance against the current to spawn or a much longer distance with the current? So many questions based on specific areas to really understand.
I've recently seen on TV where a tourney judge is on each boat the does an official weight right there. The fish goes back in the water right after. Seems like the best option for all, fish included.
So true about largemouth staying within 2 mile 3 mile radius typical. We have a 14.5 mile lake in KY that mid summer i fish ONLY north end where all fished been released over ueara and released right off bank 7 8 tourneys atleast 8 months out year so found alot that I can see been hooked before to some maybe new 1s but it really makes alot of sense. Smallmo I've heard that and know they roam alot more so makes perfect sense
Very informative, thank you
Always wondered why so many boats pile up at the weigh site. Guess people already knew this. I didn't
Our local tournament bass don't go anywhere. They die at the dock. Hate organizers who don't give a darn about taking the time to release . Only to take a check!
That’s sad to hear.
I fished a huge tournament on the harris chain a couple years back and no less than 150 bass were floating either dead or flipped sideways fins still moving. Awful .. there were some huge fish just wasted. The weigh in was still going on. The tournament was in June...Way too much stress on those fish during the hot months
Another excellent video. You just continue to keep putting them out. I often wonder when they are estimating the number of fish in a body of water how they can be so accurate. As we know 80% of the fish are usually in 20% of the water
This was really cool to watch. I wish people did this with musky. There are some studies but they're aren't that much
Very interesting info.....good vid 👍
Thanks for watching
I think with the new recirc pumps in livewells that the mortality levels are going down in tournaments.
For the most part mortality rates are pretty low in tournaments, so that is a great thing. Even post release mortality is low if fish are taken care of.
Y'all got anymore of them weigh in spots?
😂 that's what I'm thinkin 😀
The estimated death toll of all released bass at Tournaments is 20% I think this is very Detrimental to the Bass population. I too have stayed around after a weigh in .After around I to three hous they will start floating to the top.
That’s kind of sad. Especially considering that trophy largemouth are usually the ones that reproduce more with the best genetics.
Great vid. I also have been wondering if the bass returned back to where they were caught. Your vid shows that they don't. Thanks!
Excellent information! Well done!!
I have caught fish in tournaments in river and they went 10 mile ride to launch ramp to weigh in and released alive. I have caught the Same fish 2 months later on same bank that I originally caught it and it was a lock up.
Are there any concerns over the biggest bass being caught during the spawn? Pulling those big fish off the beds never to return to complete the spawn.
That's why I like my small online tournaments 😂 I just take a picture and release
Interesting that they tagged that many smallmouth on Shasta.. it’s mainly spotted bass fishery 🤷🏻♂️
They should ban it. They should weigh them on the boat, record the weight and release them at the spot where they were caught. If they catch a really Hugh fish, take a photo and then release. Or only be allowed to bring back you largest fish to show. Some tournaments are already doing this but they need to do more of these methods.
Good stuff.
Nice work!
Personally I think tournaments are very stressful on the fish and environment.
i was always curious about releasing in a tournament.. but Id love to see some research or studies done in a system like mine. Lake Winnebago.. where you have several connecting lakes joined by a river.. Bass caught in lower lake that is down stream from all of the other lakes then released on an upper lake.. and bass caught upstream/current. Where do they go?? Do they swim down stream with the current or try to fight the current and swim upstream.
Too many tournaments period. Clowns with 250 hp outboards and electronics that could locate the Titanic is not ethical. Give the fish a chance you clowns. Fishing is not all about rippen' lip. I do not even want to get started on the lack of boating courtesy involved.
Clown with a 21’ bullet with a 250 merc and $6000 worth of electronics here. I’ve fished my ass off almost twice every week for the last year and just today broke a 3 month skunk streak. I say all that to say this, a badass boat and top of the line electronics absolutely do not automatically make you a killer fisherman.. Granted I do know the people you’re referring to but don’t hate the player just cause you can’t play his game.
With that said, you aren’t the arbiter of fishing and until that day comes I’d suggest taking a different approach at how you view things or find a new hobby. Cause you’re literally here bitching because in your mind too many people are really getting into your hobby and doing something besides staring at a cell phone 24/7 which I guarantee you is something else people like yourself will be caught bitching about. Well ya can’t have it both ways bud. Don’t be concerned when the boat ramps full.. be concerned when it’s empty.
@James Rowland sounds like someone’s spent too much money and feels they deserve to not get skunked
@@lakeecstasy1616 if you’re not going to actually read what I said then I’m not gonna waste my time correcting you. Cause you’re basically saying the same exact thing I did but your jealousy of what I worked my ass off for and saved to get since I saw one as a kid in 1994 is keeping you from seeing that.
I literally said throwing money at fishing isn’t guaranteeing you any thing. To which your comment to that was that I think throwing money at fishing should guarantee me fish. See anything wrong with that?
Catch weight and release is the only way to do it if you are going to have a tournament especially during the spawn. If not you are leaving the nest and fri unprotected
Never understood why so many people get excited about fishing for largemouth bass . They fight like an old shoe and taste like crap . At least Smallmouth fight like hell .
Interesting watch. You say anglers only move 5% of the total bass population in a lake, but aren’t they only moving big bass? Pretty sure the estimates for the amount of bass in the lake would account for fry as well. Makes me wonder how much of the bass population is large enough for anglers to want to take and compare it to that 5% number.
You should always fish around ramps.. structure..and any cover close to those ramps. .. or don't. I will
Pilings near spillways and walls of dams make great areas too
Go to Iowa state university, and look for tournament fishing study. It will open your eyes. On a small 659 ac. Lake with huge pressure fishing.
Great video my dude
This is very informative. I've often wondered about this whilst watching BASS tournaments, having concern for the welfare of the animal, especially during spawning season. Prefer the MLF style of catch, weigh, and release.
Very informative video. I like that one very much