Bass Season/Spawn
 

In many parts of the state, the bass are on their beds or will be soon. The SMB in the rivers are getting ready too. With this in mind, for anyone who might consider keeping any bass from now until June 16th, remember that the season is closed until then except in certain lakes. All bass caught must be released. I hope the bucket brigades read the regs. They probably don't so please remind them.

Re: Bass Season/Spawn
 

Quoted for truth!

I actually avoid nesting bass during the spring because the male bass is there guarding eggs and fry form being devoured by those ******* sunfish. Once the male is removed from the nest, those sunfish rush right in and start gobbling up eggs and bass fry.
Even if the bass is returned to the water, but the time he gets his wits about him and returns to the nest, he may find the nest has already been raided and all his offspring have been eaten.

if the bass is killed, the fry will surely be consumed.

here is a video of a bass nest. Look how tiny and vulnerable the fry are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLNUL3jeWVg

http://www.helpourfisheries.com/imag...%20Fry.sml.png








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Re: Bass Season/Spawn
 

You're right about not pulling the male off the nest, but here's a little secret: the female is nearby. In the deeper water out past the nest the female is patrolling, and is usually bigger than the male. As long as the male is on the nest, I say the female is fair game for CPR.

Re: Bass Season/Spawn
 

The ethics of fishing bass on their beds has been debated for a long, long time. Most articles about this issue seem to agree on the fact that there is little damage to the overall bass population in a lake if some bass are caught (and released) while on their beds. There are always beds that are not disturbed and lots of fry survive. Unlike in the South where a bass may spawn several times a season because of the early warming of the water, northern bass have only one spawn usually. It's one of the big reasons why there is a catch and release
season in many of the northern states like NJ. The issue of fishing for bass on their beds should not be looked at as a social evil. Societal norms have no place in this issue, yet there will be a certain growing population of PETA do-gooders who would like to make it seem unethical to fish for poor defenseless fish while they are spawning. If we start giving human qualities to fish and start thinking of fish as humans, with feelings and emotions, then our sport is doomed. Use your own judgement about whether to fish or not fish for a bass on its bed but don't think that you'll be destroying the lake's bass population if you catch and release some of them. Catching a female bass from her bed is not as easy as it looks and it can be very frustrating. Ask some of the pros.