Bass Spawn

[Wild One]

Being new to warm water I have a few questions. When bass are spawing do they tend to get really agressive toward predators that may be in search of their eggs or do they just sit around their beds and wait for something to come an attack? I ask because I've known a lot of succesful anglers catch different species of trout with egg-sucking leeches and buggers around spawn time and the trout (especially the browns in fall) go crazy after em! Also, do most of you really target bass around the spawn or do you usually leave em be and fish for other fish?

Thanks in advance for education!

[parrotheadcrb]

From my experience and from experience of my good friends that do a ton of bass fishing. The males tend to be the most aggresive while the females that are actually on the beds tend to pick stuff up to move it off there beds...I.E... plastic worms and fly patterns to mimic these. If you can find some bedding females throwing something that looks snakey as close or up on the beds and wait small twitches and they will pick it up carry it a few feet and drop it. Its a sight game when fishing like that.

[Big Bad Wulff]

Yup the females will pick up whatever gets in the bed, take it out and drop it. I watched one pick up my lure 5 straight times and drop it outside the bed. I decided then and there to leave her and other spawners alone.
It seems the males(females?) get aggressive later on. I had great luck catching bass on an eyed wooly bugger when it seemed time for the yougins' to hatch. Were they eating the hatchlings?? Were they protecting them??

[WarrenP]

I hesitated to post to this, but, I have too. We all enjoy catching fish on the fly rod and I think it would be considerate of us if we just left spawning fish alone so they can produce more fish for us to catch.

This is just my honest opinion and nothing more and I do not intend to defend it on this board.

I have seen too many spawning beds ruined because everyone wants to catch the "big" fish to show off.


Sorry for stating my opinion and it was not meant to offend anyone.

[flyandtie]

I have seen too many spawning beds ruined because everyone wants to catch the "big" fish to show off.

well said warren

[Big Bad Wulff]

I hesitated to post to this, but, I have too. We all enjoy catching fish on the fly rod and I think it would be considerate of us if we just left spawning fish alone so they can produce more fish for us to catch.

This is just my honest opinion and nothing more and I do not intend to defend it on this board.

I have seen too many spawning beds ruined because everyone wants to catch the "big" fish to show off.


Sorry for stating my opinion and it was not meant to offend anyone.

Only in America can we be afraid of stating our opinions in fear of OFFENDING someone. Just say waht you think and be done with it. I hope I offended someone

[parrotheadcrb]

I will agree totally. I am not offended at all at your opinion. To each his own. Nicely put Wolf.

[Wild One]

Agreed. Which is why I asked for your opinions. If you'll notice, in my first post I stated that I'd seen others have great success fishing for browns especially around spawn. I for one will stay completely out of the river to avoid stepping on or disturbing the eggs. people fish for em b/c they're up in the shallows and easy to see, but I tend to leave them alone.
Being a little inexperienced with bass, I wasn't sure what to expect and wanted a little info before I really hit the ponds and stuff hard. Thanks guys!

[parrotheadcrb]

The bass spawn is not fragile as the trout spawn. Bass are extremely hardy fish that when caught off the beds are not put in as much stress as a big sow brown would be. Its the age old debate to fish the spawn or not to fish the spawn. We as fisherman target out best fishing oppurtunities around fish spawning. If God, allah, mohammed,or whomever didnt want fish caught while spawning he would have made them to spawn in deep holes and not shallow water. I find it funny that this debate always comes up when talking trout or bass, but when we(I mean locally) fish for crappie, bream, redear, catfish(the most productive times) and pretty much anything else it is during the spawn of each species.

[Buddy Sanders]

Spawn 'facts'...

The female will usually stay on the bed only a short time after she lays. Females are seldom agressive in defending the nest, and usually only after the male has abandoned a particular intruder will the female, often after a good bit time, respond to it by moving it.

The male both builds the nest and defends it. He'll stay with the eggs until they hatch, and spend some time 'defending' the fry. There is a point, no one knows exactly how the bass decides this, when the fry change from 'beloved and protected progeny' to 'prey'. At this point, the bass will wil charge into the brood and eat as many as he can. This effectively scatters the brood, probably giveng more of them a chance to survive (nature does little to no purpose).

The only thing I have seen cause an agressive, fast, and often incredibly violent response from a big female on the bed is a waterdog. Something genetic there, probably, but they seem to really recognize these things as threat.

The males are VERY agressive in their nest defense, and are so easy to catch, often over and over again, that it's not very sporting.

The females are hard to entice into striking, in most cases, and some bed fishermen will spend hours on a single nest trying to get the big female to bite. Not my idea of fun.....

Many tournaments are won by this tactic, and just as many lost. It's a gamble that often fails.

One misconception. If the female has already laid her eggs, then catching her doesn't usually do harm to the nest. She's on her way out anyway. Catching and releasing her immediately, if she hasn't laid, won't hurt anything either, as she'll still lay her eggs.

Catching the male, however, can mean doom for the nest. If the eggs haven't hatched, maruading predators will quickly clean them out if the male is removed. Even catching and releasing him can cause enough unprotected time to allow the nest to be raided.

Same thing if the fry have hatched. Until they can fend for themselves, they are very vulnerable, and removing the male, even for a short time, can spell their demise.

The 'problem' with bed fioshing is that it's almost impossible to entice the female without first catching the male. Sometimes several times. At some point, the male 'learns' to avoid the lure/fly, but by then the damage is often done. Males don't 'eat' during the spawn, and it's very stressful for them. Being caught and released a few times can be enough to fatigue or kill the male, leaving him unable to defend the nest.

Personally, I find bed fishing either too easy and unchallenging (for he males) and too boring and time consuming, for the females. AND, it can cost the loss of a whole lot more fish than just the one you hook. You'll have to decide if you can justify that yourself.

Not all bass spawn at the same time, so you can target pre or post spawn fish if you choose to, and not have to worry about disturbing the spawn.

Still, all of this being the case, there are no figures, studies, or information that angler harvest during the spawn is causing damage to overall bass populations. They are, in almost all areas, rising.

Personal choice, of course.

Good Luck!

Buddy