Every article/opinion I’ve read about not fishing for bass during the spawn says you shouldn’t do it – or should release bass right then and there – because bluegills will hoover up all the eggs like it’s the dessert bar at the Golden Corral.
After thinking about it, I wonder if it’s just conventional wisdom that maybe we should reexamine. So I have 2 questions:
The first is, anyone ever see this happen?
I mean, the implication here is that hordes of bluegills are swarming around bass nests – like the Gauls around Rome maybe? – just waiting for an opening so they can pile in there and chow down.
I’ve never seen it. Also never seen it around bluegill nests.
I’m sure bluegills do eat bass eggs, but is it really that common?
Second question: Buck bass guard the nests, right?
Right. So what bassers are going around fishing for the smaller bass around beds?
I can see arguments for not fishing during the spawn, but to me those arguments are less important than getting more folks out on the water more often.
Lemme know….
3 Comments
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Chad Keogh
July 12, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Answer #1: I have fished lakes here in BC that have about 15-20′ visibility for bedding bass. NEVER have I seen a perch or bluegill anywhere near a bass nest. I have landed bass from beds, unhooked them, weighed them, took photos of them, and then released them, and still didn’t see perch or bluegill anywhere.
Answer #2: When you’re in a tournament, you need to start with 5 bass, and if the males are easy to find and aggressive, why not start with them? Then try to cull them out with bigger, harder to catch females if possible.
5bites
July 12, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I’ve seen bass work hard to keep them off thenest but not actually eating them in real life. On an episode of Hook and Look it did show perch swarming and wiping out a nest. The bass was still there I believe but the crowd was to much. The females at some point during the spawn kinda hang loose by the nest. I guess to make things are done right. Imagine that.
Tumblebug
July 13, 2011 at 2:24 pm
Many times I have seen the gills surrounding the bass nest. And when the bass is pulled off, the nest is wiped out quickly.