# bass on bed!



## RE185 (Feb 1, 2014)

I was wondering what some guys think about pulling big female bass off beds To win a tournament. I'm no biologist but this has to have some effect on the spawn. does it really make you a better fisherman to weigh 5 fish in off the bed. how does this compare to shooting high fence bucks? I have fished many tournaments were first place was 25 pounds and 2nd place was 15 or 16 pounds. knowing both teams ,the first place team caught their fish off bed 2nd place caaught all there's off offshore structure.


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## warronl (Feb 1, 2014)




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## MossyOak92 (Feb 1, 2014)




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## tone357 (Feb 1, 2014)

If there's money on the line, ethics will be overlooked. (by some)


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Feb 1, 2014)

tone357 said:


> If there's money on the line, ethics will be overlooked. (by some)



it's funny how money does that very thing....and, you can't leave out ego...


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## LTZ25 (Feb 1, 2014)

Hey most folks on here will catch them off bed and eat them the next day , it doesn't take a biologist to figure out how that affects the bass population .


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## coreyj (Feb 1, 2014)

Would be better to blind cast to known big fish spawning areas and catch them?


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## LTZ25 (Feb 1, 2014)

I don't give a crap how you do it , but more fish recover from tournaments than frying pans .


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## coreyj (Feb 1, 2014)

My point exactly.. it doesn't matter to me, I will catch one or five off the bed for the money...


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## fish hawk (Feb 2, 2014)

Whats funny is how many people will lie and say they wont cast to a bass on the bed.....There's not many on here that wont throw at a 12 lb bass if they see it on the bed and if they say they wont then there lying.........especially if $10,000 or a brand new boat, motor and trailer are on the line.Some act like catching them off the bed is easy,it's not always.Sometimes it's the apex of frustration,you can see her just sitting there but she wont hit ****.....If you fish at all during the spring your likely to catch a bass on the bed,bucks or females!!!!!!!!


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## TroyBoy30 (Feb 2, 2014)

LTZ25 said:


> I don't give a crap how you do it , but more fish recover from tournaments than frying pans .



This


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## fish hawk (Feb 2, 2014)

TroyBoy30 said:


> This



What's the mortality rate on bass caught in tournaments?
What's the acceptable death rate?Something like 20 to 25 percent,aint it?.


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## LTZ25 (Feb 2, 2014)

Maybe 2 out of 100 are dead at wieght in . And I don't know what happens to the released fish . But I am in highland marina area a lot in the days following tournaments and very rarely see floaters , maybe they sink I don't know .


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## fish hawk (Feb 2, 2014)

LTZ25 said:


> *Maybe 2 out of 100 are dead at wieght in .* And I don't know what happens to the released fish . But I am in highland marina area a lot in the days following tournaments and very rarely see floaters , maybe they sink I don't know .



That's understandable.......How many tournament anglers are gonna purposely bring a dead bass to the scales?


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## mtr3333 (Feb 2, 2014)

LTZ25 said:


> Hey most folks on here will catch them off bed and eat them the next day , it doesn't take a biologist to figure out how that affects the bass population .





TroyBoy30 said:


> This



Exactly how do either of you know?


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## RE185 (Feb 2, 2014)

just seems like the same guys who catch mostly beding fish in the spring are the ones complaining in the summer that there's no fish left in the lake.


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## TroyBoy30 (Feb 2, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> What's the mortality rate on bass caught in tournaments?
> What's the acceptable death rate?Something like 20 to 25 percent,aint it?.



That's lower than 100% right?


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## buddy48 (Feb 2, 2014)

Maybe he's upset because he can't catch one off the bed!


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## fishdog (Feb 2, 2014)

I would suggest that some of you study this subject, look stuff up on the web. Most fishermen these days catch and release.
If you do some research and listen to biologist you will see that a large fish (5lb)produces about ten times the amount of eggs as a small one (2lb). So if you want to eat fish, keep the small ones to eat. It's just math right.
If you search on mortality rate for tournament Cought fish, you will not like what you find. The fish are alive at weigh in, but are stressed. The big tournaments are not as bad, most put the fish in a tank and let them recover a bit. The weekly pot tournaments might as well keep what they catch. I am not for or against fishing tournaments, and I see little difference in the fishing at my home lake when they go on.  Don't take my word for it, research it for yourself.


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## fishdog (Feb 2, 2014)

As for the subject of this post, catching fish on the bed, let your conches be your guide. I don't do it, seems kinda greedy to me.


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## RE185 (Feb 2, 2014)

You see a lot more of your pot tournaments going to three fish limits especially during the warmer months I think this helps a lot. it probably wouldn't be much of a tournament if you went lower than three fish.


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## Flaustin1 (Feb 2, 2014)

I will catch every single one i can off the bed.  Most exciting way to catch a bass if you ask me.  Of course i let em all go . . ..  .. cept maybe 1 or 2.


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## oldfella1962 (Feb 2, 2014)

coreyj said:


> Would be better to blind cast to known big fish spawning areas and catch them?



Hmmmm......good point! Where does each fisherman "draw the line" that they won't cross? I'll do "catch and release on the spot" with bass on beds. But maybe their eggs get eaten during the time I'm landing the fish, so I'm not helping the bass population that's for sure.


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## Coenen (Feb 2, 2014)

fishdog said:


> As for the subject of this post, catching fish on the bed, let your conches be your guide. I don't do it, seems kinda greedy to me.


Man, I know there's a joke about "fritters" or "frittering" somewhere in this post, I just can't put my finger on it.  

On topic, I understand bed fishing for tournament anglers.  You want to win the big prize, whatever big that prize may be.  Makes total sense.  

For pleasure fishing, it seems like one of those things best done in moderation.  I've done it when the opportunity arises, but it's not something I'd base my whole trip around.  I guess if you want to check some spots, and you find a fish that's really special, give it a go.  If you hook up, take a few pictures, maybe some measurements for a reproduction and release the fish.

Also, in my opinion at least, springtime fishing is so dynamic, you can catch fish doing so many different things.  Why just do one thing like bed fishing?


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## Fishlipps Revisited (Feb 2, 2014)

I find it amazing that some people can't (or won't) make the distinction between going to the lake and fishing your normal style of fishing during the spring and actually, visually TARGETING bass that are locked on beds.....

I'm continually shocked at some of the stuff I read in here.....but, it does tell me a lot about people...


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## fish hawk (Feb 2, 2014)

LTZ25 said:


> Hey most folks on here will catch them off bed and eat them the next day , it doesn't take a biologist to figure out how that affects the bass population .





LTZ25 said:


> I don't give a crap how you do it , but more fish recover from tournaments than frying pans .





TroyBoy30 said:


> That's lower than 100% right?


Right,100% of recreational fisherman keep 100% of the bass they catch How did recreational fisherman get brought into this conversation anyways?The topic of the thread is tournament fisherman targeting bedding bass!!!Ok,heres a ethical question for you then.Five bass in the livewell,one is doing the death spiral,you catch a sixth bass that's 2 lbs bigger than the one doing circles,but smaller than your fourth fish.Do you cull out the one doing death circles or throw back the one you just caught??What would be the right thing to do?



oldfella1962 said:


> Hmmmm......good point! Where does each fisherman "draw the line" that they won't cross? I'll do "catch and release on the spot" with bass on beds. But* maybe their eggs get eaten during the time I'm landing the fish*, so I'm not helping the bass population that's for sure.



The male bass do the guarding,but naturally there usually the first one caught.


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## shadow2 (Feb 2, 2014)

We could always adopt the plan of NO bass Fishing in the state from lets say March through May.  that would protect the spawners.   Dont laugh there are states like that.

I am not in favor of his but it would protect all of the fish.. Bottom line is we as fisherman it be TX guys, rec guys or some who fall into both categories need to stop fighting each other.  Sportsmen face enough red tape from outside sources.  We do not need to add more to out plate.  No rule or regulation will make everyone happy.


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## RE185 (Feb 2, 2014)

By no means do I think there needs to be a law against catching bedding fish. For one there's absolutely no way to know who's catching fish off the bed. you can't watch every fisherman in pot tournaments.
 At the lakes of fish mostly I do notice that we do catch less big largemouth, but don't know if it's because of the bed fishing. I have never weighed in a bass that I targeted of the bed. I have caught plenty of fish off beds  in ponds and lakes  and  released  them. I know some fishermen that have pulled big  females of bed in tournaments and asked if they could release them back on their beds after weigh in. I have heard people in several clubs and small tournaments talking about ways to keep people from catching 
bedding fish. some reasons are for conservation and some reasons are for the fact that some people can't beat the guy that can catch them


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## goodoleboy1012000 (Feb 2, 2014)

For every bass you see bedding there are at lease 10 that are too deep to see bedding. There is nothing wrong with catching fish off the bed. Even the ones that are caught with eggs find a bed and a male and finishes taking care of business. That fact has been proven by the FWC.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 2, 2014)

we hashed this out last year sometime. I approached three fisheries biologists on the subject, two of whom I know personally. Catching a female off the bed and releasing her does little to no harm to a fishery. On the contrary, if you take that male off the bed and put it in an icechest then that nest may not survive. If you keep that big female, A) the lake will lose a trophy bass B) she my also not have not deposited all of her roe
Trophy bass have a large payload of eggs all of which are not ripe at the same time. A large female can lay eggs in multiple beds thoughout the spawning cycles. Bob Lusk has discussed this and I have observed it in farm ponds. A nest can have eggs from diff bass.

Try bedfishing some heavily pressured public waters with great visibility and see what it's like to spend three hours on a giant and to walk away empty handed and tell me it's easy as pie Oh yeah you might could wait the fish out for just the right time, but who has the time, patience, or resources. Most of us aren't independently wealthy.


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## fishdog (Feb 2, 2014)

The males spawn with the females, normally more then one and are gone. The female is the one on the bed.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 2, 2014)

fishdog said:


> The males spawn with the females, normally more then one and are gone. The female is the one on the bed.



not for long the female is usually just behind the bed or on the periphery and the male is guarding the nest primarily as the sentinel. pheromones emitted by the male brought her in to the area and after laying her eggs she will be supervising in a subordinate capacity for a little while - that's when you want to bedfish. if she senses the male is distressed she will enter the bed, they're generally together on the bed when she's being courted and when they're actually mating. they are very hard to catch when they are rolling together/fertilizing. we tend to leave those fish alone.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 2, 2014)

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=753645&highlight=texas+biologist

there it is, all you ever wanted to know about this subject. including some very shameful behavior from grown men. whether it be disenchanted tournament fishermen or people that love to throw Alabama rigs but frown upon bed fishing and those who do it.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 2, 2014)

and whoever said there's anything wrong with their being ego in fishing. nothing wrong with ego. if you think so then quit taking pictures. people want to be appreciated and excel at what they enjoy doing. I think that's healthy for people to strive for accomplishment and to be the best at what they do. It's also about championing wildlife, for those of you like me that live and breath fishing nonstop. I'm looking forward to spring fishing like xmas.


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## waldenjg (Feb 2, 2014)

Pull the Male, watch the female take over, pull the female, put the male back.  Bed is guarded.


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## puddlehunter (Feb 3, 2014)

waldenjg said:


> Pull the Male, watch the female take over, pull the female, put the male back.  Bed is guarded.



Exactly


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## Reminex (Feb 3, 2014)

RE185 said:


> does it really make you a better fisherman to weigh 5 fish in off the bed. how does this compare to shooting high fence bucks? .



Catching a limit of bedded bass during a tournament is 
no easy task.  The guys who are good at it will hurt your feelings on the rare instace where conditions are perfect for it on tourney day. 

Doesnt compare to high fence deer hunting unless your on a 2 acre 
pond.  it does compare to huntings deer during the rut or turkeys in the spring...

Btw I saw a bunch of really nice bucks this year but let them walk because they were chasing does.  It was just to easy to kill em that way.


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## fish hawk (Feb 3, 2014)

RE185 said:


> I was wondering what some guys think about pulling big female bass off beds To win a tournament. I'm no biologist but this has to have some effect on the spawn. does it really make you a better fisherman to weigh 5 fish in off the bed. how does this compare to shooting high fence bucks? I have fished many tournaments were first place was 25 pounds and 2nd place was 15 or 16 pounds. knowing both teams ,the first place team caught their fish off bed 2nd place caaught all there's off offshore structure.



So your in a tournament and have your five fish limit that will go around 14 to 15 lbs.2 hours left in the tournament You come up into a cove and there she is,10 lbr on the bed.Do you not spend some time trying to catch the ten lbr so if in fact you do catch her you can bump your weight up to around the 25 lb mark and put yourself in contention to win.....That's the whole reason for fishing a tournament, to win!!!!


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## TroyBoy30 (Feb 3, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> Right,100% of recreational fisherman keep 100% of the bass they catch



i think you might be confused.   LT said



LTZ25 said:


> I don't give a crap how you do it , but more fish recover from tournaments than frying pans .



i agreed



TroyBoy30 said:


> This



you said



fish hawk said:


> What's the mortality rate on bass caught in tournaments?
> What's the acceptable death rate?Something like 20 to 25 percent,aint it?.



i said



TroyBoy30 said:


> That's lower than 100% right?



is 20 to 25 % not lower than 100%?

we didnt say 100% of recreational fisherman keep 100% of the fish they catch.  we said

more fish recover from tournaments than frying pans


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## fish hawk (Feb 3, 2014)

TroyBoy30 said:


> i think you might be confused.   LT said
> 
> 
> 
> ...



No you two just saw it as a chance to blast recreational fisherman who want to take a few home to eat.......That's all.
Hail to the kings.The great and mighty tourney fisherman!!!!All hail


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## steve lee (Feb 3, 2014)

*win*



fish hawk said:


> So your in a tournament and have your five fish limit that will go around 14 to 15 lbs.2 hours left in the tournament You come up into a cove and there she is,10 lbr on the bed.Do you not spend some time trying to catch the ten lbr so if in fact you do catch her you can bump your weight up to around the 25 lb mark and put yourself in contention to win.....That's the whole reason for fishing a tournament, to win!!!!


 your right!!! i would fish for her! we have won on bedding fish! but to be honest i dont like it at all!! sounds dumb i just dont??


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## steve lee (Feb 3, 2014)

*yep!!!*



fish hawk said:


> So your in a tournament and have your five fish limit that will go around 14 to 15 lbs.2 hours left in the tournament You come up into a cove and there she is,10 lbr on the bed.Do you not spend some time trying to catch the ten lbr so if in fact you do catch her you can bump your weight up to around the 25 lb mark and put yourself in contention to win.....That's the whole reason for fishing a tournament, to win!!!!


your right! we would fish for her,we have won on bedding fish but i still dont like to do it? sounds odd but i dont feel like its the right thing to do!


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## NorthGaBowhunter (Feb 3, 2014)

goodoleboy1012000 said:


> For every bass you see bedding there are at lease 10 that are too deep to see bedding. There is nothing wrong with catching fish off the bed. Even the ones that are caught with eggs find a bed and a male and finishes taking care of business. That fact has been proven by the FWC.



I agree, and those ten lay enough eggs to stock a lake. I will not take one off a bed except in a tx. And I have also never kept bass one!!


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## sinclair1 (Feb 3, 2014)

right on schedule, who's going to start the cabin fever "who invented the float n fly" thread for 2014


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## Coenen (Feb 3, 2014)

sinclair1 said:


> right on schedule, who's going to start the cabin fever "who invented the float n fly" thread for 2014


It was me. I invented the float 'n fly.   That should settle that.


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## TroyBoy30 (Feb 3, 2014)

LTZ25 said:


> I don't give a crap how you do it , but more fish recover from tournaments than frying pans .





TroyBoy30 said:


> This





fish hawk said:


> What's the mortality rate on bass caught in tournaments?
> What's the acceptable death rate?Something like 20 to 25 percent,aint it?.





fish hawk said:


> No you two just saw it as a chance to blast recreational fisherman who want to take a few home to eat.......That's all.
> Hail to the kings.The great and mighty tourney fisherman!!!!All hail





dont know how you got that out of what was said, but ok.  i am a recreational fisherman.  ive never fished a tourney in my life.  i simply said that whatever % dies from tournaments is less than the 100% that die from the frying pan.  im pretty sure if they get eaten they wont live.  how many of the fish i throw back (which is 100%) die from me catching them?


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## BoosterC (Feb 3, 2014)

This thread proves that catch and release works.

The same guys who got gut hooked last year return and bite the same baited question that has been tossed out to them.   I dare say some of you guys have been gut hooked 4 or 5 years in a row but still take it deep. 

Gives new meaning to multi-species fishing.


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## goblr77 (Feb 3, 2014)

I'll pull one off the bed and eat it.


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## Coenen (Feb 3, 2014)

BoosterC said:


> Gives new meaning to multi-species fishing.


That's because fishermen have perfected trolling into an art form.


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## riprap (Feb 3, 2014)

I'll try and fish for a fish on the bed if I happen to see it. I don't enjoy it so I will cast a couple of times and then continue on. I have been in the back of a boat with a bed fisherman in a red man tournament. What a joke. Most of the time if I see one I have got hung up or my partner has and I am trolling up shallow to get it loose.

I have also been in a few bass clubs. I can tell you a 10-15 boat bass club will kill more than a 100 boat big tournament. I got tired of guys not taking the extra effort to keep bass from flopping out of the basket into the parking lot so I started doing the weigh ins. Sometimes that don't even work because you got some guys who come in early and are standing in the parking lot with their fish in the bag and I am in the water waiting for the truck.


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## mtr3333 (Feb 3, 2014)

riprap said:


> I'll try and fish for a fish on the bed if I happen to see it. I don't enjoy it so I will cast a couple of times and then continue on. I have been in the back of a boat with a bed fisherman in a red man tournament. What a joke. Most of the time if I see one I have got hung up or my partner has and I am trolling up shallow to get it loose.
> 
> I have also been in a few bass clubs. I can tell you a 10-15 boat bass club will kill more than a 100 boat big tournament. I got tired of guys not taking the extra effort to keep bass from flopping out of the basket into the parking lot so I started doing the weigh ins. Sometimes that don't even work because you got some guys who come in early and are standing in the parking lot with their fish in the bag and I am in the water waiting for the truck.



It's a terrible sight.


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## gsp754 (Feb 3, 2014)

whats the best lure to throw at a bass on bed?


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## mtr3333 (Feb 3, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> whats the best lure to throw at a bass on bed?



It's a secret for just a few more seconds.


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## RE185 (Feb 3, 2014)

Nobody wants to give up any secrets i see. maybe if they told some of us how to do it we wouldn't give them so much crap.


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## Coenen (Feb 3, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> It's a secret for just a few more seconds.


Is it a bait that would allow me to make a short cast, and then follow up with a long cast?


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## gsp754 (Feb 3, 2014)

Coenen said:


> Is it a bait that would allow me to make a short cast, and then follow up with a long cast?



No its a rather unique lure, it calls for a really sharp treble hook & a couple split shots..... Thats all i can tell you, i cant give out the whole secret


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## Old Dead River (Feb 4, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> No its a rather unique lure, it calls for a really sharp treble hook & a couple split shots..... Thats all i can tell you, i cant give out the whole secret



we're on to a boy around these parts that uses that method. I'm salivating at the prospect of walking up on someone using that method.

texas rigged zoom 6" lizard is my lure of choice


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## Old Dead River (Feb 4, 2014)

Reminex said:


> Catching a limit of bedded bass during a tournament is
> no easy task.  The guys who are good at it will hurt your feelings on the rare instace where conditions are perfect for it on tourney day.
> 
> Doesnt compare to high fence deer hunting unless your on a 2 acre
> ...



I take your meaning to a point but rutting bucks are often running. shooting a moving target with a high powered rifle is ill advised and not easy.

shoal bass described it best, some bedfish fall on the first cast, some can't be caught at that particular time. it just depends.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 4, 2014)

BoosterC said:


> This thread proves that catch and release works.
> 
> The same guys who got gut hooked last year return and bite the same baited question that has been tossed out to them.   I dare say some of you guys have been gut hooked 4 or 5 years in a row but still take it deep.
> 
> Gives new meaning to multi-species fishing.



more about people not using the search feature. I can't blame them, we're doing their work for them. I dug up that link for them. been a cold winter, ppl are stir crazy and anticipating fishing this year so there's a lot of banter to be had.


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## fish hawk (Feb 4, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> whats the best lure to throw at a bass on bed?



I just gained access to two new private lakes and will let you know at the end of April!!!


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## fish hawk (Feb 4, 2014)

TroyBoy30 said:


> dont know how you got that out of what was said, but ok.  i am a recreational fisherman.  ive never fished a tourneyYou should give it a whirl,you should head south!!! in my life.  i simply said that whatever % dies from tournaments is less than the 100% that die from the frying pan.  im pretty sure if they get eaten they wont live. * how many of the fish i throw back (which is 100%) die from me catching them*?



Studies have shown somewhere between 1 and 5%,depending on how it was handled after landing,how deep was the water it came from,where was it hooked etc........... .


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## Reminex (Feb 4, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> I take your meaning to a point but rutting bucks are often running. shooting a moving target with a high powered rifle is ill advised and not easy.
> 
> shoal bass described it best, some bedfish fall on the first cast, some can't be caught at that particular time. it just depends.



You lost me on the rutting buck part.  If your refering to chasing part, chasing for me implies dogging, following, more so than running.  I very rarely see a buck i want to harvest running behind a doe.  The bigguns are slow and steady in their methods.  My point is hunters use mating seasons to catch their game at a weak point.  Ive met alot of guys who will shoot a rutting buck but critisize someone for catching a bedded bass.

*All bed bass are catchable.*  Just got to know what your doing and how not to mess it up.


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## Reminex (Feb 4, 2014)

Also if your fishing any shallower than 10 feet in march or april, theres a good chance youll catch spawning fish. Whether your lookin at them or not makes no difference.  The only way to prevent it in a tournament is to stop fishing for 2 months.


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## mtr3333 (Feb 4, 2014)

Reminex said:


> You lost me on the rutting buck part.  If your refering to chasing part, chasing for me implies dogging, following, more so than running.  I very rarely see a buck i want to harvest running behind a doe.  The bigguns are slow and steady in their methods.  My point is hunters use mating seasons to catch their game at a weak point.  Ive met alot of guys who will shoot a rutting buck but critisize someone for catching a bedded bass.
> 
> *All bed bass are catchable.*  Just got to know what your doing and how not to mess it up.



I've never seen a buck bring a doe to a nest where she laid eggs either! What did I miss? If buck bass had antlers...


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## RE185 (Feb 4, 2014)

Trophy management buck Bass what? that's called a bassalope.
 How do you know its not a five or  six year old buck bass thst needs culling? I heard a rumor that they're going to bring it down to two buck bass a  day 1 any size an 1, 4 pounds or better.


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## RE185 (Feb 4, 2014)

Excuse me I should have said 1 buck bass over impoundment size limit and 1, 4 pounds or larger.


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## mtr3333 (Feb 4, 2014)

RE185 said:


> Excuse me I should have said 1 buck bass over impoundment size limit and 1, 4 pounds or larger.



We need a tagging system.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 4, 2014)

Reminex said:


> You lost me on the rutting buck part.  If your refering to chasing part, chasing for me implies dogging, following, more so than running.  I very rarely see a buck i want to harvest running behind a doe.  The bigguns are slow and steady in their methods.  My point is hunters use mating seasons to catch their game at a weak point.  Ive met alot of guys who will shoot a rutting buck but critisize someone for catching a bedded bass.
> 
> *All bed bass are catchable.*  Just got to know what your doing and how not to mess it up.



all bed bass are not catchable at certain times. Randall and I had a good conversation about this. there are some fish you have to rest and leave alone. Shaw Grigsby was talking about this. I've seen giants in clear water that I couldn't even get a lure near because she would spook. Now had I've had the time and lack of responsibilities to wait her out, then maybe an opportunity would've arisen.
The fish in private ponds tend to be easier, but I was humbled by an 8-10 pounder in a public 3 acre pond that I couldn't get to bite after almost three hours. it was so close that you couldn't walk away...


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## Old Dead River (Feb 4, 2014)

if you want to catch more and bigger bass during the spawn, you'll go after the female. don't hook the male, you can antagonize him some which will get the female in on the act. 

I used to utilize the old tried and true take the male, but I've learned otherwise.  Of course I did do it once last year because I caught a buckbass that was a shade over 5 lbs which is an absolute trophy. the female behind him weighed 7-5 but looked bigger because of a big head and shoulders.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 4, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> I just gained access to two new private lakes and will let you know at the end of April!!!



your junebug lizard will work just fine. I want to go.


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## thedudeabides (Feb 4, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> texas rigged zoom 6" lizard is my lure of choice



Yup. Just toss it close and wait. Eventually they get ticked off and pick it up to move it out of there.


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## Reminex (Feb 4, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> all bed bass are not catchable at certain times. Randall and I had a good conversation about this. there are some fish you have to rest and leave alone. Shaw Grigsby was talking about this. I've seen giants in clear water that I couldn't even get a lure near because she would spook. Now had I've had the time and lack of responsibilities to wait her out, then maybe an opportunity would've arisen.
> The fish in private ponds tend to be easier, but I was humbled by an 8-10 pounder in a public 3 acre pond that I couldn't get to bite after almost three hours. it was so close that you couldn't walk away...



Sorry to disagree, Randall and Shaw and yourself hold a world of bass fishing knowledge, however I stand by what I said.  If a bass is guarding a bed it is catchable.   Maybe not by you or me or maybe not the way you want to do it but believe you me its catchable.  Anyone can get whooped by one, but that does not make it uncatchable by someone else. Ive seen countless times someone fishing a bed for three hours and as soon as they give up watch another angler pull in and catch the fish on the first or second cast.


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## Randall (Feb 4, 2014)

Reminex said:


> Sorry to disagree, Randall and Shaw and yourself hold a world of bass fishing knowledge, however I stand by what I said.  If a bass is guarding a bed it is catchable.   Maybe not by you or me or maybe not the way you want to do it but believe you me its catchable.  Anyone can get whooped by one, but that does not make it uncatchable by someone else. Ive seen countless times someone fishing a bed for three hours and as soon as they give up watch another angler pull in and catch the fish on the first or second cast.


I will agree they are all catchable. I have labeled a fish as "uncatchable" a few times and had just that happen as soon as I moved. But sometimes they are way more catchable than others if you want to find the easy fish. Some may not be worth the trouble though. Knowing when to fish for them and when not to is half the battle.  Some fish are like playing the lottery. Somebody out there may catch it but is it really worth the wasted time to try. Guess it depends on how big the prize is. And at times fishing for the fish could make it even harder to catch later which is what I think ODR is talking about.


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## RE185 (Feb 4, 2014)

I'll see some guys riding around for hours, burning a lot of gas, poking stakes in the ground, putting flaging on tree limbs. if you go to the lake two or three trips and ride round for hours trying to locate bedding fish not knowing if you're actually going to boat any of them. That's a lot of money compared to what most people win in tournaments.not to mention beating up your boat and lower unit in the shallow water.


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## Reminex (Feb 4, 2014)

Randall said:


> I will agree they are all catchable. I have labeled a fish as "uncatchable" a few times and had just that happen as soon as I moved. But sometimes they are way more catchable than others if you want to find the easy fish. Some may not be worth the trouble though. Knowing when to fish for them and when not to is half the battle.  Some fish are like playing the lottery. Somebody out there may catch it but is it really worth the wasted time to try. Guess it depends on how big the prize is. And at times fishing for the fish could make it even harder to catch later which is what I think ODR is talking about.



Great to hear from you Randall!  Your explanation is fantastic as is all of the bass knowledge you share.  I figure the harder time I give ODR the more info he will let loose for others to soak up.  I have labeled fish uncatchable as well and have come to the conclusion that by labeling a fish uncatchable you are giving yourself an easy out for not figuring the fish out.  For me personally I wont waste time on a fish that's not locked on.  They get about 5 minutes to show me if they are serious or not.  Its not worth the trouble as you said.


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## Reminex (Feb 4, 2014)

RE185 said:


> I'll see some guys riding around for hours, burning a lot of gas, poking stakes in the ground, putting flaging on tree limbs. if you go to the lake two or three trips and ride round for hours trying to locate bedding fish not knowing if you're actually going to boat any of them. That's a lot of money compared to what most people win in tournaments.not to mention beating up your boat and lower unit in the shallow water.



For 99% of guys its not about the money.  I don't know any tourney angler who comes out ahead unless they have sponsors anyway.  When you add boat, truck to pull boat, garage to keep boat, man cave to keep fishing stuff, fuel, rods, reels, lures, and the time you could of spent working!
The more a man wins the more he can justify spending.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 4, 2014)

Reminex said:


> Great to hear from you Randall!  Your explanation is fantastic as is all of the bass knowledge you share.  I figure the harder time I give ODR the more info he will let loose for others to soak up.  I have labeled fish uncatchable as well and have come to the conclusion that by labeling a fish uncatchable you are giving yourself an easy out for not figuring the fish out.  For me personally I wont waste time on a fish that's not locked on.  They get about 5 minutes to show me if they are serious or not.  Its not worth the trouble as you said.



Catching a bedding female that is cruising a zone
And not localizing to a particular bed is pretty tough to do.
Two of the biggest bed fish I've not been able
To catch we're like this. The last one like this it was also.
Difficult to ascertain where the actual bed. Bedfishing is something that I do very well. I have excellent vision and can often see fish that the ppl fishing with me cannot. To say its easy and you catch every bed fish you covet is absurd. It's legal it's fun and it's not harmful to the trophy population if you release them. And regarding the catchability factor lets suppose every bedding female has an Achilles heel. You gonna lay out of work and responsibilties to be there when she's most subsceptible to your charms? I think not. You're going to move on to the next target. ESP. If you're a tourney guy. If the fish is close to ten lbs I can be pretty patient


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## RE185 (Feb 4, 2014)

Reminex said:


> For 99% of guys its not about the money.  I don't know any tourney angler who comes out ahead unless they have sponsors anyway.  When you add boat, truck to pull boat, garage to keep boat, man cave to ke but own spot ownep fishing stuff, fuel, rods, reels, lures, and the time you could of spent working!
> The more a man wins the more he can justify spending.



 You got that right. Spot on!


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## fish hawk (Feb 5, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> your junebug lizard will work just fine. I want to go.



I was gonna say a live three finger bream but the lizard will catch them too.


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## BigGreenGoblin (Feb 5, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> I was gonna say a live three finger bream but the lizard will catch them too.




They'll move a lizard, but they'll destroy a bream. It infuriates them.

Bedfishing is a thing of the past for me though.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 5, 2014)

No need to go to the trouble. The lizard will be fine


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## RE185 (Feb 5, 2014)

Lizards only catch the small ones .


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## mbaker8686 (Feb 6, 2014)

My dad has his doctorate in fisheries Biology and I asked him this very question at lunch last Sunday.  He told me that the big girls on the bed rarely have a good spawn.  It is the 2-3 lb females that are on bed that have the most productive spawn.  This is why many lakes have the smaller bass slot limit that will not allow you to keep fish in this size range.  I know that this will be contrary to what most believe, but it was straight from a fisheries biologist's mouth who has been working in the state of Georgia for the past 25 years.


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## RE185 (Feb 6, 2014)

That makes sense.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 6, 2014)

mbaker8686 said:


> My dad has his doctorate in fisheries Biology and I asked him this very question at lunch last Sunday.  He told me that the big girls on the bed rarely have a good spawn.  It is the 2-3 lb females that are on bed that have the most productive spawn.  This is why many lakes have the smaller bass slot limit that will not allow you to keep fish in this size range.  I know that this will be contrary to what most believe, but it was straight from a fisheries biologist's mouth who has been working in the state of Georgia for the past 25 years.



there is some other research that suggests 4-8 lbs is the optimal size for spawning females to pass good genetics and have productive spawns.

but I think there is something to the notion that big fish produce more big fish. if you went around and caught only the biggest females out of a lake and put them in your pond, you'd guarantee yourself to have a greater share of florida genetics. the more florida genetics, generally the bigger the bass. the fx intergrade (the natural ga bass found naturally and stocked throughout the state) is 70-90% florida genes, a blend that has ideally developed over hundreds of thousands if not millions of years


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## Old Dead River (Feb 6, 2014)

moreover, generally when I catch a big female it's not while she's actively laying, it's when she's acting as an auxillary defender.

If I kept her that would prevent her from depositing any remaining roe elsewhere and also i'd be taking her out of the lake. if you don't put a 10 back, how can we keep getting to 12-13?


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## fishdog (Feb 6, 2014)

Ok, here is another question on ethics. 
None of us on here would snag a bedding bass. So if we knowingly through something in her bed, that we know she is moving not eating, how is this different then snagging? A lizard is the arch enemy of a bedding fish, we have all seen them try to kill a lizard without eating it. Just a question on ethics.


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## fish hawk (Feb 6, 2014)

fishdog said:


> Ok, here is another question on ethics.
> None of us on here would snag a bedding bass. So if we knowingly through something in her bed, that we know she is moving not eating, how is this different then snagging? A lizard is the arch enemy of a bedding fish, we have all seen them try to kill a lizard without eating it. Just a question on ethics.



If your fishing a lure with treble hooks there a chance you might snag her,but if you do is it the same as knowingly trying to snag her?I've caught a lot of spots,not in the mouth, that were swiping at the bait.i think it's still a legal catch in a tournament though.


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## RE185 (Feb 6, 2014)

Ban all lizard fishin in March and April ! this will level the playing field.


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## fish hawk (Feb 6, 2014)

RE185 said:


> Ban all lizard fishin in March and April ! this will level the playing field.



Ha....how bout we just ban you from all fishing in march and April!!!


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## fish hawk (Feb 6, 2014)

There is a difference between snagging and foul hooking.


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## RE185 (Feb 6, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> Ha....how bout we just ban you from all fishing in march and April!!!



 Hey how you know I use lizards?


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## fish hawk (Feb 6, 2014)

RE185 said:


> Hey how you know I use lizards?



I don't, but I do.....


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## RE185 (Feb 6, 2014)

Pumpkin seed lizards are the reason why there's not as many fish these days. remember the 90s use to buy them by the hundreds.


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## fish hawk (Feb 6, 2014)

RE185 said:


> Pumpkin seed lizards are the reason why there's not as many fish these days. remember the 90s use to buy them by the hundreds.



Are you old enough to remember when the Jelly Worm was the go to plastic worm?


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## RE185 (Feb 6, 2014)

Oh yeah my dad had bags of um. we caught a lot of big fish on black or purple jelly worms.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 6, 2014)

fishdog said:


> Ok, here is another question on ethics.
> None of us on here would snag a bedding bass. So if we knowingly through something in her bed, that we know she is moving not eating, how is this different then snagging? A lizard is the arch enemy of a bedding fish, we have all seen them try to kill a lizard without eating it. Just a question on ethics.



if she picks it up it's fair game. they're not terribly hungry then.

I have accidentally foul hooked a few in my day using plastics, once in the tail trying to bump the fish and get it to spin around and swat. another time I had a bedding female halfway nose down/turn sideways on the lizard and I felt her on it and thought she picked it up and swung. I hooked her in the side of her face with a texas rig. photographed her and let her go.


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## mtr3333 (Feb 6, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> if she picks it up it's fair game. they're not terribly hungry then.
> 
> I have accidentally foul hooked a few in my day using plastics, once in the tail trying to bump the fish and get it to spin around and swat. another time I had a bedding female halfway nose down/turn sideways on the lizard and I felt her on it and thought she picked it up and swung. I hooked her in the side of her face with a texas rig. photographed her and let her go.



Interesting.


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## RE185 (Feb 6, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> if she picks it up it's fair game. they're not terribly hungry then.
> 
> I have accidentally foul hooked a few in my day using plastics, once in the tail trying to bump the fish and get it to spin around and swat. another time I had a bedding female halfway nose down/turn sideways on the lizard and I felt her on it and thought she picked it up and swung. I hooked her in the side of her face with a texas rig. photographed her and let her go.



She wasnt bout12-4 kinda greenish,big tail,and big mouth was she.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 6, 2014)

RE185 said:


> She wasnt bout12-4 kinda greenish,big tail,and big mouth was she.



nope, but I'm glad you're in the know on my personal best.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 6, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> Interesting.




Good to see you're subscribing to my posts again, bud!
You like that honesty huh? A fish flattening out on my lizard so different than the droves of fish I've caught in the side of the face on buzzbaits and jerkbaits.


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## gsp754 (Feb 7, 2014)

RE185 said:


> She wasnt bout12-4 kinda greenish,big tail,and big mouth was she.







mtr3333 said:


> Interesting.



Remind me to show you the picture of the bass i caught a few weeks ago, it was a nice one and i got a GOOD picture of it!


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## fish hawk (Feb 7, 2014)

RE185 said:


> Oh yeah my dad had bags of um. we caught a lot of big fish on black or purple jelly worms.



Them Jelly Worms smelt so good you couldn't help but to do a taste test,even on the motoroil ones!!!


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## RE185 (Feb 7, 2014)

*yum*

As a kid, I may have eaten a few jelly worm pieces, I can't really remember um.


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## mtr3333 (Feb 7, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> Remind me to show you the picture of the bass i caught a few weeks ago, it was a nice one and i got a GOOD picture of it!



I can't wait!


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## The Foreigner (Feb 7, 2014)

I NEVER catch bass on a bed... I always fish from a boat.


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## Coenen (Feb 7, 2014)

The Foreigner said:


> I NEVER catch bass on a bed... I always fish from a boat.


Not too proud to admit I chuckled at that one!  What a groaner!


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## Old Dead River (Feb 7, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> Remind me to show you the picture of the bass i caught a few weeks ago, it was a nice one and i got a GOOD picture of it!


Please show us. Be nice of you to contribute
Something to the forum. Brace yourself for
A lot more pics to come.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 7, 2014)

The Foreigner said:


> I NEVER catch bass on a bed... I always fish from a boat.



A lot of bed fish are caught from boats


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## The Foreigner (Feb 7, 2014)

Coenen said:


> Not too proud to admit I chuckled at that one!  What a groaner!



Lol. Good for you sir!!


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## gsp754 (Feb 7, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> I can't wait!



It will be worth the wait, I promise!


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## Old Dead River (Feb 7, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> It will be worth the wait, I promise!



the lengths that some will go to on account of meanspiritedness and jealousy... shameful.


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## steelshotslayer (Feb 7, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> we're on to a boy around these parts that uses that method. I'm salivating at the prospect of walking up on someone using that method.
> 
> texas rigged zoom 6" lizard is my lure of choice



Rig that lizard backwards so when you bounce it and it falls it falls towards the fish. I also have osmething else that goes along with that method, but I can't tell all my secrets.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 7, 2014)

steelshotslayer said:


> Rig that lizard backwards so when you bounce it and it falls it falls towards the fish. I also have osmething else that goes along with that method, but I can't tell all my secrets.



right on, I may take you up on that shoalie invite sometime, thinking that was you.


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## steelshotslayer (Feb 7, 2014)

Whener the river decides to get right we will go.  Nows the time to catch once in a life time trophies.


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## Old Dead River (Feb 7, 2014)

steelshotslayer said:


> Whener the river decides to get right we will go.  Nows the time to catch once in a life time trophies.



yes  it is, I've never fished the flint. a friend that was gonna take me moved to bama unexpectedly...

you're welcome to come wetwade with me anytime I can put you on the good kayak flows too


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## mtr3333 (Feb 7, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> the lengths that some will go to on account of meanspiritedness and jealousy... shameful.



Interesting.


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## gsp754 (Feb 7, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> Interesting.



I got another nice one today, not as good as the one a few weeks ago, but the picture is just as GOOD!


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## sinclair1 (Feb 7, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> I got another nice one today, not as good as the one a few weeks ago, but the picture is just as GOOD!


Interesting


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## gsp754 (Feb 7, 2014)

sinclair1 said:


> Interesting



Wait until I get the stats updated


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## RE185 (Feb 8, 2014)

I wonder how many pages one of these threads will go? I mean we're going to start listing all the personal best,may need a lotta room.


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## mtr3333 (Feb 8, 2014)

RE185 said:


> I wonder how many pages one of these threads will go? I mean we're going to start listing all the personal best,may need a lotta room.



The possibilities are endless! Categories are infinite.


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## mrowland96 (Feb 8, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> the lengths that some will go to on account of meanspiritedness and jealousy... shameful.



Haters gonna Hate....

Keep on keeping on....


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## Old Dead River (Feb 9, 2014)

mrowland96 said:


> Haters gonna Hate....
> 
> Keep on keeping on....



Rowland, like I said I wish you had a helicopter, I'm gonna need someone to help bail the boat this morning/afternoon LOL

p.s. what's w/ these guys that crop their faces out of their photographs?


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## mrowland96 (Feb 9, 2014)

old dead river said:


> rowland, like i said i wish you had a helicopter, i'm gonna need someone to help bail the boat this morning/afternoon lol
> 
> P.s. What's w/ these guys that crop their faces out of their photographs?



lol....


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## fish hawk (Feb 9, 2014)

RE185 said:


> I wonder how many pages one of these threads will go? I mean we're going to start listing all the personal best,may need a lotta room.



This thread could go deep.....but I'm starting to get board with it.


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## RE185 (Feb 10, 2014)

Old Dead River said:


> Rowland, like I said I wish you had a helicopter, I'm gonna need someone to help bail the boat this morning/afternoon LOL
> 
> p.s. what's w/ these guys that crop their faces out of their photographs?



Dont know if u were aiming at me but ill bite,
This is a fishing forum, I hope no guys on here care what I look like.They want to see the fish.


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## fish hawk (Feb 10, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> This thread could go deep.....but I'm starting to get board with it.





RE185 said:


> Dont know if u were aiming at me but ill bite,
> This is a fishing forum, I hope no guys on here care what I look like.They want to see the fish.



You started to pique my interest,but one thing......Seems like I'm always fishing by myself so I never get a pic with me and the fish.I don't have a smart phone or go pro so no selfies. I'm stuck with the Nikon.....Board again.
What if you cropped out the body and just showed your head and the fish?


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## gsp754 (Feb 10, 2014)

fish hawk said:


> You started to pique my interest,but one thing......Seems like I'm always fishing by myself so I never get a pic with me and the fish.I don't have a smart phone or go pro so no selfies. I'm stuck with the Nikon.....Board again.
> What if you cropped out the body and just showed your head and the fish?



i believe body cropping is ok, its just the face cropping that causes problems........ dont ask me why.


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## fish hawk (Feb 11, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> i believe body cropping is ok, its just the face cropping that causes problems........ dont ask me why.



Body cropping would be something we haven't seen here before.I like the idea,it's different!!!
What I don't get is the background blackout.


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## mtr3333 (Feb 11, 2014)

gsp754 said:


> i believe body cropping is ok, its just the face cropping that causes problems........ dont ask me why.



There are 4 stages of bass fishing photography...


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## mtr3333 (Feb 11, 2014)

sinclair1 said:


> right on schedule, who's going to start the cabin fever "who invented the float n fly" thread for 2014



A crappie fisherman.


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## Coenen (Feb 12, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> A crappie fisherman.


I refuse to believe that a subpar fisherman invented such an effective technique.


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## riprap (Feb 12, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> A crappie fisherman.



Somebody who had a lot of long limber fishing poles to get rid of.


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## RE185 (Mar 12, 2014)

Has anybody went for the easy site fishing yet this year?


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## mtr3333 (Mar 13, 2014)

RE185 said:


> Has anybody went for the easy site fishing yet this year?



I'm waiting for the lake temps to hit 56 or 57. I did mark some on the screen and caught some for our fish fry. 4 were big females with good roe. And most of the males and females had crawdads in their stomachs. Hush puppies, fries, and slaw.  I still haven't decided which new electric knife to get. After 11 fish, the motor was having trouble.


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## T.P. (Mar 13, 2014)

I'm gonna start cropping out the fish and leave the background. That'll leave the mind spinning with questions.


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## gsp754 (Mar 13, 2014)

mtr3333 said:


> I'm waiting for the lake temps to hit 56 or 57. I did mark some on the screen and caught some for our fish fry. 4 were big females with good roe. And most of the males and females had crawdads in their stomachs. Hush puppies, fries, and slaw.  I still haven't decided which new electric knife to get. After 11 fish, the motor was having trouble.



I just need to find a good treble hook that doesn't mess up the meat and roe when I "foul hook" them. I can deal with a dull knife, but I don't like my fillets and roe ripped apart.


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