Interesting reading filled with facts

[joedog]

This time of year always brings on a discussion on spawn fishing.
My input is both sides may or may not be right.
I think it is and should be an individual choice and decision (unless you have regulatory laws in place).
So if you folks want to debate it, feel free but this is just meant for knowledge purposes to help each individual way the facts and make thier INDIVIDUAL choice.
If you know of actual facts or studies concerning this topic, feel free to share...no I insist you share.
If you folks want to debate it fine with me (I learn alot from the great and sometimes heated debates from here) but kindly base it on fact not opinion or personal feelings. I find most good decisions derive from good facts or fact finding not emotion. Hope you folks feel the same.
Frankly these reads are stricktly meant for information of which I've done a fair amount of searching and reading. VAST majority are opinions not facts gotten from any studies or research. These are both from southern waters but thats really because it's a longer earlier spawn, start anyways.
I've had a hard time finding any real fact based info on not to fish beds or during spawn entirely and most of us fish during the spring so unless your fishing 20-30 ft or more for the entire spawn, you have an effect, don't kid yourself. Every single action a bass does from the very first day it realizes the waters warming till like two weeks after hatch is caused by a natural mating instinct. So if your fishing, your effecting, simple as that.
I'm not preaching pro or con! This is good facts for all who fish in the spring.
Hope you find this information good and usefull and please share any FACTS you know on this topic, please.
Have a great day and have some fun.


http://www.ms-sportsman.com/details.php?id=163

http://www.jimporter.org/articles/article111.shtml

[Mumpy]

This is another reason that I like the Format of Major League Fishing. I like the idea of Catching the Bass, weighing the Bass, Releasing the Bass and Recording the Bass.

I mean, put the Spawning period to the side for a minute and this just makes sense. Common Sense tells you that releasing the Bass where you found him is better than putting him / her in your livewell for 7+ Hours and weighing it in, then releasing it at the Dock.

Just makes more sense to me.

[screwballl]

During spawn I play catch and release, any other time I usually keep a few smaller ones for eating and let the bigger ones get bigger.

One thing most people do not realize is that "nature provides". If a location has a lot of fish removed/killed, then usually within 1-3 spawning periods the eggs fertilized and hatch will increase to compensate until a balance is reached. In lakes where fish are kept/removed on a regular basis then the fertilized/hatched eggs will continue to be higher than lesser fished locales. This goes for almost any animal in nature regardless of what man believes is "not enough" or "too many" in an area. Too many usually means it is impacting another species, usually man.