Pro's and Bedding Fish

[Brownmaniac]

Well It's just a couple weeks away from the Classic here on Hartwell and the fish are already bedding. I know I'm beating a dead horse but I really wish they would make the bedding fish off limits! Or at least the purposefully pulling them off of the bed. I know I know the biologists say and the pros say.... All I know is that in most of the lakes around here you catch maybe 1 Largemouth to every 20 Spots. 5 years ago that wasn't the case. The spots bed deeper so they aren't affected as much and they have a ravenous appetite. When the bass get jerked off of their bed after they've laid out the bream and perch move in on em. When they're pulled off after they hatch, the spots eat em up. With all of the High School tournaments with 2 and 300 hundred boats in them and college tournaments, plus every club in the south east fishing the reservoirs somethings got to give. You can say it doesn't hurt them but i'm calling B.S.
I'm thinking of petitioning our state DNR. How many out there are on my side and would consider signing it? Ok rant over.. and just my 2 cents.

[Hez]

Just went through the same argument here on the Harris Chain...good luck.

[chefdave]

I think 15 or 20 years ago there was little effect, but now with the enormous amount of pressure on all of our lakes, it can't be good.

[August west]

Amen...
They don’t care about anything but the money.

[blankbait]

Why should only bass be protected during the spawn? If you are going to start a petition make sure you include all species of fish in your area to be off limits during the spawn. Hell for that matter bass are pretty easy to catch early in the morning. Make sure you add that tournaments can't start until 10:00 am all year.

[Brownmaniac]

Amen...
They don’t care about anything but the money.

eeexxxactly! it aint about the fishing any more it's about the selling! I hope they don't catch a single Largemouth! weigh in bags of 13 lbs of Spots!!

[Brownmaniac]

Why should only bass be protected during the spawn? If you are going to start a petition make sure you include all species of fish in your area to be off limits during the spawn. Hell for that matter bass are pretty easy to catch early in the morning. Make sure you add that tournaments can't start until 10:00 am all year.

because blank bait! there ain't 2 million people competitively fishing for dang carp! when they start having HS carp tourney's I'll put them on the list!

[getfished]

There's a lot more spawning that goes unmolested than not. With that said the ratio has to be going in the wrong direction. I know there are plenty of bass fishermen that don't compete but there's a heck of a bunch that do ! In competition, the pursuit of the almighty dollar and prestige is too much for a lot of guys. They will bed fish. I think the bed fishing is probably taking a bigger toll than reported.

[jp71291]

[T. Hill]

Bed fishing should be banned.

[ssbassman]

There is 100 elites and your complaining ??? The million other anglers don't hurt it

[Hez]

If you are fishing during the late winter, early spring - you are catching bed fish...whether you are sight fishing for fish off of beds or not....

[donpilot]

Do like to be interrupted during your spawning session?

[Mark Perry]

I trust the biologists in each state that set the guidelines far more than I would anyone on here. Some guys think they know more than the biologists but in reality they do not. Fishing for bass does not equal the education and experience in fisheries management that they have.

[Brownmaniac]

There is 100 elites and your complaining ??? The million other anglers don't hurt it

Absolutely! Hence the petition... A petition in our state to protect bedding fish period. I fish competitively too but I don't target bedding fish. If I'm catching them off and away from the beds then there's nothing anyone can do about that. However, I think the Pro's could set the precedent by not staking out on beds with power poles beating them in the head with a shakey head till they're so pissed they can't stand it anymore. might as well snag the darn things!

[JAZZ]

I think 15 or 20 years ago there was little effect, but now with the enormous amount of pressure on all of our lakes, it can't be good.

bingo. People think of here and now and not about the future of the sport or the next generation of fisherman.I've been around a long time and can remember the old pro's teaching to respect and how to handle the fish so as not to harm them. Today I hate watching these so called pros ripping fish through the air, dropping them on the carpet and showing them to the camera for what seems forever.Ban the bed fishing, I'll sign.

[Brownmaniac]

I trust the biologists in each state that set the guidelines far more than I would anyone on here. Some guys think they know more than the biologists but in reality they do not. Fishing for bass does not equal the education and experience in fisheries management that they have.

Yeah we here in SC have already trusted our biologists when they brought in coyote to control the deer population.. The same biologists have now opened the season on coyote and are tagging them. If you pop a tagged coyote you get a 1000 bucks... But hey... What do I know?

[Buccaneer]

How about crappie fishing during the spawn....oh wait that’s just a panfish there’s billions of them. Better habitat, i.e. hydrilla and grass is the answer. Around here fishing has gotten tough due to systematic elimination of key grasses and cover. Bed fishing isn’t the issue.

[jp71291]

I’m sure PETA could help ya’ll getting bed fishing banned.

[Lanierspotman]

There are more bedding fish caught by people “just fishing” than the number that is caught looking at them. I don’t want to see a closed season ever. As long as you are not snagging the fish I say let them fish for spawners.