What's your thoughts on bed fishing?

[Crappielimits]

Teal in Florida you can fish in your county for free and many residents are retirees which do not require a liscense. Though, most important the bulk of residents saltwater fish. They want something with more fight or better eating. Also, Florida strain bass have been implemented in all lower 48 states including Washington. Florida strain has survived worldwide including Japan. Good luck fishing.

[Crappielimits]

Teal in Florida you can fish in your county for free and many residents are retirees which do not require a liscense. Though, most important the bulk of residents saltwater fish. They want something with more fight or better eating. Also, Florida strain hybrid bass have been implemented in all lower 48 states including Washington. Florida strain hybrids have survived worldwide including Japan. Good luck fishing.

[Teal101]

Teal in Florida you can fish in your county for free and many residents are retirees which do not require a liscense. Though, most important the bulk of residents saltwater fish. They want something with more fight or better eating. Also, Florida strain bass have been implemented in all lower 48 states including Washington. Florida strain has survived worldwide including Japan. Good luck fishing.

Exactly why a license sales to license sales comparison doesnt prove anything. In WA the majority of fisherman fish for Trout and Salmon. Florida strain bass are not in WA. They cannot tolerate the water temperature swings and do not survive. Florida strain bass are confined to the Southern states. The F1 hybrids are not in WA either, only Northern Strain genes.

[Crappielimits]

Teal in Florida you can fish in your county for free and many residents are retirees which do not require a liscense. Though, most important the bulk of residents saltwater fish. They want something with more fight or better eating. Also, Florida strain bass have been implemented in all lower 48 states including Washington. Florida strain has survived worldwide including Japan. Good luck fishing.

Exactly why a license sales to license sales comparison doesnt prove anything. In WA the majority of fisherman fish for Trout and Salmon. Florida strain bass are not in WA. They cannot tolerate the water temperature swings and do not survive. Florida strain bass are confined to the Southern states. The F1 hybrids are not in WA either, only Northern Strain genes.

Dang sorry to here that. At least you guys have big trees and big rains. Just not big bass.

[Jeffbro999]

The southeast is definitely not over pressured. Lakes Seminole and Talquin are fishing better than ever. After the Elites came to Seminole last year the lake fished better than I had ever seen it, and I caught my biggest bass of the year on the 3rd day of their tournament. The Rayovac was here a few weeks ago, and the fishing is fine, caugh a few 20#+ limits last week. Yes they have tournaments every weekend on the major lakes, but I really haven't seen it affect anything, its just getting better. And the fish have plenty of places to bed and never get harassed by fishermen with all the vegetation in the spring.

Better than ever? Talquin for sure is doing great for largemouth. Seminole has had a boost over last few years due to Florida managing the grass. Which has helped the shad population. Thank you Florida! Ga get onboard we going to keep calling. In the 80s Seminole was a top 5 bass lake and produced much larger numbers of 3-6 pound fish than today. It was a lake to catch a 10 pounder. Jack would start trolling Mudbugs with a group up the flint from his place and someone would have an 8 pounder before Ten Mile Still. I still catch a few over 8 every year but not what we used to. It's definitely not best it's ever been or best it could be.

Talquin on the otherhand for bass is doing very well! While other species have been bothered by pressure or invasive species bass are doing well. Talquin was one of the top lakes for crappie in the country but it has been over pressured and that population has suffered. White bass populations have been destroyed. If you want to get a trip together I can show you the ropes on the best lake in our area and I am sure we can work on breaking that personal best. Just give me a PM.

I've only been on Seminole for the past 10 years or so and the lake is better than I have seen it. Unfortunately didn't fish it in the 80s. I know after the floods in the 90s it took a big hit and the grass disappeared for a while. It's still pretty easy to catch good limits of fish out there, and we have won a few tourneys on there with some quality fish. Several 30+lb limits were weighed this spring but once the water temp came up and the current stopped flowing t slowed down, don't think it had anything to do with the tourneys. Haven't targeted many other species out there but catch a lot of big cats, striper and crappie while bass fishing. Bought a lot not to long ago on Booster Club right down the road from Wingates so will start messing around with the other species soon.
Talquin is an amazing lake, and the bass get very little pressure there. Tournament turn out has been low this year but some big fish have been caught. Some very large schools roaming the ledges there and its a lot of fun to fish in the timber. Jackson is also still doing well since the water came back up. My 13.6lb PB came out of Hurricane lake here in the Blackwater forest. That lake grows some giants, dont think I will beat that anytime soon but can always try. I will send a PM before coming down next time, should be next week. What area do you live in over there?

[Teal101]

Teal in Florida you can fish in your county for free and many residents are retirees which do not require a liscense. Though, most important the bulk of residents saltwater fish. They want something with more fight or better eating. Also, Florida strain bass have been implemented in all lower 48 states including Washington. Florida strain has survived worldwide including Japan. Good luck fishing.

Exactly why a license sales to license sales comparison doesnt prove anything. In WA the majority of fisherman fish for Trout and Salmon. Florida strain bass are not in WA. They cannot tolerate the water temperature swings and do not survive. Florida strain bass are confined to the Southern states. The F1 hybrids are not in WA either, only Northern Strain genes.

Dang sorry to here that. At least you guys have big trees and big rains. Just not big bass.

No big largies, state record is 11lbs 9oz. Smallie state record is almost 9lbs. Nothing like a 25lb bag of smallmouth to win a tournament

[Crappielimits]

Jbcrankaddict, a 13 is a nice one and tough to beat. My best is a 14 pound 7 ounce and haven't bettered it for almost 7 years. There is a local area 3 twelve pound plus fish have come from in last 2-3 weeks and many 8 pound plus. Need to be proficient in flipping grass. It will only last another month or so before the grass gets to thick to fish. Just let me know when you headed this way.

[jeff h]

My thought is I prefer to leave them be when they are on beds.

[BucketHunter]

Jbcrankaddict, a 13 is a nice one and tough to beat. My best is a 14 pound 7 ounce and haven't bettered it for almost 7 years. There is a local area 3 twelve pound plus fish have come from in last 2-3 weeks and many 8 pound plus. Need to be proficient in flipping grass. It will only last another month or so before the grass gets to thick to fish. Just let me know when you headed this way.

I can vouch for big bass in WA, and I'm from Canada! My inlaws reside near the Columbia river. I haven't even put a full day of fishing in on WA waters, and when I did get a couple hours here and there with my brother in law, it was without my gear, using wrong handed reels, and pretty chincy tackle to boot. I landed what is likely within my PB range by a few ounces in a 2 hour outing on a small reservoir in Concunully, and saw numbers of fish that would have easily bested it. Smallies in the river in the spring are amazing as well, with 7lbers a common daily occurrence where we were. I only managed a 6 in a short afternoon
I bed fish smallies on Erie and Clair, and am sometimes torn due to their aggressive nature, especially in tourneys when you are weighing them in 20 30 40 miles from where they were caught. The water can be very clear, and guys sight fish shallow beds, but I know they bed in 15 plus probably even more, just harder to target. I don't think it hurts too much on these giant, clear bodies of water. My concern would be in the tea stained water of the north, where smallies would definitely be bedding shallow almost exclusively, and there just isn't enough aqua for them to get away from angling pressure. Albeit, most guys are targeting walleye there, but if we saw bass pressure the way it is in the south, it might become a problem. Some of the near north lakes close to Toronto, pop'n 3 million and lots of money for bass rigs, are probably the most at risk for becoming unbalanced when it comes to year classes.

[jmyers]

Im after anything that will bite bed or no bed.

What an unethical answer and guys like you wonder why there aren't as many bass as there once was. I would like every state to have closed seasons during the spawn

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Not unethical at all. I paid my fee to fish Im going to fish in a legal manner. You read into my statement what you want to and twist it to fit your agenda.
I guess you dont fish until around august of each year cause spawning can happen in most prior months, bass were bedding in July here last year. There is no guarantee you wont catch a spawning fish unless you dont fish at all.

[VegasNative]

Not unethical at all. I paid my fee to fish Im going to fish in a legal manner. You read into my statement what you want to and twist it to fit your agenda.
I guess you dont fish until around august of each year cause spawning can happen in most prior months, bass were bedding in July here last year. There is no guarantee you wont catch a spawning fish unless you dont fish at all.

I have to agree,people need to stop putting them selves on a moral high ground.I will say that I don't necessarily agree with tourneys during the spawn when they are taking fish of their bed.But to say that it is unethical to fish the spawn at all is crazy.

[SteveSchmelzle]

ethics are derived by the individual.

if one feels ripping fish off beds than trucking them around a lake is wrong, than to that person, ethically it is wrong.

I wouldn't ever consider poaching bass (or any species for that matter) off their beds while spawning....

But each to their own.

If it is legal, and an anglers "ethics" don't confront this practice, than go for it!!!

[toddmc]

Im after anything that will bite bed or no bed.

What an unethical answer and guys like you wonder why there aren't as many bass as there once was. I would like every state to have closed seasons during the spawn

I hope you don't live in my state. There is actually more bass in many of the lakes that I fish in our most populated state in the country. You are on a slippery slope. How do you suppose you are going to tell all the guys that spend big bucks on their rigs and tackle that half of the year is now closed? How do you suppose that you are going to make up the taxes and jobs that come from fishing during the prime months. Should TT be closed during the spawn also because it is unethical to teach people how to bed fish? I can count the number of bass that I have killed in my life on both hands, and I've caught tens of thousands over the last four decades.

[Dalleinf]

Im after anything that will bite bed or no bed.

What an unethical answer and guys like you wonder why there aren't as many bass as there once was. I would like every state to have closed seasons during the spawn

I hope you don't live in my state. There is actually more bass in many of the lakes that I fish in our most populated state in the country. You are on a slippery slope. How do you suppose you are going to tell all the guys that spend big bucks on their rigs and tackle that half of the year is now closed? How do you suppose that you are going to make up the taxes and jobs that come from fishing during the prime months. Should TT be closed during the spawn also because it is unethical to teach people how to bed fish? I can count the number of bass that I have killed in my life on both hands, and I've caught tens of thousands over the last four decades.

I have only fished for LM bass when I lived ind the US, and when on holiday in southern Europe. Therefore, my comments do not relate to bass / bed fishing.

Still, I do not fully agree with your comments.
In my country, closed season is in effect for most predatory fish, e.g. trout and salmon (at least mid-November to mid-January), pike (April), zander/walleye (May) etc.
I find that I spend way more $€£ on tackle during trout closed season. I also read TT more during closed season... When freshwater trout fishing is best (June-October), I fish as much as I can, buy very little, and read TT less.
Moreover, having a closed season means that I fish for many species and have a very diverse tackle collection for both fresh- and saltwater fishing.
A 1-2 month closed season for LM bass would not mean that you had to stop fishing - or tackle shop owners had to close. It does not even mean that a given lake has to close. You could target catfish, carp, crappie, pike, shark, redfish, drum or whatever other fish you can find nearby - boosting tackle sales while doing so.

The LM bass may be a particularly sturdy fish. However, I believe you have killed more fish than you think. Certainly, for other species, a released fish that swims away from your boat does not necessarily survive - it may die from exhaustion shortly after release. While a released fish may go on to spawn - it seems at least plausible that fishing during spawn and bed fishing could have a negative effect on a fishery...