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should we fish the spawn?

898 views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  neocats 
#1 ·
I know people woho fish for other types of fish wont fish for tehm wile they are spawning.

Example they dont want to jerk a bass off the nest cause other fish will quickly eat the eggs.

Just wondering about jerking a male flathead off the nest while gauarding the fry will do.

How about catching a female full of eggs right before she lays them, will this prevent her from having a successful spawn?

I know in states where there is an abudance of flatheads it probably wont matter.
 
#2 ·
Good Question! I still fish but not exclusively for flats. Its hard to say. I have caught 5 females in the last month that were full of eggs. I know they all dont spawn at the same exact time so I say go fishin. I do tend to focus a little more on channels and blues when the flatheads slow down though.
 
#4 ·
This is a very challenging question. I like to think that we will not hurt the spawn because nature has provided the fish with a defense mechanism. THEY QUIT BITING or slow down dramatically. There is not fool proof way, but I know a good deal of people who quit fishing during this period because the bite is so slow. This natural occurance should protect the species, especially with all of the CPR
 
#6 ·
I agree with hilljack....

I think that the spawn will mostly take care of itself since the fish pretty well shut their mouths.

Also, I believe if you do catch a fish off the nest that he or she will return quickly to it once released. Some of the eggs may be gone or scattered from the fight but for the most part I believe most of the eggs will be okay.

There is no true way to always tell that you have caught a fish off of a nest. In some cases when we think the spawn is over there are still a few cats nesting and we catch them anyways.

As long as we practice cpr of the bigger fish and keep spreading the word and get others to practice this method also I believe that nature will take care of itself with our little bit of help.
 
#10 ·
My 2 cents!


It is not harmful to take a male off the nest. He will instinctively find his nest and keep fanning and guarding his eggs.

It is harmful for us fisherman to hook and reel in a pregnant female. I find no way that it will benefit the fish in any way.
 
#11 ·
Interesting questions and responses. I think a male on the bed would return fairly quickly if released. Also, since not all fish spawn at the same time, we have no way of knowing unless we are targeting nesting sites.

Noodling on the other hand, would seem to cause more harm seeing you are directly targeting nesting fish.

Just my thoughts. No facts to back up anything.
 
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