Water Temps/ Fish on beds?

[Bob S.]

WOW, the water temps seem to be about three weeks ahead of last year. WE will be going up june 5 for a week of smallie fishing and can't wait. HAs anyone been out fishing lately? are any bass on the beds yet? Getting close to 60' water on the chart, must be at 60' in some parts of the lake. Anyone have any feedback on this? thanks,

[madrasahs]

Originally Posted by Bob S.

WE will be going up june 5 for a week of smallie fishing and can't wait. HAs anyone been out fishing lately? are any bass on the beds yet?

I've read that when a bass is pulled off his nest, that sunfish swoop in and clean out the fry. Wonder if this is just a sunfish thing? (Does this practice support catfish- and perch populations too?)

When I used to fish, bass that were protecting the nest occasionally got foul-hooked. Especially on light tackle, foul-hooked smallies gave you the good fight.

I've heard that "guardian bass" don't eat while on the nest, and try to move intruding items (in my case, a spinner) with their mouths -- and that may explain most "catches" by mouth.

[Grant]

We had a smallie on a bed right next to our dock last weekend. On Sunday, another appeared, and they spent the day swimming in a tight circle on the bed, apparently doing the bass-procreation thing. It was pretty cool to watch. We spent the rest of that day and Monday morning keeping an eye out for any bass boats that might want to shoot the proverbial fish in a barrel. Too bad for that bass -- nest location was not optimal. We have a crib dock, and there are lots of potential egg & fry predators lurking beneath -- including sunnies and catfish. The bed lies about four feet from the edge of the crib, so guarding it will be a daunting task.

[madrasahs]

Originally Posted by Don Cavey

As for the sunfish swooping into the bed when a bass is pulled off, we have not seen that in the 10 years we have been fishing there. I would say in 90 percent of the times, the bass goes right back to the bed immediately.

From: http://www.nybass.com/illustrated/ar...nglingpoll.htm.

"The University of Ohio did a study on Lake Erie Smallmouth. They pulled the guarding male off his bed and kept him off for three minutes. They found that on average, 50-75 percent of the eggs were predated in that short period of time. When the bass was released, the researchers found that half the time, the male never returned to his nest which subsequently doomed all of the eggs.

"Also, I should mention that studies have shown that only about 30% of mature Lake Erie Smallmouth spawn in any given season. So with that said, you tell me which is does more damage to the Lake Erie smallmouth bass FISHERY - pulling that smallie off his bed or catching a single fish in July?"

From http://www.lakegeorgeassociation.org...ake_george.htm

Fishing off beds is illegal at Lake George.

[Tyler]

Hope the bed fisherpeople learn from this data you supplied.

[chainedtotheofficedesk]

I won't debate the potential for bedding bass to be stressed or argue that if you pull them off the bed for a "few" minutes that their eggs won't be gobbled up...but

We fished last weekend for Smallies and landed and released in under a minute over 200 fish. In that time, from my eyes, we never saw any Sunfish activity on the beds, nor did any of the bedding bass fail to return to their bed.

I am a huge fan of Winni, NH fish and game laws that restrict fishing in April, May, and (wish) June to catch and release.

I would advise anyone that fishes the lake to use heavy enough line to quickly bring a fish to the boat and release it immediately to get it back on its bed.

And yes, this season seems to have a large population of spawning bass, perhaps because the water temp is almost 10 degrees above last year.

Good luck, throw em back and respect the lake.

[Merrymeeting]

>>And yes, this season seems to have a large population of spawning bass, perhaps because the water temp is almost 10 degrees above last year.

I'm not sure how you arrive at this data. Looking that the temps posted on this date for the past 4 years, they are all within 4-5 degrees, in the high 50's. Mother Nature has an amazing ability to normalize this data over time. While we did seem to be running high a few weeks ago, this miserable weather combined with cold nights, has the temperature going in the wrong direction!

[madrasahs]

Originally Posted by chainedtotheofficedesk

We fished last weekend for Smallies and landed and released in under a minute over 200 fish.

Wow...what a fantastic minute that must have been! How many of you were fishing?

Originally Posted by chainedtotheofficedesk

Good luck, throw em back and respect the lake.

'Feeling that same feeling when I talk to a smoker about giving up smoking...

Originally Posted by chainedtotheofficedesk

And yes, this season seems to have a large population of spawning bass, perhaps because the water temp is almost 10 degrees above last year.

"Ice-out" left the lake crystal clear. Then we had a monster wind -- on a Saturday shortly afterwards. The lake is now very murky -- I still haven't located my mooring, even using a big underwater viewer. There's all kinds of small fragmented grass in the water in addition to the usual pollen 'n stuff.

Murky water heats up faster than clear water. I'll bet we'll see some record temperatures come August. (Bad news for the public beaches -- and Braun Bay).

[Grant]

As someone who once fished beds (20 years ago), I know how tempting and fun it can be. But with all the pressure on the Winnipesaukee fisheries from TOO MANY BASS TOURNAMENTS, couldn't a small group of us come together and agree to lay off the bass for a FEW WEEKS while they make MORE bass?? Seems like a small price to pay for a healthier lake and fish for all to enjoy in years to come.

After all, how hard is it to nail a smallie on a bed when they will bite ANYTHING that intrudes their little temporary sanctuary? C'mon -- be a true sportsman and give them a chance!

[JohnNH]

This subject comes up every year. As many of you know, I am the tournament director for a large Bass fishing organization in New Hampshire. We are holding 2 events on Winnipesaukee this year = 1 in August and the other in September.

In an effort to keep the anglers off the beds, our organaization ( North East Bass Association of New Hampshire ) does NOT hold any events until after spawn.

I agree with Grant and others: let's leave them alone, let them do their natural thing and enjoy the sport of real fishing.

If your determined to catch smallmouth during spawn; try fishing in 15 feet or deeper water and you will catch plenty of larger smallmouth. The females come in and drop their eggs on the beds. The males remain behind to guard the nest and the big girls go back out into deeper water. Yes it's a challenge to find them, but., it's certainly more sporting and better for the environment.

John/NH

[madrasahs]

Originally Posted by JohnNH

The females come in and drop their eggs on the beds. The males remain behind to guard the nest and the big girls go back out into deeper water. Yes it's a challenge to find them, but., it's certainly more sporting and better for the environment.

With my Polaroids, I've watched fisherpersons cast vigorously at the nests in shallow water while those big (some huge) female bass lurk on the other side of the boat!

Now a ¾-pound bluegill has created a nest just 10 feet from the week-old nest of a 1¼-pound bass. The bass, instead of slowly rotating (clockwise, I've noticed) around in his nest, is pointing all the time at the bluegill. Maybe it's not that unusual, but I haven't seen this before.