Fishing Ethics and The Spawn

 

     This topic can be a contentious one and as usual, everyone has an opinion, including me.  But fishing during the spawning period does not have to be as great an issue if simple precautions are taken.
     Regardless of why you’re fishing, for fun or food, the spawning time can be the most vulnerable time for whatever species you are pursuing.  Over the years I have been part of fishing at this time, either during bass tournaments or just out for a day of fun fishing for a variety of species.

     I’ve known a few tournament anglers who refuse to fish for a spawning bass because they believe it unethical, and I’ve known a lot of anglers who jump at the chance to hit the spawning period for the chance to pick-and-chose from a smorgasbord of bass when they can easily cruise the bank and select the largest ones to target first.

     I’ve had one occasion to catch the same fish twice! And others who have told me that they caught the same fish several times, proving the vulnerable nature of a fish that will hit a lure on the bed because instinct tells it that it has to. 

    Once during a tournament I caught a smallmouth on a bed about 15 ft. deep.  After fishing most of the event day I still only had 4 fish on my card, (it was a catch-n-release event where the bass is landed, weighed on a scale, witnessed by a co-angler, and recorded on a card.)  As I passed the area where the fish was landed I looked to see if it was back on the bed, and it was!  I dropped a tube onto the bed and the fish grabbed it again, just like it had about 2 hours before.  I got to count that fish twice on the card for the day.

     At another tournament I and several other anglers had discovered that the catfish were spawning at the dam.  It was a club event, so fun fishing, and on a hot day when the bass fishing is tough catching a bunch of nice size catfish on cranks is a lot of fun!  Casting the crankbait to the bank and retrieving, you had to pay attention to the feel of the lure in the water.  If the wobble stopped or the line went a little slack, then set the hook, because that was a bass, every time.  But, if while retrieving the lure you got a sudden shock and an immediate load on the rod, it was a catfish, every time!  The catfish were consistently between 5 and 10 lbs. and the bite lasted all weekend.

     When I was first learning to fly fish I would go to a local pond to practice casting.  It really helped my learning process that the bluegill were pursuing spawning activity.  I would cast a small popper and get a hit almost every time and the larger ones would get hooked most often and put up quite a fight on a fly rod.

     Regardless of where you stand on fishing during the spawning period, I think there are a few ethical considerations that responsible anglers can appreciate.  I don’t fall into the group that says there should be no fishing during the spawn, but I do think that, while fishing for spawning fish is OK, there are steps that should be taken to care for the fishery.

     At one end are those who prefer that no one be allowed to fish for a species during that fish’s spawn.  Some states, like Minnesota and New York, have seasons where bass are not to be pursued during the spawn and being caught doing so can result in a fine.  A lake I used to visit a few years back was even made off-limits to bass tournaments during the spawning period, even though anyone not in a tournament could still fish for bass on beds.

     Outraged by the singling out and penalizing of tournament anglers only I did some research myself.  I contacted the most trusted bass fisheries biologist and researcher I could think of, Gene Gilliland, who after decades of research on the effects of tournament angling on bass fisheries and retiring as the Assistant Chief of Fisheries for the Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation has now become the National Conservation Director at B.A.S.S.

     My interpretation of his response to my query is this:  That the vast majority of actual research available had determined that catching bass during the spawn has little to no effect on the viability of the fishery or the sustaining of a quality bass lake on most bodies of water, especially when those fish are released alive.  That the only exception may be that of smaller bodies of water (so small as to be considered a very large pond,) where a larger percentage of the bass in the lake may be caught and may affect the success of the spawning process, certainly when it relates to males guarding fry after the actual spawn because taking the male away can leave the fry vulnerable to bluegill and other species.  He agreed that denying tournament anglers the same access as the general public was selectively unfair.

     Most research that I could find also determine that the majority of bass caught during the spawn, even if released in a location other than where caught, will return to spawning activity to complete the natural process.

     The result of a lifetime of fishing is that I believe that in most situations fishing during the spawning time is ok, but that some consideration should be given to help the fishery.

     Catch and Release is always a good idea to me, although I don’t look down on keeping a few for the skillet and some fisheries need some thinning of the herd.  But releasing an actively spawning fish is a no-brainer.  Frankly, if you want to keep one for dinner that night, no problem, but no one needs to fill a fridge with fish caught while spawning!  Let the new stock have a chance to survive before gutting the mother and wasting thousands of possibles!

     Releasing a fish immediately is preferable, if you can.  The above examples prove that fish released will return to spawn.  Unless you are in a tournament and must bring your fish to the weigh-in, practice CPR, catch-photo-release, especially for those really big girls who tend to produce more really big girls!  And if you are fishing during the spawn have your equipment ready so you can land the fish, take the picture, and release the fish quickly.

     With all good things comes responsible behavior.  Don’t ever stop fishing, but also don’t ever stop caring for your fishery.  Practice and teach others by example by being as concerned for the health of the species as you are concerned about having a great day on the water.  This is really the best way an individual has to perpetuate more great days fishing.