Have you ever wondered where do tournament bass go after they’ve been released? Do they make it back to where they were originally caught or do they stay around the release site?
BASS HAT: https://finnfishing.com/products/bass-hat
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Research Articles:
https://www.uvm.edu/seagrant/sites/default/files/uploads/publication/lcbp_report_bass_study_2013_reduced_size.pdf
https://www.record-bee.com/2018/10/09/largemouth-bass-wont-travel-far/
One of the most interesting studies that I found was conducted back in 2011 and 2012. Researchers took bass caught from Lake Champlain during nine different tournaments throughout the 2 year study.
There was a total of 2,301 fish were tagged using T-Bar Tags, including 1,160 Largemouth bass and 1,141 Smallmouth bass. In addition to the 2300 bass that were tagged with T-Bar Tags, another 91 bass had radio transmitters implanted into them (Radio Tags), this included 53 Smallmouth and 38 Largemouth.
Researches tracked the radio tagged bass and anglers who recaptured the T-Bar Tagged bass were asked to contact the researchers to track the information.
Of the tournament bass that were tagged, 264 bass were recaptued and reported. Of these 264 fish, 185 Largemouth were recaptured and 79 Smallmouth were recaptured. The information that was taken from these 264 fish is extremely interesting.
Out of all the tournament bass that were released and recaptured only one Smallmouth actually made it back to its original capture area, which was in the Inland Sea, in which it was recaptured 4 months later.
It was found that the majority of the bass actually stayed in Cumberland Bay for up to two months before they started to disperse. By the end of the 2 year study 56% of the radio tagged smallmouth bass and 44% of the radio tagged largemouth bass eventually left the bay and swam to other parts of the lake. The t-bar tagged bass dispersal was very similar.
This means that 56% of the Largemouth that were caught in tournaments over the course of those two years actually stayed in Cumberland Bay. The interesting thing about this is Anglers told researchers that the majority of the Largemouth bass (70%) that were caught in these tournaments came from two main areas of the lake. Ticonderoga on the South End of the Lake, and Miquoy Bay on the north end of the lake. However of the recaptured Largemouth none of them had returned to those areas.
Looking at the smallmouth, the majority of them stayed in the bay for 2 months before they dispersed from the bay. Although the majority ended up leaving there were still a large percentage 44% that stayed in the bay throughout the study.
One of the most interesting things was discovered in this study is that bass did not cross deep water as they dispersed from the bay. Deep water is known as a pelagic Zone and in this experiment, deep water was considered 65ft deep. Instead the bass hugged the shoreline as they started moving out of the Bay.
Similar results were found in a study done by Gilliland in 1999 that showed 84% of tournament-released bass traveled along continuous shoreline and only 16% crossed deep, open water.
Researchers suggested that bass used different landmarks to get from place to place. There were a few smallmouth that made it back to the Vermont side of the lake but this was after they had traveled along the New York side to the northern part of the lake and then crossed into Vermont Waters. All fish crossed to the Vermont water and less than 65 ft of water.
Lake Shasta in California the department of fish and wildlife tagged 580 tournament caught bass. Of the bass that were tagged there was 497 Smallmouth and 83 Largemouth.
Of the 83 Largemouth that were tagged, 34 were recaptured by Anglers over the three-year study. Of the 34 that were caught 13 of them were caught less than 1 mile away from their release point. The other 21 we’re captured between 1 and 7 miles from the release site.
Looking at the analytics the Department of Fish and Wildlife concluded that during the first 40 days after being released, the average distance traveled by the Largemouth was less than a mile, and the average for the entire three-year study period was less than two miles.
However, smallmouth dispersed quicker and farther than Largemouth. 87% of the released bass were caught from 2-15 miles from the release site. Within the first 20 days after being released, the majority of the smallmouth bass traveled at least 3 miles and a few traveled as much as 8 miles.
The conclusion of the biologists was that largemouth bass travel short distances after being released. They established new territory and continued on with their lives. However, smallmouth bass often travel back to where they were caught. Why smallmouths have this homing ability and largemouths do not, no one knows for sure.
I think it is important to remember that a smaller percentage of bass actually get caught than we think in bass tournaments, which I mention in a study at the end of this video. I don't think bass tournaments are bad for a fishery, most lakes around the country seem to be producing bigger fish year after year despite continued angling pressure. However, it is important that we take care of the fish that are in our livewells
Thank you for sharing
Science guy here. First, you misrepresented the smallmouth bass dispersal in the Lake Champlain study. They disperse more quickly than you stated. Secondly, you said that "only" 11% of the bass were recaught…like this is too low to be consideted valid. On the contrary, an 11% sample size is HUGE in this kind of study. Your conclusion that bass tournament fishing is, essentially, inconsequential, is clearly biased. D+
I've always thought tournament fishing is bad for fish in general.its just another way to get the money, never mind the dying or dead fish, I see clips of tournaments today these guys are fishing so fast and blasting around the lake at 60mph.they look like crackheads,they have 20 poles rigged up at once so they don't have to change lures.i know guys like that,it's like they have an addiction to being called the winner and they definitely love the big prizes.
We need to stop vass fisjing tournament all together. Its not sporty catching a little 3-8 pound tiny little minnow to release and die. If your going fo catch it then eat it so its not a waste . Or be a man and go out to actually catch something your own size or bigger ! Not using the boat to do the fishing for you either ! Just you , a pole agaisnt the 180+ pound fish like real men do . Only little girly boys feel good or sporty about catching a bunch of little 3 -10 pound bait sized minnows
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Just pushing some buttons guys dont get yiur panties up in a bunch .
I think all fishing tournaments should be illegal. Oh let’s spend millions of dollars on harassing and killing fish just for bragging rights and some cash maybe.
What about rivers
The ugly truth is that the fish that perish are ignored and lots of them die. I see them dead all over the lake I fish after the competitors have come and gone. I noticed there was no mention of the radio tracked bass.
I wonder how many of the 31,000 caught are re-catches?
Do bass tournament anglers catch spawning bass on beds and weigh them in if they’re large enough to keep?
I wounder if small mouths can smell better then large mouths which makes it easier for them to find their homes.
other studies have shown the opposite of this – I've always said its complicated and depends on the body of water and the individual fish – I think animals have a "personality" factor that these theories pretend doesn't exist, and therefore render their results inconclusive, at best.
The Pond Boss references a study where fish where electro-fished, tagged, then release 1-mile away from the capture point – within 2 days almost all fish had returned to their original habitat
These two studies seem to contradict, unless we stop pretending all bass are the same (this goes for everything alive too – we do the same thing to kids in school when we force them all into the same little box that adults think they should fit into – this same ignorance is problematic throughout every aspect of our lives – humans generally feel they need to define and label things… put every thing into its' neat little box, but the real-world doesn't work that way… Wild animals, and humans, are chaotic.. Nature is chaotic.. there's always that unpredictability no matter how many studies we conduct….). [btw, I hate to be "that guy", but look at the state of the world – we need a few of us around right now]
The study of any living creature is far too complex to draw any conclusions of any solidity. We could conduct a new study tomorrow that invalidates everything we thought to be true today. Our rational understanding of the world around us is fluid – "science" is a tool that helps us attempt to make sense of what we see.. It is not a commandment finder – it's a method to test things and hopefully limit external biases.
People with very little understanding of science making videos like this for content frustrate me.. This video reminds me of a less-extreme form of Ancient Aliens-type logic.
I like you BFHQ – but this video only benefits your channel; it does nothing beyond further confuse the subject for the average bass angler.
Edit: something just dawned on me – perhaps you DO understand the inconclusive nature of this study and purposefully chose to word things in a way that were more drama-inspiring to draw more eyes and ears onto the video and run up engagement? Nearly 1/2 million views on it, I'd say you succeeded and this makes me question your ethics (not accusing you, but I am skeptical of my initial evaluation of your moral character – only time will tell.. My gut says you're honest, but also influenced by the size of your channel and how that benefits your family (which I can't blame you for, I'd do the same.)
Interesting watch. You say anglers only move 5% of the total bass population in a lake, but aren’t they only moving big bass? Pretty sure the estimates for the amount of bass in the lake would account for fry as well. Makes me wonder how much of the bass population is large enough for anglers to want to take and compare it to that 5% number.
these bass tounaments need to change the way they return the bass into the water.. they need to release them localy from where they where taken to reduce the impact of the population.
It would be nice if you give the report of estimated population of the bass is that body of water
Bass Hat is too close to Ass Hat for comfort
Guns n Bass are the current religion in the South. Used to be NASCAR n marrying your cousin. Whats next?
That's why I like my small online tournaments
I just take a picture and release
Where I live you have take em a mile from weigh in
Thank you Tyler ! Appreciate all your knowledge and hard work .
Please study Crappie
I'll tell you where Bass go when tournament fishing start.
I fish lake Champlain and have been for 30 years including all lakes in New England.
When a tournament starts on lake Champlain and any other large lake and these tournaments fisherman Weed out the small fish and keep all the 2 lbs and up Fish and transport them anywhere from 10- 40 miles away to their way in that's where the fish go. they don't come back. So stop your nonsense trying to justify your non-catch and release tournaments. The fishing was awesome,Prior to tournaments getting out of control by the numbers of them in these Lakes every summer.
There is not one non-tournament fishing person I have interviewed in the past 15 years agrees that non- catch and release tournament fishing does not affect the fishing.
It kills me that my taxpayer dollars for my natural resources or less important, then these fishing tournaments. And the legislators thinking of nothing but the dollar.
I would not have a problem with fishing tournaments if it was mandatory to be catch and release.
With the technology today of wireless phones you can send a photograph to the weigh in.
I've been to hundreds of weigh ins and counted hundreds of dead large bass, and have the photographs to prove it.
Good video
The tournament industry needs a serious reality check because this is not sustainable
I think there’s just to many tournaments nowadays and if it continues some spots are gonna be torched