Fishing for bass on their spawning beds has always been a touchy subject. Though it’s very easy to say that disrupting them while they’re trying to replenish future stocks sounds wrong, the reality is that bed fishing is largely acceptable in the bass world. In fact, many anglers anticipate it all year long. Bed fishing is visual and offers one of the best shots of the season at a truly goliath bass.
Male and female bass guard their nests with ferocity, so if anything gets too close — it’s likely getting attacked. In this regard, bed fishing takes a lot of guesswork out of strategy. And I can tell you from experience, it’s incredibly exciting.
Just because it’s been “okayed” within bass culture, however, doesn’t mean it’s not important to use extra care and caution when fishing spawning beds. Matt Pangrac, a pro angler and host of the “Bass Talk Live” Podcast, is no stranger to the method or discussing the pros and cons of the practice. His simple tips for keeping an eye toward ethics will ensure you feel better about yourself — and the fish feels better after you release it — if you’re planning to hop in the beds.
Listen to Pangrac on this week’s episode of the Quick Strike Podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Don’t Even Think About Snagging
Rolling up on the biggest bass you’ve ever seen in shallow water can practically stop your heart. It can give you the shakes because you want the glory so badly. But it’s important to not let your emotions cloud your judgement when you see that fish. Very famous anglers have fallen from grace over bad calls made during the spawn.
“A lot of times big fish on beds don’t move very far, and we’re talking about bass that are true blimps,” says Pangrac. “So, above all else, ethically and for your own moral obligation to the sport, as tempting as it may be to put something behind it to hook it outside the mouth when it is not biting, it’s not only illegal — it’s just wrong. Make sure your fish are always hooked in the mouth.”
Pangrac believes a fickle fish on a bed presents a good learning opportunity. If it doesn’t bite right away, he suggests taking the time to simply observe the fish for a while. Take notice of how it moves around the bed and when. Does a bluegill close by trigger it to circle out and return? Sometimes these visual cues will help you choose a better lure or time your next cast. But you also have to recognize that not every bass on a bed is going to eat. As Pangrac puts it, “Sometimes you’ll have the fish of a lifetime ten feet away and it is not meant to be. It’s not going to bite.” When that happens — and it will at some point — just move on.
Handle with Care
No matter the season or situation, you’re handling fish that will be released with care, right? Of course you are, but this is doubly important with bass during the spawn. Though Pangrac says there have been studies that show bass released a good distance from the bed during tournaments will return, if you’re not taking that lunker to a weigh-in, don’t move it far and get it back in the water quickly.
“If you’re going out and you know there’s going to be bed fish, have your camera ready, have the means necessary to take care of that fish so you can quickly record your moment,” Pangrac says. “If you’re not taking it to a tournament weigh-in or making money off that fish, there’s no reason for it to be out of the water for an extended period.”
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Pangrac always reminds anglers that during the spawn, the bass rub and fan the rocks to keep their beds clean, which often leads to sores and bloody tails. This makes them more susceptible to parasites and infection. To thwart further damage, keeping your hands wet is extra critical this time of year. If you’re quick about the release and don’t over-handle the fish, Pangrac says nine times out of ten you’ll see it return to its bed within a few minutes of release. Tournament pros often use oxygenators and special chemicals in their live wells to promote fish health, but many recreational anglers don’t have these things. So proper, speedy handling is essential.
Exit Strategy
Anglers fishing beds are usually very cautious on the approach, especially on heavily pressured bodies of water. You don’t want to spook the fish or alert it to your presence, but much less attention gets paid to how you move along after hitting that bed. Pangrac says your exit strategy is super important, and if you don’t depart with care, you can do more damage than hooking and handling combined.
“This mainly applies to anglers in boats, but a lot of times you’ve caught that big fish, you’re really excited, and you don’t consider your departure from the area,” he says. “Assuming you’re within ten or twelve feet of the bed, you don’t just want to stomp your trolling motor on high and blast away. Doing so risks blowing the bed out. If there are already eggs on the bed it can disrupt them and even if there’s not, if you damage the bed, now that fish will have to work even harder to clean or rebuild it.”
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Pangrac recommends carrying a telescoping push pole for this very scenario, which allows you to gently nudge the boat away from the bed before firing up your trolling motor. Anglers often don’t consider how much silt a trolling motor with 80-plus pounds of thrust can kick up, and it doesn’t take much to damage a bed. If the bass holding on it just gave you the thrill of a lifetime, you owe it to the fish to leave the bed as close to how you found it as possible.
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