5 Yr Research SHOWS Exactly Where TOURNAMENT BASS Go After Being Released (I Shouldn't Share This)

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?
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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.

[@BassFishingHQ]

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

[@johnnnoise]

there's more to a lake than bass populations

[@exodusfivesixfivesix8050]

That is a huge lake tho. I am curious to know how smaller lakes would affect the behavior.

[@georgesouthwick7000]

Tournaments may not be bad for the fish, but they certainly do not help them. The only ones who benefit from fishing tournaments are the promoters, contestants and the merchants that sell goods and services to them. Tournaments are held, because humans make money from them, not to benefit the fish.

[@patrickmcphee770]

Bullshit! I fished tournaments, lots of casualties on warm days. I watched Onieda lake in NY turn to shit with relentless bass tournaments. We also get all Pennsylvania’s fishing clubs because they don’t have any lakes big enough to run tournaments. Get a clue, 100 of the best fisherman in the world ran to a new platform that takes care of the fish. All the the old tournament practices are unsustainable. Throw them in a bag and hold em out by the lip one last time! People will justify anything these days to not feel guilty.

[@ragnarskollnation3073]

Livewells kill bass they don't like to be thrashing in a livewell. Also why would you have bass tournaments on hot 90-95 degree days total fish kill. They kill what they catch by half

[@colincole356]

This is why I like the MLF format. Weigh and put right back. No 4-6 hours in a livewell being drug miles from where they are caught.

[@deckmonkey1459]

Don't they catch 500 fish a day, though? Look at all the and no limits in the zeros at the Pickwick Elite. It should be weigh and release for top weight only to keep the numbers caught down.

[@colincole356]

@@deckmonkey1459 don’t see what is wrong with catching so many? Every other tournament is big 5. I like how it is unique. Makes guys go find the fish and fish hard the whole tim.

[@mr.t1581]

@@deckmonkey1459 Regardless if it's top 5 or most total weight like MLF, the top 5 are still trying to catch their top 5. They could catch just as many fish if not more trying to find their top 5.

[@deckmonkey1459]

@@mr.t1581 Not really. They only go to spots for big fish and fish baits most likely to catch them. A lot of guys don't even get 5 fish counting ones that are too small. MLF guys I would say are throwing smaller baits to lots of groups of small fish because 2 lbs is all you need. I haven't watched it much but I've seen guys catch a fish almost every minute for a long period of time. The chance to gut hook with a smaller bait is higher and they smash the fish as hard as they can for speed and almost rip their spines out. I think they should just weigh and release in every tournament. If MLF wants to keep the excitement of lots of fish they should put a limit on numbers to make guys target a little bigger fish to stop catching 1/2 pounders.

[@mr.t1581]

@@deckmonkey1459 Fair enough, I mean I think it depends on the tournament and how the fish are biting. MLF did change it to a 2LB minimum for a qualifying fish.

[@BassGeek]

Now I would like to see what the mortality rate of those bass that didn't leave that area because so few where caught again. Great info we all need more information and studies like this to help keep our fisheries healthy.

[@BassFishingHQ]

I should have included that in the video because it is on the study. On Champlain the post release mortality rate was roughly 3.5%. I am sure that mortality rate is higher at certain fisheries in the dead of summer

[@the45er]

@@BassFishingHQ I'd be surprised if that percentage is accurate. Hauling bass around all day in a live well, handling them for weighing and "trophy" shots and further handling to the release area is highly stressful. Thank goodness that format is dying out in favor of the MLF format.

[@anthonymorales842]

@@the45er Right how many and die later from complications from stress i.e. pathogen infection or just impossible to find

[@sprolyborn2554]

@@the45er i dont think we give enough credit to the toughness of bass. about the only situation i can think of where they really cant handle it is dead of summer 90+ degree water tournaments and thats completely understandable. low saturated O2 because hot water holds less than cold water when a fish really needs that precious oxygen after fighting for its life. at least when i watch fish in my livewell during the course of a fishing tournament, they do get settled in. the gill pumping slows and the fish folds its fins indicating its completely fine with whats going on. not trying to make an argument that keep tourneys are a better format than MLF but give some credit. these are bass. they wont die from being held funny like a rainbow would.

[@biblebeltfishing]

Love the comment sir

[@asutodd]

This is why I like my kayak fishing tournaments. We measure and release where they were caught. Lot less street.

[@kls2020]

Yes but another scientific study concluded the Kayak'ers were stressed after the tournament from having to paddle or peddle farther to get to the fish .

[@asutodd]

@@kls2020 well played!

[@trippjohnson8222]

@@kls2020 😂😂

[@salonzo1978]

😭🤣🤣🤣

[@drdwkelley]

I hope a lot less street. Those bass aren't tough enough to be on these streets!

[@jonnygranville281]

I hate it that they get caught off their spawning beds and taken miles from them. I love bass fishing but we need let them get thru the spawning process.

[@davidkirk2554]

MARYLAND and PENNSYLVANIA lakes have a springtime CLOSED SEASON...fishing has gotten better...

[@steezyfishing]

Always important to return to the bed area

[@ericschulze5641]

It's against the law in NY to catch or even harass fish on their spauning beds don't know where you got your info that's why there's a season

[@jonnygranville281]

@@ericschulze5641 Everything is against the law in NY. I don't live in New York. There's no season in Tennessee. So my comment makes perfect sense. I hate to see tournament fisherman take fish off beds and back to the weigh in station. I see that on Old Hickory lake.

[@ericschulze5641]

@@jonnygranville281 in general there doesn't need to be a season & the eggs will feed the other fish

[@mikesaelee834]

MLF format is the way to go, since it also doesn't allowing flipping the fish on to the deck. Some of those bigger fish that get boat flipped and land on the deck has to be damaged in the spine, just an observation, I could be wrong. It just looks damaging.

[@jeffffro7674]

There is definitely some truth to this line of thinking!!! These fish are not built to be hoisted by just their jaw, everyone thinks this is the proper way to handle them, sure, if they are 3 pounds or less. I believe that a 5 or 6 pound fish (and up of course) is hurt pretty badly by the weight of its own body put completely on its jaw, it's similar to whales, in the water they're fine, put them on land and their enormous weight just crushes them!!! Fish that big NEED to be handled with TWO hands and with great care!!!!!! They are already under an extreme amount of stress from the whole ordeal of the catch!! One second, excited to be fed and chase prey, the next second they realize they aren't getting food and even worse they're being yanked around by who knows what??!?! Then there are fish caught in deeper waters and reeled in too quickly and not given the chance to adjust the ALL IMPORTANT swim bladder!!!! I'll quit my rant, sorry. I just don't think that many people consider any of this stuff when they get a bite, adrenaline takes over and they just aren't thinking about anything but landing the fish. If you love fishing as much as you say you do, then your respect and consideration for the fish should be equally as high!!!!

[@thomasmartin8202]

@@jeffffro7674 Good words and I totally agree. I think we should consider ourselves lucky to be able to outsmart some of the fish but in doing so we should be as respectful as we can to them. Get them in, handle them well, take pictures or weigh them and marvel over them without wasting time, release them with care asap (not by throwing or tossing). There is way too little respect afforded fish. Fish are tough, but they're not that tough.

[@jeffffro7674]

@@thomasmartin8202 one that bothers me quite a bit, the dang belly slap by Ben, I realize you're excited there brother, I really do, but there's no need to smack the poor fish on the stomach!! We know a lot about these creatures, but I'm willing to bet what we don't know is equal to or maybe even greater than what we do! If you want to eat a fish you catch, quickly dispatch the little guy and then you can do whatever you like to it for the camera!!! A lot of people are really bad when it comes to what we're talking about here, honestly, Ben isn't half as bad as most of them!!! You can tell that he has a genuine love for those fish, he just gets VERY excited and when that happens, even the best of us can easily lose control and do things that we're gonna regret down the road! Especially when it's on camera!!!!

[@thomasmartin8202]

@@jeffffro7674 Who the hell's Ben?

[@jeffffro7674]

@@thomasmartin8202 Ben Milliken, his channel is Milliken Fishing, he calls the subscribers M F'ers. Pretty funny. A week and a half ago, they went to Texas and caught a 5 fish limit of 60 pounds!! Then the guy with him caught a 16.4 largemouth!!!!! The next day Ben caught a 7.4 smallmouth!!!! The trip was absolutely insane, and I guess I just take for granted that anyone watching fish stuff on YT knows about this!!!! It reached most of the country basically overnight!!! Those fish were frickin MASSIVE!!!!! The guy working at the Share Lunker facility where they took the fish said, 25 years and I've never handled a fish that big!

[@zerox615]

Catch, weigh, and release immediately is the way to go.

[@solomonsmith5511]

Negative that’s not tournament fishing catch 5 and weigh them. MLF sucks

[@henrysanders7425]

I see where your coming from but from a conservation and population dispersion standpoint MLF seems like the best option.

[@brantleylad4391]

@@solomonsmith5511 could still only count the biggest 5 and not keep a live score tracker and would have the same thing except not moving fish!

[@solomonsmith5511]

I can agree with some points but in most lakes the population of fish is strong and a tournaments won’t hurt the population density in a lake

[@ericschulze5641]

Catch and eat is better 🙂

[@itsnotme8047]

Thanks for sharing these studies In a much less boring way

[@BassFishingHQ]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@itsnotme8047]

@@BassFishingHQ I sure did

[@joshjewell1960]

I would like to see a similar study tracking the bass if they are just caught tagged and released instead of moving them to a new release location, just to see how much they actually travel naturally.

[@joshhill5932]

I have always wanted to know that to. I know catfish travel a lot but have no idea about bass. I would think they don't travel much but would be very interested is knowing for sure.

[@zakjslagle]

Ohio DNR has an upcoming study like this in Lake Erie, but it's going to take a few years before data are available. Tagging slated for 2023-24.

[@HellaBass]

Interesting to see the differences in Smallie behavior between Champlain and Shasta, it would be interesting to see southern reservoirs and river systems and how they compare as well

[@RVJEDI]

👽 🐟 man👀If I was snatched out of my bed it would take me two months to get up the nerve to go back home and tell my wife where I was.

[@BassFishingHQ]

Lolol so true

[@deckmonkey1459]

The study shows bass are smarter than you because some realize they are free and don't ever go home. Let her deal with the kids.

[@karltite128]

LMBO

[@steventakach8128]

funny

[@curtismcneill3481]

🤣🤣🤣 facts

[@biglouie9547]

A few years ago me and a buddy fished a bass tournament. We stayed around the boat ramp never got far enough away that we couldn't see the ramp. Everyone else took off to there fishing spots. We won the tournament. There had been a lot of tournaments out of that marina that spring, so my buddy said it should be a lot of fish still close by. I recon he was right.

[@JadieJamz]

Lol somebody was using their brain that day 👍👍

[@bradclark9129]

Buddy of mine and me done the same thing a couple of times lol

[@Saalim_ILX]

I learned more here then I’ve ever learned in school today😂👍🏽

[@MeandMrBlue-sg7qk]

Camped at B.A.S.S. tournament at Ky lake in the late 1990s was woken up at daylight with several people picking up dead fish all around the release site SICKENING.

[@l8tapex]

And to know they use sedative's to destress , aerated bags, aerated tanks, chilling tanks, no nets, no kill policy .More sickening.... locals who are meat hunters and kill everything and they dont like tournaments guys on " their" lake.

[@MeandMrBlue-sg7qk]

Catch and release for me

[@henryhatfield74]

At least someone is getting something to eat.

[@superwilcox9026]

@@l8tapex poor wittle waif. Just hurtin all over. Gonna cry for everyone

[@l8tapex]

@@superwilcox9026 Na sweetie. its ma job to get children on parents account with no content to snipe because they too scaaarrred.

[@Dontatmebr0]

I never got the whole live tournament weigh in. Literally like 10 people in the audience. Just catch, weigh, release immediately.

[@katabeats]

Ikr I don't give af about them showing off all the fish at once id rather keep them healthy

[@smurfpool9794]

I think it more comes down to keeping the weigh in honest. It’s a lot more likely for people to lie if they aren’t weighed in front of others.

[@Dontatmebr0]

@@smurfpool9794 That’s true, but there should be official judges on each boat that record the weight. Lots of tournaments do that.

[@SMF89]

Strong work making this video. Thank you for taking the time to make it. Tight lines.

[@timmyyandow4167]

Awesome video. I live in Vermont and lake Champlain is my home lake. I am also studying fish and wildlife in college. The tough part about the study especially about lake Champlain is that there is lots of great habitat in Cumberland bay for both largemouth and smallmouth. So it’s tough to say if they just find a new “home” in Cumberland bay because it fits their environmental needs or if they can’t travel the great distances back to their original “home”

[@BassFishingHQ]

Yes that is very true. I think if proper habitat and bait are close to release site it will just up the odds of fish staying close

[@robjones7410]

Great information, Brother. I appreciate your time and effort for making us all alot smarter and compassionate anglers!

[@BassFishingHQ]

Thanks for watching Rob!

[@ChaBarry]

Most bass stay close to where they’re released. The bass released in the 2015 bassmaster elite sacramento are still being caught today (2021) in areas close to the release site.

[@erniesanders3724]

Excellent studies and supporting statistics. Thanks for sharing this with us. I believe in releasing the fish in the area caught immediately after weighing.

[@steventaylor5086]

That is awesome information. The most important being that only 5% of the lakes bass were caught in a 12 month period.

[@calebsmith2131]

The sad thing is alot of those bass die after tournaments. They should make a rule if the bass dies then you eat it.

[@ericschulze5641]

Better yet have a charity fish fry & cook em all

[@duckman5849]

How can this get a thumbs down by anyone? It was very informative and well explained.

[@joeg5414]

Because tiktok is damaging minds. If the video is more than 30 seconds, people lose interest and their brains shut down. Also when he started giving numbers, he probably lost a lot of the slower folks too. I thought it was a fascinating video and I haven't been bass fishing in 25 years. Live in Colorado now and trout are king here

[@salonzo1978]

Awesome video , 22yrs ago at Amistad my father and I would catch 8 to 10lbers and lost a 14lb on the bridge pilings .1 mile from the major ramp . We used to say that those bass were released and used the pilings as feeding or resting spots for the big ones .

[@rickperlstein9988]

Fascinating. I'm just glad they were ACTUALLY returned!

[@thereelangle]

Great video! I have read these studies but it is great to see this explained visually. Thanks for sharing this Tyler.

[@BassFishingHQ]

I appreciate it. Thanks for watching Jason

[@tblaze8167]

All fish should be released back into the water after a quick weight and measure. Putting them in live wells for the day and then into a bag for a public weigh in stresses them too much.

[@isaiahtolo9819]

Great explanation of the study! As a fisheries biologist, I really admire this video presentation! I want to point out too how much anglers contribute to maintaining wild fisheries in the USA (~1.5 billion $ annually based on 2013 data!) seeing a lot of stressed fish all at once during tournaments or research studies for that matter is always a little gutwrenching but we need to keep in mind how things that get people invested in fishing is really beneficial to the maintenance of these species. I spend a lot of time talking to managers in my state (MNDNR) and I am always encouraged to see how they are thinking about this kind of data and tiring to balance protecting the resource with making it available to the public. - Anyway great video.

[@isaiahtolo9819]

BTW you can improve the health of the fish you catch by making sure that the water temperature stays cool and aeration in the live well is constant. You can also use barbless hooks to minimize damage when hooking up on a fish. Using sterile nitrile gloves to handle fish (or at least making sure your hands are clean) can help too. Overall the less fish are handled the better, so plan out what measurements and pictures you want to get ahead of time to minimize handling time.

[@robmangeri777]

I’m a fan of whatever management leads to the healthiest population of big bass!!! Lots all gear toward that 😎👍🏼

[@ericbutler739]

I used to live near Cumberland Head on Champlain. After big tourney weekends, we saw lots of dead fish.

[@catchofthedave8681]

This video confirms for me something I have been fighting for for years--We need to stop the old school tournament style of bass fishing where bass are taken to a weigh in. It needs to be all done like kayak tourneys or MLF. TourneyX style catch, photo (or weigh), and release. All this research proves it takes months and months for stressed bass to disperse release area and get back to normal, and they often never go back to original catch point. We need to be stressing these fish as little as possible. Tourney X style FTW. Sure there are flaws, and potential to cheat, but so is there in traditional format.....why do you think they introduced polygraph tests in traditional circuits. Cuz if someone wants to cheat bad enough, they will regardless. Taking care of the fish should be 1st priority. This being said.....I know for next couple kayak tourneys, I’m going to look up where the weigh ins were at last bass tournaments, and fish in that area. This really makes sense.....Cumberland is a big, long, highland reservoir. But for some reason all the best bass are consistently caught near the dam snd creeks closest to the dam.....tourney after tourney thats where people catch winning fish. It’s also where all the fish are released after weigh ins. Go figure

[@bassma5ter11]

I wonder if spawning would make some of the largemouth more ambitious to return to the catch site. Do the fish that are caught whilst spawning still spawn if the conditions are right even though it takes up to 28 days to recuperate? That's my main question!

[@BassFishingHQ]

If they are released right away they will go right back to the bed. However, if they are hauled to another part of the lake, they may not get back

[@fishingismydrug1]

A good reason not to put fish in livewells during the spawn ?

[@bassma5ter11]

I agree! I wish more tournaments would be like kayak tournaments and go by measurements. Even if it's a small percentage, killing a big spawning female would be tragic.

[@fishingismydrug1]

@@bassma5ter11 I agree! I asked this same question on a bass boat forum, thought they would kick me off!! Oh, and a side note, I'm trying to sell my bass boat, get a kayak or bass raider style boat. Your thoughts on which one and why?

[@nickskolsky2560]

Can’t wait to see this ! I was just thinking about this after Lake Okeechobee

[@nickskolsky2560]

Also in that Florida tournament they re-release the fish back all over the lake again !

[@iketaylor109]

Thanks again for sharing this interesting info. It’s something I always wondered about 🎣

[@austintubbs6807]

This was incredibly informative thank you!

[@juleswinnfield826]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing. I've been lucky enough to speak with Michigan Biologists regarding similar studies on Lake Erie walleye population. Loooooong story, short version; Smallmouth and walleye are way more similar than folks realize. Keep up the great work, enjoying your content.

[@BassFishingHQ]

Thanks for watching Jon, I appreciate it, would love to hear more about those studies

[@juleswinnfield826]

@@BassFishingHQ kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKepi5Svaq2HiLM Travis Hartman is the Ohio DNR fisheries biologist worth looking into. This pod cast is lengthy.....but good. Ross can be a challenge to listen too..... but has great passion for fishing. Travis Hartman is the gentleman worth googling. All his effort is Lake Erie walleye related, however; numerous common denominators will pop out at you regarding smallies. As you already know they are both "Predarors" that target similar food sources. Again, thanks for your You Tube work.

[@juleswinnfield826]

@@BassFishingHQ kzbin.info/www/bejne/aH6kq3ZjecaGisk Travis was a big part of the info in this video, Travis isn't presenting it, another person is.

[@mr.onethirtyeight5088]

I've long wondered this very question. Very interesting. Subbed!

[@BassPro2]

Nothing short of amazing! A question that I’ve always wondered!

[@timnelson9756]

Thank you Tyler ! Appreciate all your knowledge and hard work .

[@ajonesumcane]

I fished a huge tournament on the harris chain a couple years back and no less than 150 bass were floating either dead or flipped sideways fins still moving. Awful .. there were some huge fish just wasted. The weigh in was still going on. The tournament was in June...Way too much stress on those fish during the hot months

[@adubclub]

Fascinating! Great work. Dorsal fin...

[@malvinjones6619]

Awesome freaking work man. Thank you

[@ericsfishingadventures4433]

This was really cool to watch. I wish people did this with musky. There are some studies but they're aren't that much

[@bartkeck9262]

I have caught fish in tournaments in river and they went 10 mile ride to launch ramp to weigh in and released alive. I have caught the Same fish 2 months later on same bank that I originally caught it and it was a lock up.

[@Bulletlaggg]

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.

[@DoubleTFishing]

Very informative, thank you

[@mattjohnston9131]

This is very informative. I've often wondered about this whilst watching BASS tournaments, having concern for the welfare of the animal, especially during spawning season. Prefer the MLF style of catch, weigh, and release.

[@scottbonner6430]

Are there any concerns over the biggest bass being caught during the spawn? Pulling those big fish off the beds never to return to complete the spawn.

[@06SCOOTY06]

Great vid. I also have been wondering if the bass returned back to where they were caught. Your vid shows that they don't. Thanks!

[@smallmouthaddiction8263]

i was always curious about releasing in a tournament.. but Id love to see some research or studies done in a system like mine. Lake Winnebago.. where you have several connecting lakes joined by a river.. Bass caught in lower lake that is down stream from all of the other lakes then released on an upper lake.. and bass caught upstream/current. Where do they go?? Do they swim down stream with the current or try to fight the current and swim upstream.

[@joewinkler2168]

Go to Iowa state university, and look for tournament fishing study. It will open your eyes. On a small 659 ac. Lake with huge pressure fishing.

[@davycrockett3230]

The estimated death toll of all released bass at Tournaments is 20% I think this is very Detrimental to the Bass population. I too have stayed around after a weigh in .After around I to three hous they will start floating to the top.

[@-star_27-20]

That’s kind of sad. Especially considering that trophy largemouth are usually the ones that reproduce more with the best genetics.

[@MrChancebandit]

They go straight too the fish lure identification station and report their findings and once a week the fish have a gathering and discuss the newest lures on the market .

[@justtl5885]

Good stuff. Nice work!

[@kirkclugston6891]

Y'all got anymore of them weigh in spots?

[@ericschulze5641]

😂 that's what I'm thinkin 😀

[@normevans1846]

They should ban it. They should weigh them on the boat, record the weight and release them at the spot where they were caught. If they catch a really Hugh fish, take a photo and then release. Or only be allowed to bring back you largest fish to show. Some tournaments are already doing this but they need to do more of these methods.

[@MattyWongFishing]

Interesting that they tagged that many smallmouth on Shasta.. it’s mainly spotted bass fishery 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@x--LeethaL--x]

You should always fish around ramps.. structure..and any cover close to those ramps. .. or don't. I will

[@JadieJamz]

Pilings near spillways and walls of dams make great areas too

[@JohnDoe-jc3cl]

Bass Fishing tournaments in Sam Rayburn.....blah, blah, blah......we should have it so nice here. I live in Chicago. In the surrounding Cook County Forest Preserves guys take a picture of 14 + 15” largemouth bass. There is an incredible amount of fishing pressure here. And then guys catch a carp and release it like it was a trophy largemouth.

[@RamBo-uu9so]

Catch, cook and eat! UP of MI, for the last 10 years lgmth bass have been gorging on crawfish...they taste amazing. I'm 60 , fishing all my life. Best eating fish in this order....bluegill, pike, bass and then walley Now, bass is king!!!!!

[@odelldaniel7868]

I was trolling in the middle of Lake Erie one day catching walleye, all the sudden I real in a huge largemouth bass, Huge, like almost 10lbs, it should never have been in the middle of the lake, I figured a tournament fisherman caught it in one of the harbors, he got his limit of largemouth then went out in the lake to cull for bigger smallmouth. All bass tournaments, big or small should go to the MLF style, weigh the fish immedietaly and return to the same spot it was caught. The top pros have really good livewells, the smaller tournaments , not so much, I watched a weigh in on a lake close to my house, after they are weighed the guys take them down to the water and release them, an hr later I'm cruising out of that channel and I found 3 bass over 3 lbs floating belly up, weigh ins kill alot of bass, big bass don't do well in small live wells. MLF style tournaments have to be the future.

[@gregsolt2884]

Awesome info ! Thank you! Is there any info about how long it takes Bass to go deep from shallow. How long it takes them to equalize?

[@BassFishingHQ]

That is something I’ll have to look into Greg!

[@ks_bass_snob]

Very interesting info.....good vid 👍

[@BassFishingHQ]

Thanks for watching

[@jamesedwards5896]

Im in a rural area in Chatham County NC and alot of local tournament fish are releasd into a county park pond but they dont tell people this..I found this hidden gem about 4 years ago..After the manager of the park grounds told me this i began catching some of the best bass of my life!! Its a catch and release only pond as s Well!! People started fishing it as well after seeing me pull out Giant after Giant 😂 it didnt take long for ever Kevin Vandam in the county within in 100 miles was coming in man and it is virtualy impossible to catch a good bass there anymore..The sheriff office and fish an game officer's had to come put cause of people jumping the gate after hours taking fish out and keeping em

[@grantjohnson1450]

Thank you for that info! I always wondered where they go because once I was at a public park area after a tournament, and I saw a few 5 plus pound bass floating on the surface. I always wondered why thank you! If they weren't released at the park, but deeper would that help? Say Instead of releasing them at 4 feet of water by shore, but releasing them in 20 foot of water would that help?

[@dennisneikes7215]

Do bass tournament anglers catch spawning bass on beds and weigh them in if they’re large enough to keep?

[@BadBubbles1205]

Great video my dude

[@SnookOnTheFly]

Personally I think tournaments are very stressful on the fish and environment.

[@artsnook7107]

I'm 78 yrs. old and have been Bass fishing(tournaments and pleasure) for most of my life. Most Bass fishing tournaments kill a lot of fish due to barbed hooks, live well confinement trauma, bagging and handling and especially springtime bed fishing. As this vlog states only 11% of the caught bass were found with the tags later, What happened to the other 89% of tagged bass?. Even with MLF immediate catch and release rules their hand landing techniques destroy's the slime defense on these fish which allows fungus to eventually kill them. In Southern Ca.for the past 50 yrs. most of our lakes have been tremendously affected by Bass fishing tournaments with negative results for quantity and size. These are real life experiences I have personally seen in my lifetime..

[@NeilGraham.I.M.F]

Very informative video. I like that one very much

[@fishinwithfinn]

That's why I like my small online tournaments 😂 I just take a picture and release

[@timhall5192]

Interested in why the Shasta portion didn’t show anything about spotted bass considering 80% of fish weighed in on that lake are spots if not more.

[@BassFishingHQ]

Hey Tim, I was wondering the same and tried to look into it but didn't find too much. The Shasta study was done in 1998, not sure if maybe the spotted bass population wasn't the same back then or not? Maybe you would know better?

[@mec4lifesmiley700]

30.00 hat? That's crazy.

[@kokomon5]

I watched a Scott Martin video, he had some kinda of spray that was supposed to help bleeding or badly hooked bass heal better, do you know what it is,does it work ? Also, any info on livewells without G juice, and those with it ?

[@stonefish1171]

catch and release is torture esp. bass tournaments, either eat the fish or quit. Fish are meant to be food not objects for mishandling.

[@edpelkey7798]

Great info 👍

[@bassattackva6988]

Thanks for sharing. I wonder if the population and size of bass will increase if they using CPR approaches in tournaments

[@BassFishingHQ]

In the study I did above mortality rate was roughly 3% and post release mortality was another 3% so I don’t think the population would grow tremendously with CPR, but it would be interesting if there was any actual studies that looked into that

[@bassattackva6988]

@@BassFishingHQ I was thinking about the spawning season when the females have laid their eggs or are taking care of the eggs.

[@BassFishingHQ]

The biggest thing is the male in that case. If the female lays the eggs most of the time they leave and the male guards the eggs until they hatch and after

[@vwnut13]

You dropped a syllable in Missisquoi.

[@somthegreat7430]

Those 5% of bas caught are probably the 1% of Bass we care to catch. If they are continually stressed out throughout the season by hauling them back to the weigh in sites, how does that affect their livelihood? Imagine finding a city you love to live in. You find the perfect apartment with the perfect neighborhood. You also find a job you're good at. Then one day... you wake up in the middle of nowhere and have to figure out what happened. Most bass do not live past 10 yrs. A 14 day resting period amounts to a huge portion of their lives.

[@JadieJamz]

Poor fish must be terrified 😔

[@larryhorne2788]

Even in catch weigh and release theirs know guarantee that these fish live, love BASS FLW TBF BFL. The weigh in are what keeps the sport growing the fans! Major league fishing has know weigh ins their for you don’t have live fans showing up!

[@MrScott7040]

Damn good info

[@TheElementWild]

Nice vid!

[@MrIlancito]

It is important to mention that total bass population includes all ages and size. The Tournament catch that is taken in tournaments is mature bass during reproductive age and that the mortality after releasing them is not insignificant. If one was to take those factors 5% of the total population is not a shy number. Bass fishing needs to change to CPR fishing. The only reason they are taken back is for a picture with the sponsors jackets. Are we so scared they will cheat when weighing them?

[@bobbygreen2291]

We could have saved all of this money for expensive studies if they would just take a picture of each fish on a measure board and then release it where they caught it ,,that’s not asking much and it wouldn’t matter how many weights they put in each fish because that won’t change their length.

[@michaelsimko7694]

With largemouths being more sluggish than smallmouths and originating from lakes, ponds, and freshwater wetlands in warm climates, I can see why it takes them longer to travel. Smallmouths originated from flowing waters in cooler climates and they are more energetic and more streamlined than largemouths, so they are meant for traveling more so than largemouths.

[@-star_27-20]

Yeah. I once heard about a smallmouth being caught in Lake Charlevoix that was tagged from the sturgeon bay region of Lake Michigan. I really doubt a largemouth could ever do that.

[@Blackpanther_risen]

CPR is the best method to reduce stress on these slow growing fish

[@Tom-ic7hw]

so i guess i dont need to go over the tournament release are on monday buti think i might

[@nachopretzel3533]

611,000 bass in the lake but keep in mind 8/10th of those are less than 15".

[@reidsimonson]

Should send those green carp to the land fill.

[@anonymousstout4759]

Why Do the fish didn't cross the deep water?

[@mec4lifesmiley700]

There was no need to move back. They had plenty of food and cover. As food runs out they move out to find food.

[@gabrielgarcia6634]

Respect for that smallmouth traveling so far

[@dylancanarvis]

MLF has a great system

[@caryrobinson1533]

They don’t catch big fish on reel outdoorsy but they have fun

[@NFiltr8Red]

Weigh and measure is a whole lot better for fish.

[@fishingblackwatersound]

This was an amazing video

[@jimdenio669]

What was the survival rate . By your numbers, it suggest an 11.5 % survival.

[@peoriaos6627]

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.

[@Kenarew]

How do you assess bass stress levels?

[@BassFishingHQ]

Hey Kenny, you can find a little more about this in the article but I also said in the video that they looked at things like, bloody fins, dorsal fin erection, and large hook holes in the mouth. The more of these they showed, the more "stressed" the fish was