Freshwater Fishing News

Largemouth bass anglers that follow a few simple steps when practice catch-and-release can help ensure that released largemouth bass will live, according to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

During the summer, higher water temperatures and lower dissolved oxygen levels in reservoirs and rivers are tough on largemouth bass.  When caught, largemouth bass become more stressed and can suffer higher mortality rates.

To minimize stress on the fish, a catch-and-release angler should land the fish quickly and handle it as little as possible, including removing the hook from the fish’s mouth while it is still in the water, if practical.  Limited handling helps reduce the loss of slime coat, the fish’s main defense against infection and disease.

“Before you touch a fish, always wet your hands,” advised N.C. Wildlife Resources fisheries supervisor Brian McRae. “Return the fish quickly to the water if you do not plan to keep it or place it in the livewell. When using a landing net, a knotless nylon or rubber coated net is preferred over a knotted nylon net.”

Anglers participating in fishing tournaments can minimize fish mortality by maintaining healthy oxygen and water quality in their livewells. A few ways to do this are:

Knowing the capacity of the livewell and not exceeding a ratio of more than 1 pound of bass per gallon of water;

Running a recirculating pump continuously if more than 5 pounds of bass are in the livewell;

Using aerators or oxygen-injection systems to keep the water’s oxygen level above 5 ppm; and

Keeping livewell water about 5 degrees below the reservoir temperature by adding block ice.

McRae also recommends that tournament participants fill their weigh-in bags with livewell water, not reservoir or river water, before putting in their catch. They should put only five fish in a bag, fewer if the fish exceed 4 pounds each, and finally they should limit the amount of time that fish are held in bags.

“Keeping largemouth bass in weigh-in bags for longer than 2 minutes will significantly increase post-release mortality,” McRae said.

Fishing tournament organizers can do their part to help keep fish alive by providing holding tanks during the weigh-in with water 5 degrees below the reservoir or river temperature and with oxygen levels above 5 ppm.

“Fishing tournament organizers and participants should adopt best handling practices at all events,” McRae said. “Using staggered times to weigh-in, release boats, and recovery stations with oxygen and recirculating water are all important considerations when planning a tournament.”

Other options for tournament directors who enjoy summer fishing tournaments yet want to minimize mortality associated with higher water temperatures are reducing the number of competitive fishing hours or holding “paper tournaments” without weigh-ins.

More information on keeping bass alive, including the B.A.S.S.-produced publication, “Keeping Bass Alive: A Guidebook for Tournament Bass Anglers and Organizers,” is available on the Commission’s website, www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.

source: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

According to a Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Fisheries Biologist, a local angler may have caught the oldest largemouth bass reported in Montana. The fish may also be one of the oldest surviving largemouth bass in North America.

10-year old Garrett Frost of Kalispell reported catching and releasing a tagged largemouth bass in Rose Creek Slough on July 16, 2011. The fish was estimated to be 20-22 inches in length and weigh approximately 3.5 lbs.

The alert angler pulled out the red floy tag numbered 5637 prior to releasing the fish. Fishery Worker Jon Cavigli checked the database and found that the bass had carried this floy tag for 14 years.

According to Garret’s father, Tyler, Garrett hooked the bass on a rubber worm while fishing from the front of their boat. Garrett landed the bass without assistance. Tyler reported that the bass appeared to be in good condition, and weighed 3-1/2 pounds on his scale.

According to the tag information, the bass was caught and tagged by Phil Rivard in Fennon Slough on October 3, 1997. At that time the fish was 14.2” long and weighed 1.5 lbs.

Cavigli, who keeps up the tag database, says that Rivard, a volunteer for FWP, caught, tagged, and released many largemouth bass in the sloughs of the Flathead River, adding to the age-growth database.

Based on the size of the largemouth bass in 1997 and the age-growth database, Deleray estimates that the fish was probably 5 years old when tagged. Adding that age with how long the tag was in the fish places its age at 19 years old. This may be the oldest confirmed largemouth bass reported in Montana.

Most sources place the maximum age at 15 or 16 for largemouth bass in the northern United States. Deleray is contacting other fisheries biologists, and, so far, has not found any records of largemouth bass as old as the Rose Creek Slough bass.

Largemouth bass in Montana are at the northern edge of their range. Fish tend to grow slower and live longer in the cold waters found in Montana and other northern states.

source: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Fisheries

Tube lures are a favorite choice for catching crappie, sunfish, bass, pickerel and other species. These highly effective lures are often fished on jig heads, but when weeds are thick in productive fishing areas, weedless tube rigs can make the difference between success and a disappointing trip. The effectiveness of these rigs is partly due to their near-neutral buoyancy.

Rigging tube bodies is very easy. To rig a small tube lure for panfish, all that is required is a selection of bodies, few hooks and if desired, a supply of toothpicks. For panfish, an ultralight spinning outfit is essential when fishing weedless tube lures. Line choices should be limited to 6 pound test or smaller, in order to achieve reasonable casting distances. The rig can be fished in a variety of situations, although it is designed for fishing areas of dense vegetation.

When choosing hooks, several styles can be adapted. Regardless of the hook shape, non-offset hooks should be used in order to reduce spinning. Circle hooks work well for this rig as their barbs are naturally turned inward, further reducing snags. For anglers that are not comfortable using circle hooks, kahle hooks or other light wire, non-offset styles can be modified. The important thing is to be able to bend the hook shank and bend into the correct shapes.

The basic weedless-weightless tube lure design can be improved upon by pinning the body to the hook. Pinning helps prevent fish from pulling the body down the hook during the strike. Pinning a tube body can be accomplished by passing a toothpick thru the lure body, into the hook eye and back out the other side of the body. The toothpick is then broken off, leaving little to no material protruding out of the body. If desired, a small swivel can be added about 18 inches above the hook to reduce line twist.

Panfish anglers may also choose to add a short section of nightcrawler or other natural bait on the hook. When rigged correctly, there is just enough room on the hook shank for a morsel of bait. Adding bait should be done carefully as any non-symmetrical shaped pieces will cause the lure to spin during retrieval or otherwise hinder the motion of the rig. When rigged correctly, baits actually act as a keel to help stabilize the rig and improve its action when moved thru the water.

For smallmouth or largemouth bass, the same technique can be used with larger tubes and standard offset shank worm hooks. Depending on angler preferences and local conditions, bass anglers usually select tube bodies in the 3-6 inch range. Like most soft plastics, these designs come in a myriad of colors, shapes, tentacle styles and other attributes. Tube bodies are even available in scented versions.

Fishing the weedless tube lure requires a slightly different technique than standard jigs or Texas rigged worms. Tube bodies can be casted into openings in weed beds and allowed to sink a foot or 2 before slowly being worked back towards the boat. The natural action of the tentacles creates interest from fish without additional movement.

Another effective technique is to cast the lure and immediately jig it sharply across the surface. This method usually works best around sunrise and sunset. Larger tube rigs will float initially and work especially well for catching largemouth bass among heavy surface weeds.

When fishing for smallmouth bass in areas where crayfish are found, choosing the correct color and allowing the lure to sink deeper can improve fishing success.

How to Rig A Weedless Tube Lure

Step 1. Pass the barb down the body and back out the side. Slide the body up the hook until the eye is covered.

Step 2. Tuck the hook point up inside the tentacles of the body.

Step 3 (optional). Pass a toothpick thru the body, into the hook eye and back out the body.

Step 4 (optional). Break off the toothpick flush with the lure body.

Other Tube Rigs

The weedless tube rig can be combined with other rigs to increase its effectiveness. For example, it can be used as the top lure for tandem rigs. Because of their near neutral buoyancy, they work well when rigged in tandem with a jig or other weighted lure. Weedless tubes can also be rigged using the popular dropshot configuration. These can be highly effective when slowly jigged along drop offs, bottom structure or other areas where fish are congregated. When vegetation does not reach the surface, tube bodies can be effective rigged on weedless jig heads. These special jig designs incorporate a bristle in front of the hook point to deflect snags.

Summer is the season when most people fish for largemouth bass. Although this species can be caught year round in many areas, summer can be an excellent time to enjoy bass fishing.

To be successful during the summer season, anglers need to recognize a few seasonal aspects of largemouth bass behavior.

Summer Spawning

Although bass often spawn in spring, this may not always the case. In some areas it is not unusual to find bass in spawning areas as late as July. The practice of catching largemouth bass from spawning areas is has been strongly debated. To address the issue of catching spawning bass, each angler should learn to identify spawning habitat and then make a decision either to avoid or fish these areas.

Best Times to Catch Largemouth Bass

During hot weather, the best times to catch largemouth are usually the first and last hour or so of daylight. During these periods, bass often feed aggressively and are quick to attack surface lures or slow-sinking choices such as plastic worms.

During the daylight hours, largemouth bass often avoid the sun. They may be found sulking in deep areas near food sources, lurking under overhanging tree limbs, beneath docks or oriented to submerged obstructions such as stumps, downed trees, or other objects.

Aquatic Vegetation

During the summer season, many areas where bass are found experience explosive growth of aquatic vegetation. Although these plants present challenges to anglers, they often provide vital habitats for bass and other species.

The biggest challenge to anglers is usually finding a lure that is suitable for fishing around aquatic plants. Weedless designs are usually the best choice, especially lures that remain on the surface or sink only a few inches. Among the most popular lures for fishing heavy vegetation are weedless frogs, mice, weedless, slow sinking plastic worms, tube lures, buzz baits, poppers, weedless spoons and other surface lures.

During spring, largemouth bass are usually very active. Prior to spawning, they feed heavily as their prey move in response to seasonal changes. In eastern North America, largemouth sometimes make abrupt adaptations to their feeding patterns, as species of fish, crayfish, amphibians show up in ever increasing numbers.

In many areas, bluegills, pumpkinseed sunfish, shad and other forage species move in to spring feeding and spawning habitats almost overnight, triggering bass to follow. Other spring events sometimes attract bass and other predatory fish. In tidal rivers, spring spawning runs attract considerable activity, which in turn attracts largemouth bass.

In some cases bass may eat the spawning species itself. In other cases bass do not feed directly on the spawning fish or their eggs, instead they feed on smaller fish or other aquatic life that are attracted to spawning areas.

Bass may also lurk along spring migration paths, intercepting prey as it arrives. These areas can include restrictions or edges of channels or current flows, especially in creeks or tidal environments.

Bass behavior can seem strange during spring activity. For example, bass are sometimes seen very close to the water’s edge, even within inches of the shoreline. While this might seem unusual, this behavior can be explained by studying the species upon which the bass are feeding.

During spring, aquatic vegetation is sparse in some areas, leaving forage species exposed. Young sunfish, crayfish and other prey are often found around shoreline vegetation, fallen branches or other structure. During these periods, bass do not hesitate to move into very shallow areas in order to feed.

Along slightly deeper edges, beds of spadderdock begin to appear and bass quickly begin patrolling these edges. As more and more leaves unfurl and cover the surface, complex communities take up residence among the pads.

Spadderdock food chains may start with tiny insects and invertebrates, but soon to follow are minnows, sunfish, perch, frogs and other bass forage species. As the process continues, spring spadderdock communities become important feeding areas for largemouth.