Confused about Bass and livewells ?

[Bud-dy]

Today i got very confused ! I was fishing at Lake Macdonald in the main basin and watched as a couple of younger guys in a small black with red stripe boat who were sitting on a school of bass. Nothing unusual about that. They caught a few small bass ( undersized ? ) which they released back into the water FINE, caught a legal sized bass which they put in the livewell FINE. But then when they decided to leave the school in search of other fish they proceeded to empty out the livewell of at least 12 BASS.
Now the confusing part for me is that they were releasing the undersized bass back into water ( whenever they caught it )but keeping the legal sized bass BUT why 12 ?? do the undersized ones not go back down to the school just as much as the legal sized ones ?
This frankly just peeves me !!
Paul
The law states 2 per person !!

[NAGG]

They would be over the in possession limit ..... regardless if they were just keeping the fish in their tank to stop the school from spooking ( you are right ..... little fish / big fish doesn't matter)

If they were inspected .... they would be gone




Chris

[darylive]

I suspect they were they were not aware of the bag limit so were releasing the under size bass to obey the law but held the legals in an atempt not to spook the school.

A Classic example of some one trying to do the right thing but not knowing the rules.

Pleasing to see they released all the fish. As for catching that many bass at Lake Mac i am impressed.

[Little grey men]

Thats a possibility Daryl....Here's another lean on it.
If these young blokes were able to find a school and exctract at least twelve bass from a tough lake like Mac. They probably are well aware of the rules but like a lot of people nowadays, they couldn't give a fat rats about rules or the well being of the fish.
You'd just have to hope that their live well setup pumped a good amount of fresh through to keep the bass healthy. Twelve bass in a standard sized live well would contain some pretty serious nitrate levels.
I usually think the worst of people so I don't get surprised !

[Luc]

Some fishers keep bass in the livewell and release them when they relocate as they beleive that releasing bass as they are captured has the potential to spook the school and put them off the bite.

Luc

[aussiebasser]

Some fishers keep bass in the livewell and release them when they relocate as they beleive that releasing bass as they are captured has the potential to spook the school and put them off the bite.

Luc

It's still illegal, and stupid. I can't see any reason at all for keeping a Bass in a livewell unless you are fishing a comp where the rules state you have to bring the fish in to weigh. I'd still rather see a photo and release system though. ome idiots think it's impressive to keep fish to take photo's of them so they can brag about them. At the Wivenhoe kayak comp last year, one area fished well for two days with up to 20 fisho's fishing the same scattered school. Nobody had to keep any fish in their well. I've seen some pretty big names in the comp scene throw bass as far as they can so they don't spook the school. They may as well cut their throats and throw them.

[Bud-dy]

hi thanks for responses. With a electric motor on the back and front I would say they prefishing for the bass electric comp on SUNDAY 1st August 2010 so they would know the rules !
I don't know whether bass spook or not I know a school will shut down after sitting on them for a while.
I fish the lake 70 to 80 times a year and am secretary of the stocking group SO I have a special interest in the place and seeing this sort of think doesn't sit well with me !
I have never found it hard to catch fish here My wife and I sat on the same school 10 days ago and because were tagging the fish and testing my knowlodge we caught 94 bass in 5 hours ( only keeping 2 each then tagging then releasing them), ( we started on 1/4oz blades went to 1/2 oz, then soft jackals ended up catching fish on spinnerbaits as well as every type and weight of soft plastic/jighead we had in the boat.)
I have never found it a hard place to fish but then 14 years of 70 to 80 times a year has taught me a bit about the place
Paul

[darylive]

With that set up I suspect you are right, sounds like they knew what they were doing Bud.

A bit off thread But;

Now you have our attention, what are your views on released fish spooking the school? I know at somerset I have caught and released plenty from a good school and it doesn't seem to shut them down but others get edgy about releasing into the school.

I don't keep them unless there is reason to, i.e. comp or very occassionaly to squeese some lemon juice on the odd one in the evening.

Regards to the people who stock, thank you.

[Bud-dy]

I don't believe fish get spooked. I have caught fish out of a school and released everyone back into the water straight after catching them, continued fishing and caught many more from that school. I think boat noise and sounder pinging to be more of a scary think for fish ( have you ever been underwater when a boat has gone by ? even electric motors hum badly underwater )) and pinging from sounder is electronic noise so would have to have some sort of effect on fish as well ? my thoughts anyway ?
Paul

[darylive]

I am inclined to agree on the fish spooking fish aspect. Even to the extent it may be that excited fish stimulate others?

Some believe that Bass follow the ping but I would have thought the foriegn sound would be more a deterant. Always interesting to here from another passionate Bass fisher especially a successful one thanks. :)

[NAGG]

I don't believe fish get spooked. I have caught fish out of a school and released everyone back into the water straight after catching them, continued fishing and caught many more from that school. I think boat noise and sounder pinging to be more of a scary think for fish ( have you ever been underwater when a boat has gone by ? even electric motors hum badly underwater )) and pinging from sounder is electronic noise so would have to have some sort of effect on fish as well ? my thoughts anyway ?
Paul


Freakin Bass ...... pinged the crap out of em with 2 sounders - no worries 9 fish from 9 drops ........... dropped a couple of fish into an active school - Nothing! - move towards the edge ..... catch fish again.

Noise ..... I seen Matty Mott win a comp with music blarring ...... kicked everyones butt.
Freakin bass ::)

Chris

[Mike Delisser]

Definatly attracted to the sounders ping, I have 2 sounders onboard, one quite a bit stronger than the other and the bass will often stack up under the stronger of the 2. When I turn it off they will always move to sit under the remaining sounder. These are usually the hardest fish to tempt, better to move away and cast back to where they were. As for released bass putting off the school, well I've had it work both ways so I recon that on some occasions it will put off the school. Still no reason to commit a fisheries offence and put more than 2 bass p/p in your well.
Cheers

[yellahunter]

good chance that some if not all the fish would have died.
im sure many of you know that oxygen depravation can cause brain damage and even if they swim away all is not well

12 fish in a tinny livewell.......hmm would wana be a bloody big well.

[shayned]

Just because a fish swims away, it doesn't mean that it will survive. Without constant circ in the livewell I would assume those fish had a slim chance. I hope the comp is providing plenty of funds for restocking.:-X

[aussiebasser]

ABT provides $5 per entrant to the appropriate stocking group. If you break it down, that's about 20 Bass fingerlings per entrant. I'd say they're paying their share.

[Apollo]

Still doesn't make it legal!

Steve

[aussiebasser]

Still doesn't make it legal!

Steve

Refer back to my first post, what they were doing was both illegal and stupid, and in no way would it be condoned by ABT or myself. I'm surprised if they were ABT anglers, that they were fishing MacDonald when there was a round on at Wivenhoe.
Also surprised that a member of the stocking group wouldn't have the Fisheries hotline number at hand (1800 017 116) A quick call with the rego of the boat would have seen these guys sorted out.
My point with the $5 donation to the group was that most respectable organisations running comps do support the Stocking Groups, maybe not all the participants of the comps though.

[Bud-dy]

Dale the fisheries hotline in my opinion is not worth the effort We have been below the dam wall and seen guys 20metres from it using cast nets to catch bass goldens any and everything ! I rang the number 4 times and no response QDPI didn't care and nothing was ever done about it ! Is it different above the dam wall ? Several times other members have tried to rerport other offences again below wall with notihng happening as a result.
Paul
PS - I had a go at the guys and ended up in a blue because of it ( I don't take well to being told to F*** off !! And they didn't appreciate me cutting there cast net into pieces either !

[yellahunter]

agree with you on the fisheries side of things,
absolute joke the old fishwatch number

iva called them in the past re things and its just not worth bothering,
you will get someone that doesnt care or know what your trying to report and end up even more frustrated.

[Fitzy]

A dozen bass in a standard tinnie livewell is a death sentence for them. Don't care what sort of pump its running.

Folks every police officer is empowered to do fisheries enforcement, however reluctant. If you aren't confident in the fisheries hotline, call the local police station. Ask for a reciept number of your call & write it down (do this with fisheries as well). Also take special note if the offenders have a knife with them & tell the police that, bet that may help to get a quicker response. (It has in the past)

Then if there's no action, call the state member & put them on the case with the relevant minister. Found this is effective in getting a better response in future.

Remember - a stocked fish is never worth a broken nose, so unless you're happy to get one, don't go confronting offenders.

Cheers,

fitzy..

[Apollo]

ABT provides $5 per entrant to the appropriate stocking group. If you break it down, that's about 20 Bass fingerlings per entrant. I'd say they're paying their share.

Dale

This post was a little ubiquitous and left it open to misinterpretation given the context of the other posts in this thread. Thanks for clearing up what you meant. It is good when those that utilise a resource for a comp, thank those that help create it (ie the stcking groups). I have heard of other organisation/comps that don't, so good on ABT.

Cheers
Steve

[aussiebasser]

When you ring the Fisheries Hotline, give them a Boat rego of the offenders, give them your name and contact details and advise that you will testify if needed. Let them know if you are a member of the local volunteer stocking group. Get from them, the name of the person you are speaking to and a receipt number. Then follow it up.