Like most things in fishing there are no absolutes and while you can probably keep on whacking them when they're really in a frenzy there are many occasions when they're less obsessed and I'm pretty certain that returning fish on those occasions is a bad idea.

Like most things in fishing there are no absolutes and while you can probably keep on whacking them when they're really in a frenzy there are many occasions when they're less obsessed and I'm pretty certain that returning fish on those occasions is a bad idea.

+1

The more active bass are feeding the less chance releasing a bass will have on that activity.

Tom

So if your not catching much, don't throw your fish back so you will continue to not catch much? 

i'm a firm believer i only catch the dumb ones....it doesn't realy matter to me either way... 

 

me thinks we tend to over-think...but isn't that part of the challenge...

On a normal catch rate of less than a bass every 15 minutes, releasing bass hasn't been a negative for me most of the time, some occasions it has, so why take the chance! When in a hot bite catching a bass every other cast, releasing bass hasn't ever been a negative, including big bass, no reason to keep them!

I tend to stay on a spot until the bite quits, the average time is somewhere between 20-40 minutes with 2 hr down times . Rare exceptions are when big bass are very active feeding (on trout), releasing the bass had no effect, in fact may have caught the same bass a few times during a wide open feeding frenzy.

On the other hand I recall when Matt Newman* was on a similar wide open big bass bite and Matt was cell phoning his buddies to unload his livewell into their boats so he could continue fishing. Matt obviously believe releasing his bass would shut down the bite.

Paul Elias was fishing his spot alone as I recall and camped on it all day, was not a feeding frenzy type of bite.

I believe it was Aaron Martins and Byron Velvick tried to share a spot unsuccessfully and got into a argument.

Tom

* google search California dreaming - Matt Newman lake Casitas big bass catch.

Paul Elias catch & released bass all day for 4 days straight, on day 4 he was culling 7 lb bass. Paul & someone got into it over that spot but I don't remember who.

2007 I fished one ridge on Toledo, caught 37; bass including three over 10, all was catch & release. Didn't appear to bother em none.