Hello.

Hoping to leverage some experts on the forums while learning more about my local lake (quarry, No California). 

 

After dry spell, landed a nice 4 lb largemouth.  To my surprise, 3 other bass - including a huge girl- followed to the shore.  They swam around until I released, then back to the depths.  Any idea why they were exhibiting this behavior?

 

Is this part of spawn or post spawn.  Seems a little late for spawn, but a few seemed to be bedding.  Maybe a second spawn.

 

Any insights appreciated.  Prior forum searches were unfruitful.

Competition. Another bait would have likely caught one of them. It's why guys that fish treble hook baits sometimes catch two at a time.

Exactly what The Bassman said. They’re likely trying to steal the “meal” that the hooked bass has. It happens here all the time, especially with smallmouth. I’ve seen over 20 decent sized smallies chase a hooked bass to the boat, and if someone else is with me and throws out a bait, it’s almost a guarantee they’ll hook up as well. No matter where or when I’m bass fishing, I ALWAYS have a throw back bait tied in another rod ready to go at all times, often a senko or tube jig will be ready to deploy at any time. 

I've seen the same behavior in my local creek,  a river in Vermont and a lake in Northern Ontario.  Bassman said it, competition and a meal they don't have to work hard for.  I've also seen similar behavior with bluefish in salt water.  Definitely have used Way north bass guy's tactic of tossing my fly into or near the group of smallies following the guy I'm fishing with lure or bait back to the boat up north. 

Thanks.  Makes sense and a great opportunity.  I guess I need to buy another dedicated setup for this, right....

 

Appreciate your insights.

I’ve seen it happen many times when fishing bridge piers in clear water.

One day last fall when our local river was low and clear I was fishing a double fluke rig. I hooked two nice smallies an there were another half dozen or so chasing them. My wife was so excited I thought she was going to jump in after them. LOL

 

It happens but we don't always have good enough vis to see it.

Look up 'kleptoparasitism'

10 minutes ago, Pickle_Power said:

Look up 'kleptoparasitism'

My wife does this every time we go out to dinner.

I had it happen to the extreme a few years ago. I was walking a super spook and had a nice largemouth latch on. The fight was going, she jumped and then the fight got weird and mushy. Drug it in and there was the original 3lb fish on the front 2 hooks and a second 2lb fish on the back hook.

Brings back memories.  When I was a kid, I was fishing on a bridge over a canal in South Florida.  There was a big school of shade under the bridge.  Bass where attacking the shad. I was fishing with a L&S Mirrolure. I would drop the lure straight down and the bass would grab it when it hit the water.  A three pound bass ate my lure and ran out into the middle of the canal.  A six pounder tried to take the lure away and got hooked.  I caught nine pounds of fish on one cast.  This happens all the time in salt water fishing.

When you hook and fight a bass the frantic movements of the hooked bass attracts attention to every other bass nearby. If those bass are active hunting they are aggressive fish and sometimes try to steal a meal or swim around the fighting bass as if curious what the crazy fish is doing.

The important lession is looking into the water and seeing other bass, something every bass angler doesn't do. Now you know other bass are there and the size, it's good information.

Tom

 

If this happens thank the fish gods. Where I fish, any bass gets hooked any others anywhere nearby see it and disappear.

Years ago, I wrote a weekly fishing column for a local newspaper.  A reporter asked me to take him fishing.  We got up early and went to East Lake Toho before light.  It was just getting light when I made my first cast.  I threw out a Devil's Horse and got a hit right away.  When I set the hook, the fish went to the bottom. I could feel the weight of the fish but it didn't pull hard.  I thought I had hooked a turtle. When I got the fish to the boat, I had two three pounders hooked to my Devil's Horse.  The reporter went nuts.  I smiled and told him that I do that all the time.  :>)