Can black bass displaced from their home ranges find their way home? How long does it take? Or do bass get lost? These are some of most persistent questions concerning the health and catchability of tournament-released bass, and answers have been slow in coming. Tournament anglers generally presume that released fish return home or else find suitable habitat. Biologists are not so sure, however, and nontournament anglers often suppose that harm occurs.

In 1977-78, a study by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation followed smallmouth and largemouth bass tagged and released following tournaments on the St. Lawrence River. The researchers found that anglers captured a large number of released bass within a half-mile of the release point, 50 or more days after release. Displaced bass seemed to disperse more than fish that hadn’t been displaced, but displaced bass tended to stockpile near the release point.

Since then, electronic tracking studies clearly show that bass typically establish home ranges, learn their territories, and rapidly return if displaced short distances. On the other hand, long displacements from home ranges can disorient bass, turning homebodies into migrants. Studies also have shown great individuality among bass in terms of habitat selection and movement patterns.

Electronic tracking recently has confirmed that some bass travel long distances to return to their home areas, while others never return. A study of bass released in the upper Chesapeake Bay, a tidewater area, found that displaced largemouth bass tended to move from release sites. Some remained near the release area for up to a week, but long-term stockpiling at the release points didn’t occur.

Between 33 and 43 percent of largemouths displaced 9 to 13 miles to the other side of the wide bay eventually returned to their capture areas. Return required less than three months in spring, but took as long as two years when bass were released late in the year. Evidently, many bass didn’t reach home, and others had to search to find their way back. Displaced bass moved much more than bass released near their capture sites, and eventually recaptured 53 percent in their home ranges.

Another study indicated that about 50 percent of tournament bass released on the Potomac River eventually returned home. This suggests that in a river system, moving upcurrent or downcurrent eventually leads about half the disoriented bass back home. They have a 50:50 chance of reaching familiar waters.

These tracking studies did not separate bass familiar with the route home from bass that were totally disoriented, stressed, and moving at random. Even without knowing the correct direction to travel, a lost bass that continues to move may eventually find familiar ground and return to its home range.

Tagged bass have traveled 20 miles or more in one direction. But few home ranges are as wide as one or two miles, so it’s difficult to assume that these “long-range” bass knew where they were going. Such long directional movements could be returns to known areas or merely wanderings. Sick, injured, or starving bass are known to increase movement, apparently in an attempt to solve their problems before they become incapacitated.

Lakes Wawasee & Syracuse Study

A tracking study at lakes Wawasee and Syracuse in Indiana by Jed Pearson of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources provides more insight. These lakes are joined by a channel and marshy areas. The two lakes offer environments that probably separate the territory known to bass in Lake Wawasee from the unfamiliar territory in Lake Syracuse. Lake Wawasee covers 3,410 acres, dwarfing 414-acre Syracuse Lake. Both are lightly developed with lake-front homes. Submergent plants, primarily coontail and milfoil, are sparse.

For displacement studies, these two waters reduce the problem of identifying bass that likely are familiar with the way home from those that don’t know where they are. Bass with home ranges in Lake Wawasee would less likely be familiar with Lake Syracuse, and vice versa, compared to bass in waters like Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, which offer no separation beyond distance.

Pearson put ultrasonic transmitters in 10 adult largemouth bass, 15 to 20 inches in length, captured in Lake Wawasee by electrofishing and angling. Five were displaced downstream into Syracuse Lake; two were displaced within Lake Wawasee; and two were released at their capture sites.

Only one bass from Wawasee that was taken to Syracuse Lake returned. That fish remained in Syracuse Lake for 11 days, explored the channel, and moved into Wawasee on the 18th day. It was then tracked within a home range in northern Lake Wawasee for another 330 days near the site where it was originally captured. This location and behavior suggests that this bass may have been more familiar with part of the channel and marshes connecting the two lakes than the other displaced bass, which had been captured farther south.

Another bass displaced from Lake Wawasee to Syracuse Lake entered the channel between the lakes but stayed mainly in Lake Syracuse until it was caught by an angler 21 days after release. A third bass died or shed its transmitter after 28 days of wandering around Syracuse Lake. The other two bass taken to an unfamiliar lake swam about Lake Syracuse for 11 and 46 days, without any apparent attempt to return to Lake Wawasee through the channel.

Two bass displaced within Lake Wawasee returned to their capture areas and were subsequently monitored for 337 and 456 days, respectively. And two bass released at their capture sites stayed in nearby home ranges for 77 and 450 days, respectively. The five displaced fish were tracked an average of 91 days, compared to an average of 329 days for the four fish left in (presumably) more familiar territory.

The only displaced fish that was tracked longer than 46 days after release was the one that was able to move back to its home area. It would require a larger study to verify, but it appears that displacement to unfamiliar territory reduces the ability of bass to cope and survive. Wandering or lost bass may be more vulnerable to anglers, perhaps because they’re less able to capture adequate prey and are active longer.

The rate of return of displaced bass in Pearson’s study is similar to or lower than the rates in other bass tracking studies in which about 50 percent or fewer bass returned home when moved more than 10 miles from their capture sites.

Other observations by Pearson are relevant. Largemouth bass in Lake Wawasee didn’t seek deeper water during winter, but occupied the same offshore areas they used during summer and fall. Some of the fish also moved shallower into ice-covered canals used for spawning in spring. The home ranges of tagged bass were large compared to home ranges measured in other tracking studies. Perhaps a relatively low forage base in Wawasee forces bass to hunt longer and cover more area?

Angler-Tag Study

In a related study on the same lakes, Pearson attached anchor tags to 24 largemouths caught in an April tournament from unknown locations, and to 12 other bass collected by electrofishing in southeast Lake Wawasee. He released them all in Lake Syracuse. Tag returns suggested that displaced bass did not readily return to Lake Wawasee and that displaced fish are more vulnerable to anglers. At least 9 of the 36 tagged bass displaced to Syracuse Lake were later caught by anglers. One was recaptured twice. None were recaptured in Lake Wawasee, but one left Syracuse Lake and moved downstream before recapture.

Tournament Assessment

Pearson also monitored tournament participation and angler harvest. In 28 tournaments, competitive anglers represented 23 percent of the total fishing effort on these two waters, contributing 7 hours of fishing pressure per acre. According to the survey, 46 percent of all anglers and 39 percent of nontournament anglers targeted bass. Anglers caught 31,672 largemouth and 1,729 smallmouth bass from 8 to 24 inches in length (nine percent were illegal, under the 12-inch minimum length-limit). Although 6,710 largemouth bass were harvested, only 199 parties (nine percent) kept bass. Of anglers who kept bass, 45 percent kept just one, and seven percent took home four or more.

Tournament anglers did not account for a large share of fishing mortality. They harvested virtually none of the bass removed from the lakes and caught 27 percent of those released. Immediate mortality at tournaments observed in May and July was less than four percent. Data on delayed mortality and indirect deaths due to displacement and recapture were not collected. Most of the bass harvest occurred in summer by nontournament anglers.

According to Pearson: “Contrary to claims from tournament opponents, nonresident bass clubs did not flock to Wawasee and Syracuse lakes to avoid more restrictive fishing rules in other states, or to capitalize on less restrictive rules in Indiana.” Only two events involved out-of-state clubs.

Based on population estimates, catch-and-keep anglers harvested 34 percent of the 12- to 14-inch bass, 39 percent of the 14- to 18-inch bass, and 22 percent of the 18-inch and larger bass in the two lakes. Despite the prevalent catch-and-release ethic, this harvest was still moderately high. In essence, the “releasers” were helping the “keepers” take a few fish under a rather liberal 12-inch size limit.

A majority of the anglers interviewed did not think tournaments hurt fishing. But the largest group of anglers (36 percent) who considered tournaments harmful were anglers fishing for species other than bass.

Pearson’s studies are the strongest to date suggesting that moving bass to unknown areas following tournaments and the practice of fishing multiple but connected lakes from a single weigh-in point disorients released bass. It may cause them to wander if they’re unfamiliar with the new location. It also can reduce survival of released bass.

These findings, along with other information, indicate that delayed post-tournament mortalities can range from 20 to more than 40 percent when typical livewell and weigh-in procedures are employed in warmer months. Even the best livewell techniques yield a 10 percent delayed mortality rate following weigh-and-release contests. This estimate doesn’t account for mortalities associated with displacement and loss of a home range, which may occur months after a tournament.

Other studies suggest that immediate catch and release is much better for fish. Hopefully, more tournament groups will seek ways to eliminate the need to haul bass in livewells and instead substitute photo- or partner-verification of the length of each catch followed by an immediate release. While active, the Bass’n-Gal tournament trail successfully tried measure and release. Now, the Honey Hole circuit is using measure and release for slot-limit lakes, verifying catches with rulers, daily markers, and cameras. This is a move in the right direction.

*Ralph Manns, Rockwall, Texas, is a fishery scientist and angling authority who has contributed features and columns to In-Fisherman for almost two decades.

References: Blake, L. M 1981. Movement of tournament caught and released bass. N. Y. Fish & Game Journal 28(1): 115-117.

Richardson-Heft, C. A., A. A. Heft, L. Fewlass, and S. T. Brandt. 2000. Movement of largemouth bass in Northern Chesapeake Bay: Relevance to sportfish tournaments. No. Amer. J. Fish. Mngt. 20(2):493-501.

Pearson, J. 1998. Largemouth bass population characteristics and movement in Wawasee and Syracuse lakes. Indiana Dept. Nat. Res., Div. Fish. Wldlf. Project 95391, Indianapolis.