Where Do Tournament Bass Go After Being Released?

Ask any dozen anglers that question, and you're apt to get a lot of varying opinions. I base that statement on the diversity of thoughts expressed in some forums I looked at while researching the Internet.

The thing that got me to digging around in the first place was an email from my friend, Tom.

As he explained, "I'm sitting at my computer this morning, trying to decide if I want to go fishing, considering the weather forecast I heard. Suddenly, I found myself thinking about where all those bass go that we release from a tournament. If they stay in West Neck Creek, then most of the tournament heavyweights should come from there--right?"

Tom went on to explain that he had looked at an online article which said many tournament fish return to where they came from but added that he thought I might like to research the matter further. It sounded like a good idea for a blog article to me, so I got busy.

Let me right here and now assure Tom and everyone else who reads this post that, in at least a few cases, people do win our Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourneys by catching their kicker fish in West Neck--often during the last few minutes of the fishing day. I personally know of two occasions in which that has been the case this year. In both instances, the anglers snatched first-place honors by boating 4-plus-pounders just moments before weigh-in.

Whether these big fish were released from earlier tournaments is anyone's guess. My suggestion is that you read the following article by Todd Driscoll and draw your own conclusions. By the way, I wrote and obtained Todd's permission to reprint this article in its entirety.

Movement of Largemouth Bass Following Tournament-Release

Tournament fishing is popular at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Most recent estimates of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) indicate that 52 percent of Sam Rayburn anglers participate in at least one bass tournament per year, compared to only 6 percent of all Texas anglers. We also estimate that there are several hundred bass tournaments per year at Sam Rayburn, with tournament fishing (including practice fishing) comprising 36 percent of the total annual fishing effort, and 46 percent of the bass fishing effort. Therefore, we know that tournament anglers handle a large number of bass every year at Sam Rayburn, and some of these fish may be relocated greater than 20 miles from their original capture point. In addition, because a majority of the larger tournaments conduct weigh-ins at the lower, southeast end of the reservoir, concentration of largemouth bass at weigh-in sites is also likely. These concerns can affect overall angler catch rates, both in a negative (relocation) and positive way (stockpiling following weigh-ins). If stockpiling is severe, fish growth, body condition, and survival may be reduced.

At least 12 peer-reviewed studies have examined largemouth bass movement and dispersal rates associated with tournament weigh-in sites. Overall, combining most of the study results, largemouth bass traveled an average of 1 mile from the release site within 40 days. By the end of the various studies (study lengths ranged from 3 months to 2.5 years), the average dispersal distance for each bass was 2.2 miles, but 51 percent of fish were still within 1 mile of the release site. Only 14 percent of bass returned to their original capture site (homing behavior), and 22 percent were recaptured by anglers.

Here are three studies that tend to indicate higher rates of dispersal and homing behavior. At Lake Rideau, Canada (1996-1998), fish were displaced from 1 to 10 miles. After 2 weeks, average dispersal distance of bass was only 440 yards. However, 3 percent of fish eventually returned to their original capture site (all were displaced less than 5 miles). A study at Chesapeake Bay, Maryland (2000) indicated that 64 percent of largemouth bass had moved at least 0.3 miles within a week. The average final dispersal distance of bass was 6 miles from release sites, and 95 percent were at least 0.3 miles away. Even though fish were displaced 9 to 13 miles from capture areas, 30 to 40 percent of bass returned to initial capture areas. At Lake Martin, Alabama (2005), bass moved an average of 5 miles from the release site after 10 weeks. After 2 months, no fish were in close proximity to the release site, and all fish tracked over 3 months returned to within the same general area of capture.

However, these three studies involved simulated tournament conditions. That is, fish were collected with an electrofishing boat, implanted with an electric transmitter, and then displaced to mimic tournament displacement. The researchers did this to minimize death of tagged bass by eliminating fish stress associated with livewell confinement and the weigh-in process, as implanting transmitters is a significant stressor by itself. Nearly all of the older studies used bass from actual tournaments. This indicates that the rate and distance largemouth bass disperse from a weigh-in site is related to fish condition. Fish in good shape likely disperse quicker than stressed fish.

Due to the variable results from these studies, it is hard to make specific conclusions relative to Sam Rayburn or Toledo Bend Reservoirs. In general, it appears that if largemouth bass are released after tournaments in good shape, only short-term stockpiling occurs at release sites, as most fish disperse from release sites within 2 to 3 months, and up to 40 percent of these fish may return to original capture sites. Although fish displaced up to 13 miles have demonstrated homing abilities, few make it back to original areas if displaced over 6 miles. In contrast, as tournament-related stress increases, bass will disperse less. Specific rates of movement following release are likely affected by available habitat, food availability, location of release (main lake or cove), fish size, and water temperature.



Most importantly, a study we conducted at Sam Rayburn in 2003-2004 indicates that population-level impacts of tournament-related bass relocation and concentration are likely low. No question, stockpiling at release sites does occur, as we estimated that 31,050 bass were transported to weigh-in sites during the one-year study. But, we also estimated that tournament anglers transport only 5 percent of the total largemouth bass population of legal length (31,050 of the 621,000 available bass) in one year. Simply put, only 1 out of 20 bass are subjected to relocation and potential crowding at release sites per year.

Even though population-level effects are likely low, tournament organizers should still do everything possible to minimize potential overcrowding after release. Properly aerated live-release boats or trailers should be used to scatter fish over broad areas, and weigh-ins should be spread out over the entire reservoir.

Todd Driscoll is a district fisheries-management biologist for TPWD. He received a B.S. in fisheries biology from Kansas State University and an M.S. in fisheries management from Mississippi State University. His primary responsibilities include fisheries management of Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend Reservoirs in Southeast Texas. Todd is an avid bass angler and participates in approximately 25 to 30 local and regional bass tournaments per year. He also represents Lowrance Electronics as a technical pro staffer, working tournament support and service at BASS, FLW, and owner's tournaments across the country.