Bloody Tails, As a General Rule, Don't Lie

Last Saturday, while several of the tourney anglers were watching closely as numbers were being transcribed onto the weigh-in sheet, I was focusing on the scale readings. At the same time, however, I couldn't help noticing bloody tails on some of those nice 3-lb. fish.

Then Tuesday of this past week, when I was spending a fun day on the water, I, too, caught some fish with bloody tails. Like most people, I recognized this as a traditional sign of spawning activity. However, it seemed a bit of a stretch to think that kind of activity still was happening in late June.

So subsequently, I contacted Chad Boyce, a fish biologist with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and asked if he might be able to offer a little insight. Turns out I was mistaken about it being too late for spawning to occur locally.

Here is what Chad told me in an email:

"To answer your question, there is really not a single spawn that takes place in the spring. Bass will spawn generally throughout the summer, and it's not unusual at all to see fish on beds in June. However, individual bass do not spawn multiple times each year. Rather, there are fish that will wait and spawn after the main spawn takes place. The fish you described certainly could have been spawning, or it's possible they were on a substrate that was rough and caused abrasions on their tails. It's really hard to say for sure, but I often do see tails roughed up throughout the summer time."