Bass are spawning

[Saki-to-Me]

I noticed Friday the small mouth bass are spawning, another annual sign of spring and the water warming up.
It’s always fun to look for them to return to the same spots where we saw them on prior years. Does anyone know if the same fish go back to the same spot where they had a nest the previous year(s)? It seems as though they do because the nest is always in the same place. :confused:

Anglers, remember, to immediate release the bass you catch, especially critical during the spawn. Most fish you'll catch will be nest-guarding males. Penning them in a live well - even for a short time - means their unprotected eggs or fry are likely to be destroyed, and with them our future smallmouth fisheries.

Cheers

[JesseMJ]

That's correct, the same fish return to the same nest, year after year. The smaller males will guard the eggs for several weeks, but the big females are on the nests for brief periods at the start of the spawn. They hang in slightly deeper water just before and after the spawn. Definitely critical to release all bass caught near beds immediately. They will return to the bed, sometimes even if they are released several miles away from the bed, but as you said, the fry will be long gone due to predators.