can fish find there way home

[ready2fish]

I was out one evening with my son fishing and had crappie in the live well and after heading back to the boat ramp we decided to release all the fish, my son thought it would be best to go back at were we caught them, my reply was they will find there way back.

Since then i always wondered if this is true ?

["G"]

Probably not. But those fish will find the proper habitat that they require and settle in.

[ready2fish]

Probably not. But those fish will find the proper habitat that they require and settle in.

this would be my biggest concern if it would cause an issue with spawning and i might be better of keeping them ?

[WestTennCrappie]

Your not hurting the fishing at all. But either keep them to take home or release immediately. Too many people want to keep the fish till its time to take them home and clean them. That might result in a dead fish gone to waste or something else. Just take a few home to eat or whatever and release the rest.

[sparky]

Yep they will go back in the general area that you caught them.

[wasabi]

Maybe where you caught them wasn't home?

[Eager Beaver]

I believe it was BassMasters that put a reciever on Bass that were caught in a tournament and released at the weight-in site. It took them several days but they went back to the same area as they were caught in. They believed that they had the same homing instinct as the migrating birds do. EB

[Arkie John]

Cover/structure is everywhere. Fish don't care about family and home...but just the urge to reproduce and to survive.

Salmon return to their 'homes' each year. But releasing fish at the dock is not such a bad thang. They'll find a way to survive.

aj

[ready2fish]

Maybe where you caught them wasn't home?

but they were, they were just out in the yard hanging out, lol

[ready2fish]

Cover/structure is everywhere. Fish don't care about family and home...but just the urge to reproduce and to survive.

Salmon return to their 'homes' each year. But releasing fish at the dock is not such a bad thang. They'll find a way to survive.

aj

probably true but my guess it would disrupt they spawning cycle and thats why i need to know if they go back to were i caught them

I believe it was BassMasters that put a reciever on Bass that were caught in a tournament and released at the weight-in site. It took them several days but they went back to the same area as they were caught in. They believed that they had the same homing instinct as the migrating birds do. EB

interesting, thats kind of what i thought , would be nice to have a fish biologist around here on the site.

Maybe i will do what i have read here and tie a balloon to a fish and sit back and watch and see :rolleyes: