I was wondering if you see a bass on the bed during the day, does the bass stay there through the night or do they move off and come back the next day ??

They stay there day and night until they do their thing. Used to fish beds at night at Houston County Lake when it was a clear water, hydrilla filled, big bass factory for years…..years ago. Spot light em on the bed, back off and catch ‘em off the bed just like you would during the day.

That sounds like a lot of fun! I usually put my coyote killing spotlights up when the bass start moving shallow. Maybe I should throw one in the boat!

I didn't actually fish for bedding fish but one of the best nights I've had on Conroe was during the spawn and just slowly fishing through a big cove. We probably caught 30 fish that night and I'm certain they were on beds.

Night time is Right Time!!!! Doug Hannon!1

Spotlighting bedding fish is not fair chase. Much akin to hunting deer at night. If you have to move to that, you should not be allowed to fish at all. It is an unfair and despicable thing to do.

Not only do they do spawn at night, I believe some of the biggest females move up at night when the fishing pressure is lowest and lay their eggs and leave. Let the male do all the work!

if you practice catch and release,what's the difference?

got a friend who used a Q-beam to night fish for bedding fish on Seminole.....talked me into trying it and I did once....it was windy that night and all i saw was a bunch of alligator eyes probably hoping I'd fall out of the boat so they could eat me.........

Agreed. Three separate times last week on Fork I saw big females come up in the late afternoon....they weren't locked on a bed but close. Went back in the morning to check on them and in all three scenarios they we're gone, nowhere around at all. Checked a few later the next afternoon again too....still no sign of them. Cool nights had dropped the water temps a few degrees.....so not sure if it's due to that, or that they got their business done overnight and got out of dodge?

About 50 years ago I spent a night spotlighting bass with live bait.. not during the spawn. Was camped out on crystal clear "tank" in west Texas near Kiowa Peak. It was the best fishing I ever experienced at the place.. the bass were all suspended near wood in 4 to 6 feet of water. What was intriguing to me, was that the bass that were perfectly horizontal would immediately chase the shiners I was freelining. About half the fish I spotlighted were in a slightly nose down position and you would have to "wake them up" to get them to eat. By "wake them up" I mean practically pull the bait into the fish before it became alert to what was going on.. I've always felt fish go into some type of sleep mode.

Just my opinion(you’re allowed yours) but that’s apples and oranges. One’s LEGAL and one’s ILLEGAL! Night and day(pun intended). It was a common practice on Houston County back in the day. I actually learned it from one of the best trophy bass fishermen/guides/authors of trophy bass behavior in Texas: Houston County guide John Hope. I did with every bass I caught off a bed @ night that I did with every bass I caught off a bed during the day: immediately released it. More times than not you got to see the bass actually return to the bed. Again: just varied opinions on what someone agrees with or wants to do. Comparing it to something illegal? 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️🙄. Now spotlighting varmints or hogs or……. I’m in again!

interesting take on it, not sure if it's right or wrong, but you get your opinion

people that speak in absolutes about subjects that are not absolute are usually older or poorly educated to what it is they are speaking on

I can see why someone would see it that way. Not sure I do. If its legal its hard for me to say its not fair chase. May not be something I would do, something that would not sit right with me personally, but I cant fault a guy for doing it if he chooses.

If that use of "tech" (lights while fishing) is not fair chase then is use of FFS fair chase?

I don't know the answer. I could argue it both ways.

I agree. Saw evidence of this two years ago on Ivie. Prefishing we found several beds in one really hard to get to area with big fish on them. That night was full moon. The next morning they were gone and males were guarding the nest.

like that answer, No written law per TPWD; But a word called Ethics; some have it .A Lot don't. Growing up night fishing for sandies, Crappie and lmb would use lights/ seal beam . attract bait fish. , is it wrong ??????