Chipmunks store their nuts. Not really any new evidence. But yea, animals are definitely smarter than what we make of them.
That's actually a pretty good point. I do think that saving a tool for later use is a bit more impressive though
If you don't think animals or fish are smart go to the Keys, fish off a bridge and try to catch one of the many Red (or Mangrove) Snappers. I swear they examine the bait, see the hook, let the other fish tear it off the hook then eat it right after it comes off. They are definately smarter than you think, especially the big ones.
I suck with tackle. I'm in So Cal, so lake fishing is scarce, but I swear I had the biggest baddest tackle money could buy. Saw some large mouth, jiggled the fool as much as I can in front of the fish. nothing. Not even a look. Went back to the concession store, bought some shiners, put a hook in the suckers mouth, and instant bites. Gotta figure out what I'm doing wrong.
It depends... on the season and a lot of things. If I had to bet what was up, I would say it was a Male or Female Bass that was protecting his/her nest of eggs. When they are doing this they won't eat at all, so oyu have to aggitate the Bass into biting. In scenarios like this i like to us the walking worm and keep putting the worm in the nest and moving it slightly so the worm recoils. The Bass will get aggitated and pick the worm up with his mouth to move it out of the nest. When he puts the worm in his mouth YOU NEED TO SET THE HOOK. You need to do that because the Bass didnt bite or eat the worm, it just put it in its mouth to move it out of the nest. Keep repeating until you get it. the walking worm (also note the guy working it is doing it wrong and it looks bad): [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0HacfBLv60"]YouTube - soft plastic fishing lures[/ame]
I do not abide by taking males off the nest. It is a no skill, unsportsmanlike harvest that wastes a females entire egg producuction for the year.
I catch and release and don't do it often, but if you see a huge Bass and just want to get him out of the water for a few minutes for a picture, etc. its ok. I would never take him off the nest and keep him though...
How would you know it's keeping a nest though. When I was growing up, I used to wake up at 4:30 to watch Jimmy Houston and Roland Martin on ESPN. That's when they came on in the west coast. I used to dream about the lakes they fished on. Here in San Diego we have big ponds. That's about it. Lake Okeechobee I remember was the stuff of me dreams!
I have literally caught hundreds of Snook off my dock and the only ones I kept were those that would die anyway... probably less than ten in 6 years. Here are some pictures from Puzzle Lake, part of the St. Johns River watershed west of Titusville Florida. The caption has the location wrong,the year is 1910 PuzzleLakeBass-1 Puzzle Lake Black Bass #2 I also have a jaw drop hard to believe story from the Second Seminole War, but you'll have to pm me, it's to long and off topic for this thread. (4 pages)
