More than ever, we’re able to communicate effective techniques for catching bass. The world of online video tutorials has shortened the learning curve better than any mode prior; even one-on-one seminars with a pro can’t compare to the knowledge gained in a couple quick hours on YouTube. Sure, nothing beats experience on the water, but today’s format of learning quickly puts anglers in the right direction.

Quite recently, a large amount of that content surrounds a controversial topic: fishing for spawning bass. Personally, I reject it; the thought of teaching young anglers, for instance, how to jerk bass off the beds – as told by their favorite, hero pro – is gross. But maybe it shouldn’t be.

Here we enter the bass fishing debate for the ages. Is it immoral, in any way, to catch bass visibly involved in the act of spawning? I’ll start with personal internal debate on the subject.

My lifelong fascination with bass fishing was sculpted by a group of angling idols opposed to the practice of bed-fishing. In fact, many of those same anglers were eyewitness to large-scale destruction of delicate fisheries as a result of bed-fishing during the catch-and-keep era. Many of those same fisheries never recovered.

Regardless, it was imprinted on me long ago that bed-fishing was a no-no. As life progressed, my attention naturally turned toward organized tournament fishing. But this was an era when successful bed-fishing was left to the few select anglers able to uncover the secrets and forge a career centering around sight-fishing. Besides, the Midwest lakes I frequented never had water clear enough to sight-fish.

Besides, at the time, most anglers were opposed to sight-fishing for spawning bass. You’d ask the guys in the bass club, or buddies at the sport show, and they’d all say about the same thing: “I don’t fish for spawning bass.”

Truthfully, I’m not sure if this was more a factor of principle or a lack of success when they tried.

Anyway, moving forward, the sport has changed like everything else. Fishing for spawning bass has become the thing to do in many tournament situations, now filtering down to the general public as an acceptable practice. Major organizations often schedule their pro circuit route to intercept the spawn in multiple locations. Online tips on bed-fishing abound.

I still resist, but contemplate.

Oftentimes, on the St. John’s River and other dark waters, bass set up their bedding locations around the roots of spatterdock – those above-water lily pads made famous on fishing TV. And, like nearly every bass angler anxious to get a bite, I cast my nondescript straight-tail worm around those pads, ever so delicately feeling for root systems hidden beneath the silt, seductively shaking the bait as I go. If I’m lucky, a big bass will jump on it.

Was that fish spawning? Nope, just getting ready to.

Or so I tell myself …

The same thing happened up North, when I’d locate a group of giant smallmouth hugging on the side of a shallow boulder or shipwreck. Sometimes, tournament-winning catches were the result of exact presentations with a subtle bait, dead-sticking it to produce. Those fish, I’d guess, were clearing their beds.

One could go further. Prespawn, spawn, postspawn, right? That’s what we’ve all been taught.

But what, exactly, is prespawn? Just as the name implies, it’s that period prior to nesting when bass are often shallow and aggressive. Makes for great fishing. Oftentimes, the fish will clear a big area of predators, eating everything in sight. They do so to enhance the success of their upcoming spawn. Then, they’re suckers for a ChatterBait. Once locked down on the nest, bass – especially the males of the specie – will attack just about everything, from local bluegills to my prop bait. Sometimes I can make out the nests; a hole in the grass or a subtle light spot revealing their location.

But that’s not sight-fishing …

What about the smallmouth of Lake St. Clair? Deep-water spawners required the best conditions – high sun and calm seas. When things aligned, I’d race out the door to take advantage of the rare situation. The biggest fish were the hardest to spot and required a perfect presentation.

Sure, I could go across the lake to the shallow bays and mess with the “spawning bass." Those poor guarders that get relentlessly plucked by tourists, day after day. Some have six holes in their mouths. But I wouldn’t do that.

It’s not fair …

I think you see what I’m getting at. What’s truly immoral is hard to define.

We’re taught that none of it matters, anyway. Scientific studies have been done concluding that fishing for spawning bass does nothing to impact the overall population of the lake. Other factors, like weather, play a much larger role. Nature has everything under control.

Maybe so. Back then.

But things have changed, and I wonder how much thought goes into compensating for that. As discussed in the beginning of this piece, knowledge and information is at an all-time high. It’s generally accepted that today’s bass anglers are light-years ahead of their counterparts a generation ago.

Many sample studies use data from several generations ago. How can this angling ability be considered valid?

Here’s another example: a sample study concluded that little harm would occur to the population of smallmouth on Lake Ontario if anglers were allowed to target bass in the spring. Nature would ensure enough nests would be successful to carry on the species, even if a few bass were plucked off.

It should be noted, however, that this study was done before the introduction of egg-eating gobies, now thick enough in numbers to completely cover the bottom of the lake. Oh, and back when the study was done, about one-tenth as many people bass-fished, and those who did used nightcrawlers.

Should we still be using those numbers?

Should we be teaching the new generation of bass anglers how to catch spawning bass?

Are we all really doing it anyway?

And does it hurt the resource?

The debate goes on.

Meanwhile, it’s important to answer those same questions for yourself.

(Joe Balog is the often-outspoken owner of Millennium Promotions, Inc., an agency operating in the fishing and hunting industries. A former Bassmaster Open and EverStart Championship winner, he's best known for his big-water innovations and hardcore fishing style. He's a popular seminar speaker, product designer and author, and is considered one of the most influential smallmouth fishermen of modern times.)