how to tell the difference between migratory and resident fish?

[baitstealer]

I read where a lot of you guys are talking about resident fish, as in the resident fish are finally biting. Some stupid questions, if you don't mind answering -
Where do the resident fish go in the summer?
What makes it happen that the migratory fish finallly arrive? Thanks guys.

[fishinmission78]

That's a multi part answer if you want a correct one. The resident fish used to be around for the whole year. They were mostly small bass and lived through the winter by sort of hibernating in some deeper water. We really don't have the resident fish that we used to. I don't know why. The resident fish that are left move away with the tempurature rising and come back when it starts to get cooler. One way to tell the resident from migratory bass is that the migratory ones usually are different in shading and have sea lice. There is more to this and maybe other guys want to chime in.

[JustEd]

The correct term would be "hold overs". These fish are usually located or "stranded" near warm water outflows from power plants,usually, as the water temps drop and bait forage has kept them there. It is a natural occurance up and down the coast. Some years Rhodie has tons of them, some years very few, as this past winter did. It all depends on the bait. Thay are not always small either, I have seen and caught fish in the 40 lb range during the middle of winter. As they deplete the forage and try to migate the exteme cold water traps them in the unnatural warm outflows and that is where they get kinda ugly. The lack of food sends them semi dorment and they lose color and shine. Catching one is like reeling in a discarded boot.
Some areas, like the Connecticut River have annual hold over schools that can number in the thousands every year, there are several opinions abut these fish, as there isnt a power plant close to the traditional location of the fish. Some think large amounts of fall spawning shrimp cause the Bass to take up residence, others think it may be a small spawning ground. Whatever the cause its pretty much the same situation with appearance and lethargy.
The Jersey holdovers may be cyclical due to bait presence, natural late fall warm water creek outflows and or power plants.
All Bass are migratory, some just get stuck for differant reasons and dont make the traditional round rip.

[baitstealer]

Thank you guys!

[williehookem]

Another simple thing is that the migratory fish are usually lighter and have lots of sea lice while the resident fish are usually darker. I think Just Ed said they lose color and shine, and I agree with that.

[VSdreams]

Can a fish be both a migratory and a resident fish at different times of the year?

[JustEd]

Absolutely....................... All Bass are migratory. The term "Resident" is a misnomer. Think about what drives all forms of life. Bass need very specific conditions to spawn, and do it once a year. Would you hang out at a Joisey beach when the annual orgy is going on a couple hundred miles away........................

[seamonkey]

Interesting. It all makes a lot of sense. Why would the bass want to hang around where the water is not toi thier liking and not much food? They follow the schools of bait to where there is the most of it and then come back down when the bait does.

[DarkSkies]

Interesting. It all makes a lot of sense. Why would the bass want to hang around where the water is not toi thier liking and not much food? They follow the schools of bait to where there is the most of it and then come back down when the bait does.



Seamonkey, I think what you said makes perfect sense. :HappyWave: I'm responding to it now because there is something I posted elsewhere that pertains to this, and I thought some might like to continue this discussion.


"
The area from Barnegat to Sea Bright......

There are generally no bass around in that area, year round, any more.

Other areas?, absolutely have some year round populations of resident bass...don't have time to list them all, but a few...in general terms...

Chesapeake Bay backwaters, yes
Cape May to Avalon, backwaters,yes
Delaware Bay, deepwater harbors, yes
Philly, deepwater harbors, yes
Mullica River, yes
Maurice River, probably
Toms River, maybe some but clearing out to the power plant when water temps get below 45 degrees.



Raritan Bay and NY Bight, yes, mostly in the deepest harbors and channels
Arthur kill, yes
Hudson River, yes
LI Sound, and the East River, yes,
The large rivers in Ct, dumping into the sound, yes



But as to the Barnegat to Sea Bright area, generally speaking, the bass leave for the winter. There are no resident bass, in numbers, except for the isolated area of the Power plant which provides warmer water and small forage they need to feed on.



Go look for them in January-March in the area mentioned .
You will not find them, in any numbers, in that area.

Another distinction guys might want to learn about is how resident fish become migrating fish, and vice versa, and what conditions happen to cause these transitions.

[CharlieTuna]

Can a fish be both a migratory and a resident fish at different times of the year?


Absolutely....................... All Bass are migratory. The term "Resident" is a misnomer. Think about what drives all forms of life. Bass need very specific conditions to spawn, and do it once a year. Would you hang out at a Joisey beach when the annual orgy is going on a couple hundred miles away........................

Also the bass when juvenile tend to stay around an estuary. I think I read it's something like 20" when they move out into the open bays and oceans.

[baitstealer]

Thank you so much for the answers!