Fish returning to where they live

Ive read several different studies that show fish return to where they were after being released but i was a little skeptical about it until yesterday. Last december on dale hollow i caught a big largemouth and realized i had left my camera in the truck, so i put her in the livewell and took her back to the ramp with me. Snapped some pictures when we were done fishing and released her at the ramp. She had a definitive black spot above and on her eye that made her easy to identify. Yesterday i was fishing the same spot i caught her last year, and sure enough i caught her again. Looked at pictures from last year to make sure, and it was her. Last year she was a beautiful specimen and this year she had a big sore on her head and didnt look as good. Being that she was an extremely big, old fish i wonder if she is at the end of her life cycle. She is in the 7lb range.

Also the spot i caught her is probably close to a mile from where she was released last year

That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing. I guess it made it even better to catch a 7 pounder back to back years. That's not a easy task in Kentucky.

Congrats on that big old brownie. What a fish!

[quote]Last year she was a beautiful specimen and this year she had a big sore on her head and didnt look as good[/quote]
Probably banged her head trying to make the long journey back home ;)

Seriously, I have heard that before also but it is interesting to hear about an actual case of it happening.

No doubt in my mind they go home....I have some of them named.

[QUOTE=4given;507788]Congrats on that big old brownie. What a fish![/QUOTE]

try reading that again...lol

[QUOTE=Embrey;507799]try reading that again...lol[/QUOTE]

I noticed that too, I guess when you hear the name Dale Hollow you think smallie.

I'm not a fan of hauling a fish around in a livewell unless you're going to feed people with it but i'm glad it survived the ordeal.

Great job Steven on the pig largehead. I to have always felt they go home and this just lays more weight to my thinking...

I just put tnem back

I posted pictures of this year on the thread from last year to show the before and after

Back in the 80's on Barkley I caught two 5 pounders off of a brushpile in ten minutes. I did it again the next year but I just figured it was a good spot and that attracted that size bass. Maybe it was the same two?