Yes I do if the are badgering a fish on there redds. As for the rest of the river, while fish are heading upstream, I feel that is open game. I do also fish bass, but I won't use the nests as the main method of catching them.
The reason they are so aggresive is because they are gaurding there nest. Some of these fish in popular lakes have been picked on so much that, they will hardly have the energy to spawn or recouperate afterwards.
Eric Wrote:
"I target the nests with white tubes, rigged weedless with a 2/0 hook and internal weight. I have found that the females will stage nearby the nests in ambush spots waiting to lay."
If this quote was about steelhead there would already be 100+ posts on it.