They court the females and exhibit what a fine nesting site they have. Females look around and the same pecking order as the males occurs. The better the site the bigger the females. The females lay their eggs and the male fertilizes them. Even if the female is 20 pounds heavier than the male she will be driven from the nest.
Males threaten and beat the females away from the nest.
Normally the bigger females are rammed till bruised to force them away. They roam within 100 yards of the nest for several days. During this period the females will feed. This is the time when a fisherman can find and catch several fish in concentrated spawning areas. The males will not feed until the fry disperse to feed on their own.