Could water temperature play a role in survival?
What about stocking in the coldest part of the season? Bass are lethargic and don't eat as much?
I am sure other factors play into this such as, transporting fish at that temp, and not all predators are lethargic at lower temps. But it would seem that it would at least help with predation of LMB on fingerlings.
I keep a small bass in an aquarium and when I add his baitfish to the tank, the bait fish don't even realize he is a threat, the first 20 minutes the fish are just darting around frantically and sticking together, a lot of times they hang out in front of the bass's mouth or in his line of fire.
It take about an hour to figure out the surroundings (10 gallon tank), and one chase from the bass to realize they are food and see him as a threat.
Thanks for the great article.
