Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass First Year Bass Growth

I'll be stocking my fingerling LMB in my one acre lake the middle of May and have a question about what to expect for first year growth in mid-Missouri. I have a good forage base (BG stocked at 10:1 with additional RES and fathead minnows) but do not plan to feed the BG. There is also a bumper crop of frog and toad tadpoles that have just hatched. Water is a nice green/brown with visibility of 20" so I have not fertilized, and I have installed a Vertex aerating system. Two questions:
1. What length would I expect from the bass by the end of a 5-month growing season (May 15 - Oct 15)

2. What size BG will they be eating

LMB size after one year in the pond will depend on size stocked. Growth of LMB is often great in new ponds; then often growth slows noticably when bass get to 2-3 lbs due to lack of proper forage.

LMB generally feed on BG about 1/4 to 1/3 their length... For examply, a 12" LMB would be eating BG in the 3"-4" range. Not to say they will not feed on smaller BG or perhaps one a hair bit bigger. Generally though, this is the ideal size.

As Bill said, LMB growth is highly variably. In new ponds, one can expect LMB growth to be exceptional. LMB pushing 10" is not impossible. It depends on the size of the fish stocked as Bill said. Let's assume a typical stocking length of 3"-4". I would best most of your LMB will be in the 6"-8" range with a few pushing 10" if your forage base is suitable.

Even with the proper forage size bass naturally taper off in growth once they reason sexual maturity. I see that even with feed trained fish.

Most other fish species as well. First initial growth rates for small fish (yoy/fry )are much higher. Then small immature fish keep a high growth rate just not as high until they reach maturity and start diverting energy from growth to reproduction. At that point growth slows. You do have to factor in however , that while the growth rate slows , because the fish is larger it will require more food just to cover basal metabolism.

I stocked 3-4 inch LMB in my 1/4 acre pond and caught one this past December that was just over a year old and it was 11" and .83 pounds.

Not sure if this is typical or healthy, but wanted to add the post since you were asking.

My concern is that they will probably spawn this year which will add to the biomass and probably slow growth for all fish.

Thanks

Stocked June 2010

She caught this last weekend ,biggest so far but avg is 1 pound or so this was 2Lbs 5 oz

She has the condello photo technique mastered.

We stocked our LMB at 3-4" in March of 2010 and caught fish to 13.5" in exactly one year later.

We do have a long growing season here in N. California though.

I have yet to see another LMB in my pond. I thougth I would see a ton of new spawn swimming around now, but no luck yet.

I guess I will just keep trying to catch one.

The bass in that picture looks to be really healthy from that view seems to be doing good.probably is a female if she is bigger than the average

I live in North East Ohio about 70 miles south of Lake Erie. I'm planning on a 6 month growing season. I'm hoping that Oct and Nov are as good as May was.

I did 1,000 LMB in my pond 2"-4" in April 2011, they are very nice little beasts and seem very happy.

What I've learned here, not read in any SRAC or OARDC papers, 60 degree they quit feeding as much, that seems awful high temperature. Is that true or a Lincoln Internet quote?

They are feeding now very well now on the 4th of July.

Missouri is closer to our weather than California or Alabama. What did you see "git1fiddle" after one year and currently?
Do you have an update?

They are mostly eating all from an automated feeder (after eating all my 2,000 starter minnows and tadpoles when the machine broke down.) I've increased the automatic feed rate.

Alabama story is amazing. Cute little girl holding that fish is an all new camera angle method to make a fish look huge.

My goal is 1.5 lbs average before November 2012.

Ken

Kenmac, how large is your pond? Are these bass pellet trained?

1/2 acre, yes, they are. They feed very well.

I've added 22 adult BG in April at the initial stocking to start spawning this year to add feeders for next year when these things will be bigger eaters.

400 bass in a half acre pond? Wow! A normal stocking number would be about 50... So you are 8x that number. Even with them being pellet trained, you're gonna have an expensive food bill when they get bigger and I am concerned you may go over the carrying capacity of the pond in short order as these fish grow. Even if they all just reach a pound each, that is 400 pounds of bass in a 1/2 acre pond! Even if half die, that is 200 pounds of bass in a 1/2 pond which works out to 400 pound of bass per acre...

Is the pond aerated? What are your goals for the pond?

yeah i think you may have too many might want to have a family fish fry

>400 bass in a half acre pond? Wow!
Actually, 1,000, worst yet. Yes, that's 2,000 per acre. Definitely, over the natural holding capacity. Next Summer when they cross the 1 pound point, this will be critical and careful management of the system are required due to the occupancy level way past the tipping point. I've met a guy who harvested 3,500 pounds of LMB out of a 1/2 acre, South of me here in Ohio. He was very careful in July-Aug season to watch for DO levels.

> have an expensive food bill when they get bigger
Yeah, I'm expecting a $1000+ food bill next year.

> and I am concerned you may go over the carrying capacity of the pond in short order as these fish grow.

Growth is an issue. DO levels will be very critical as they go over the 1/2 pound mark (about 10inches, this Fall-Spring maybe). That's my question. Where does this tipping point occur where what little I'm doing in terms of aeration collides with the feeding and growth oxygen demands.

> Is the pond aerated?
A very limited amount via solar right now. As reference above, and a bit off topic for this thread, clearly a major concern as time marches on. I've got plans to wire electricity to the pond in increase the aeration quantities and will posting elsewhere about that (I'm sure).

> What are your goals for the pond?
Aqua farming. Raise for food resales to specialty markets.

That's why I was interested in the first years growth. Feeding charts to size growth, gauge amount of growth. I assume the feeding will grow near geometrically doubling over some time curve until it hits some maximum growth value and levels off asymptotically. Reason why I plan to harvest prior to that (Nov 2012 is about 18 months.)

So that brings me to my questions:

What is expect growth rates in lbs/inches of LMB naturally vs farmed or managed raising?
Clearly, a farm trained LMB feeds differently than a natural, hence the growth is more pronounced. But what is that increase has anyone measured it? I've found papers which document natural growth in NC and MN, but not feed assisted or farm raised.

That was my interest in this thread. What growth rates are people observing (hopefully measuring), how are they feeding them, and where are they geographically/temperature season length?
Thanks!
Ken

Young LMB less than 8"-10" will feed very well and aggresively in water temps up to the high 80's. Large oleder bass will slow feeding somewhat when water temps are 88F-92F yet feeding does occur. I doubt the water temps in NE OH will get high enough this summer to slow down their feeding rate unless the DO or other water quality issues develop. Watch for that to occur and be prepared to react accordingly.