Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Acrobatic bass - on bed?

Why would a 15" to 17" LMB hang around in the same spot (1' of water, 1 foot from shore) for an extended period standing on his head? After the 3rd time I walked past, he/she high-tailed it to deeper water. Water temp has been in the low 60's for a little over a week.

Weird hey, My LMB have been near shore eating lots of minnows and we had a big bullfrog disapear yesterday I've seen them do that trying to get food but not for a extended period of time.We caught a bunch of black crappie and 2 LMB today on fathead minnows just messing around and they sure did look healthy. I'm sure it's probly fine if it swam away but deffinitly weird. Maybe you could try catching him/her and put it in the circus and get rich I'm sure stranger things have happened.

This fish was obviously challenging you to a contest.

He wanted to show you that he could stand on his head in 1' deep water longer than you could.

Now you've lost the opportunity to best him.

He's probably telling everyone in the pond what a push-over you are now.

The problem of fish challenging their owners is becoming an ever-increasing problem.

A Smallmouth would have just pulled me in and proved it.

The more I think about it, the more I feel he was eating (or trying to eat) something. But what?

I've seen LMB get vertical like that when they are spawning, but there is always another one with it at the time.

ewest once sent me a paper on SMB spawning, and this "vertical" move was something that they did in the nest.

The full moon will be here in a couple of days.

Maybe trying to get snails or crawfish?

I can't prove what he was doing last night, but since I now have LMB fry all over the shallows (which have swum up from nests in the last 24 hours), I think he was finishing off proud papa duties for the year.