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Hi all,

I hope everyone is doing well. I wanted to give an update on my situation which has been discussed thoroughly in this thread.

The bass fry grew to no larger than 6" before the ice came in this winter. I had a lot of trouble catching them after mid-October, when it starting getting below zero some nights. The ice went in I want to say end of November and I tried ice fishing once this February just for a half hour with no success.

Now that the ice is out, I have tried to catch some but have had no success. The water is still cold. I am considering stocking some YP as forage this spring, but haven't decided. I am still concerned about changing the dynamics of the pond too much.

Anyway, just wanted to update everyone who helped me out last summer and fall. I will provide an update to the bass's size when I catch some.

Thanks!


Adam

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What are you using for bait to catch those 6" bass? Bite will be slow until the water warms to 55F+. Best bite will begin when water reaches 60F.


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Originally Posted by Bill Cody
What are you using for bait to catch those 6" bass? Bite will be slow until the water warms to 55F+. Best bite will begin when water reaches 60F.

I've been trying to use a Trout Magnet on an UL setup. I have caught a couple trout in the process, but still no bass. It has been a very cold Spring here, and it's still getting below zero almost every night. I am going to have to wait until the water temperatures rise. However, I haven't seen ANY signs of the bass at all, even though the water is very clear. Would I know if they all died? Is that even possible? Thanks again.


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Your small bass did not die. The water is still too cool for them to be real active yet. Allow the water to warm up. What is the water temperature?


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Thanks for your reply. I am glad to here that they are not dead as I feared. The water temperature is less than 10°C (50°F), I estimate. But, I will measure it properly and post it here. Thanks again, Bill.

Cody Note - Yes water at 50F is pretty cold for LMbass to be very active. Expect a lot more bass feeding activity when the water reaches 60F and LMB should be more visible and pretty aggressively feeding at 65F.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/28/20 03:48 PM.

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Hi everyone,

Here is an update on the pond situation, leading me to have a couple of questions.

As you suggested, Bill, the bass became visible and somewhat active after the water warmed up. We've had a very cold spring thus far, so I was just able to see the bass yesterday. I was able to catch four of them on light tackle and live worms. Their feeding response was a LOT less aggressive than last summer, not sure if that means anything important. It took me a fairly long time to catch each one, and most were uninterested in the bait. They was a very big school of them in SUPER shallow water (4", maybe less) at the corner of the pond. There were also about four larger bass that I saw (10-14" maybe). They were MUCH thicker than the small bass schooling, so I assume these are the older ones. I just found out a couple of weeks ago that someone, without permission, added a bucket of fish to the pond, some of which were bass. I am a little worried to find out what else is in here now. This was done approximately two, maybe three years ago, I think. He could've done it a second time as well.

Anyways, the larger bass were IMPOSSIBLE to catch. They would ignore anything I threw at them, even live worms. The weird thing is, they are SO skittish that even a tiny jig head with a worm scares them off. Three of the bigger bass I saw always travel together. I literally always see them in a group of three side by side, this year and last year. Is that normal behaviour for LMB? I can actually always know where they are, because their backs almost stick out of the water, creating a wake.

Additionally, I have attached a photo of one of the bass I caught yesterday. Is this a fine size for a now almost exactly 1 yr old LMB? As shown in the image, the fish is about 6" long and really elongated.

To summarize, the baby LMB that mysteriously (not a mystery anymore) appeared in my pond last year are now active again and, a year after they hatched, are only 6". Is this a normal size (Northern pond)? Is it normal for the larger bass to be very skittish and to travel in groups?

Bass caught yesterday: https://imgur.com/a/z0kEhUS

Thanks very much.

Last edited by Fyfer123; 05/24/20 09:37 AM.

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Thanks for the update. A northern one year old bass 6" long is okay growth. A few could be 4" and a few 7". It is common for a few or several older bass of travel in small groups where they can hunt in a pack to an advantage.

Are you still going to try to remove as many as possible or change your goals for this pond? A new crop of bass will be added soon to compound your problem.

The larger bass have become hook shy and likely numerous of those 6" bass are learning to be hooks smart. Those largest bass were caught once and this taught them to be cautious when humans are around and shy biters especially when they have seen that lure or bait previously. Have you tried fishing with minnows? Use small hooks and let the bass swallow the minnow to make sure you catch it. If you do try minnows, release 1-3 dozen first to get the bass less cautious and more aggressive. Use a low profile with angling. I would even try lying down and fishing so the bass can not see you. Wise bass get conditioned to be cautious when they see a tall figure or an unnatural behaving bait / lure.

You will have another crop of bass soon. I would ask the guy that put those fish in your pond if he would like to pay for a chemical renovation of your pond to let him know you did not appreciate his poor excuse of a favor?

Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/24/20 08:59 PM.

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I'm glad to hear the growth is okay. I don't know if this is just me, but the small bass seem really elongated. As in, they don't really look like "real" bass when you look at their profile in the water. I wonder if any of them will reach a decent size by the end of this summer.

I don't really know what I should do about these bass. One one hand, my trout seem very healthy. They are really agressive when I'm fishing for them, and I have caught at least four since the ice went out. They seem fat and large in general, around 26" long. I think, as you mentioned last year, the trout has a massive advantage over the bass until around now. Since we've had such a cold Spring, the trout has been active for months, while the bass were only visible this week. Because of the trout seeming fine, I really don't know what to do about the bass. I don't think it is at all possible for me to catch them all, especially with the larger ones being really smart.

Because of that, would it be best if I just:

1. Leave them be.
2. Catch and keep as many as possible to help them grow.
3. Stock bait fish.

The problem with option 2 is that there are so many that it's really hard to catch even a good percentage of then. They are also pretty careful now about being caught and are so skittish.

Option 3 is okay, but finding fish is a big pain where I am, and I am sort of weary of adding even more fish, considering I don't know what else the person added. He said he also added trout, but those could have been anything. He basically caught fish somewhere else and dropped them in.

I can try the minnow method if I catch some in my pond near the shallows, which is possible.

In terms of the person adding the fish, it's very irritating, although there is nothing I can do about it now. The only way I found out was by seeing him fishing by the pond. We asked him what he was doing there, and he explained the stocking he did. There is a little more to the story that makes what he did somewhat understandable (he thought he had permission).

Anyways, thanks again, Bill, and I am interested to see what you say about the information above.


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Here's an update on how the pond is doing in regards to the bass...

Throughout the summer, the bass have been visible everywhere along the shoreline at any time. Some seem to be growing a lot, getting to look more like "real" fish and less like small ones. Some have stayed really small. I would say the biggest of last year's spawn are three times the size of the smallest from that same spawn. I have been fishing for them about once a week, and they eat pretty much every lure and bait. Last week, I took a bigger one to eat, and it was actually tasty. Too small to fillet easily, though.

Throughout the whole summer I have been trying to catch the biggest bass that originally spawned. I used every lure I have, almost, and even live worms. I never got around to buying minnows. I could never even get a big one somewhat interested in the bait. Yesterday, I had been catching smallmouth in a local river using a green hair jig, so I decided to give it a try. Amazingly, a big bass took it as soon as it hit the bottom of a corner of the pond under a tree. I played it too quickly, and it broke my 4lbs flourocarbon line. I went to the same spot and caught another big one and landed it. It was probably around 2lbs. Not that long buy very fat.

At this point, with a few big ones and no sign of a spawn this year, I assume the little bass ate this year's fry, I am thinking of just leaving everything alone as I have been doing. The bass are getting big enough to be eaten, so I will remove some for food and let the rest grow. They also provide fun and fast action fishing in the summer when the trout aren't biting. I will continue to watch and change my "plan" if need be. Thanks for everyone's help here.


Adam

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