Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Bass spawn for first time! :)

4 years ago this June I stocked my 2.5 acre pond with LMB that the Ia DNR gives to new pond owners or current ponds that meet certain criteria. This year the bass spawned for the first time! I watched several males making and defending nests in three shallow locations and watched females enter the nests, presumibly lay eggs then return to the open pond again. I could see the males nudging the females sides as they entered the nest and I assume this was to encourage the egg dropping. It was odd to me though, to see several females, (3-4) entering the nest and atleast 2 males defending and cleaning the nest. After 6 days of seeing this activity I returned to the nests site and see that one looks abandoned and watched one fish (unidentified) leave the other.

How log does it take for bass to hatch once eggs are fertilized?

Will this cold front we are having in the midwest do anything to the eggs, or to the patterns of the bass?

Thank you for you comments!

FH

Man, that is a long time to wait for the first spawn. How big are these LMB? Generally LMB are sexually mature at 1 or 2 years of age.

The eggs hatch in a couple days but the fry are not free swimming for a week or so. Generally, the male gaurds the eggs/fry for about 2 weeks. Water temp can change this timeline a bit.

I have read papers that indicate males will leave nests if the water temp falls below 60.

If he got them from his DNR they were probably only fingerlings.

I estimate the females with eggs to push 2.5 lbs and 15" - 16" length. I think the girth may be in the 12" range but didn't get any of data this spring like I should have. I'm just excited to have them spawning. I did notice a bluegill following one of the females one day like it was waiting for a meal of eggs. Could this be possible?

Cecil is correct, they were as small as 1" and maybe the longest was 2".

Fishhead :

Your last comment about the BG made me think about your prior post about 3+ yr. first time LMB spawning. Do you see any small LMB in the 6 to 8in. range or smaller ? Do you have a large/abundant BG forage base? It is possible but not common if you have a large abundant BG base that the BG both suppress the LMB spawn and eat all the LMB fry/yoy to the point of no LMB recruitment. Most LMB will spawn before year 3 but with a late start it is sure possible. Thus the question do you see any small LMB from 2in on up to the size of your first stockers ? Also what does you BG population look like ? All sizes , mostly 3-5 in., lots of 2 in. and some great big ones. Just fishing here for remote clues. Do you get to the pond often enough to be sure that the LMB did not spawn last year?

Ewest, Jayman, and Cecil, thanks for your comments and inquirery. E, I think I spend enough time at the pond searching for any signs of spawning, I live right next to it and this was the first time I have seen any bass on beds, I have a canoe and the Dog and I frequent it regularly. You bring up an interesting point about the BG population; they are abundant in the 3-5" and I catch a few 8-9" when I'm fishing for them. I raked the shore around my dock last weekend and pulled in several 1" BG so there is a big BG population IMO. I know the bass were chasing the BG from the bedding area so I now worry that they may in fact destroy the bass fry. I may have one thing going for me in the way of the cover surrounding the LMB beds, their in the shallows and they're in an abundant crop of coontail, filimentous algea, and fallen trees. I can only hope I have some survive. The one day I watched the spawning activity I counted up to 18 LMB in the 2-2.5 lb range, seemed like the gender ratio was pretty even. After the first winter I lost several bass for some reason as I found some of the bass and BG on shore after ice out.

There seems to be some disagreement on the spawning age. I asked last year and I thought I remembered someone telling me the bass would reach maturity at aprox. 2 lb range.

One last thing, I have not harvested many BG from the pond and have taken no bass to this point.

Again, thanks for your input, it is appreciated.

FH

Fishhead :

If it has been 3 years and you see no LMB smaller than your original stockers I think you should check some more. Have you done a seine survey ? Here is a link to assessing fish populations by visual inspection and seine survey. Look on pages 10-11 at the chart (chart 2 top segment where it says at left side no small LMB present [in seine] ). In your area I would think that in about a mth it would be a good time to try one.

http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1428.pdf


Ron Moore, Fisheries Biologist, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
June 2000
Last month, we conducted shoreline-seining samples on lakes in our area.
Shoreline seining is a method we use to evaluate the success of the bass and
sunfish spawn in each lake that we manage. The method involves using a small,
fine meshed seine to capture young fingerling fish that were spawned in the
spring. Typically we will seine a forty-foot stretch of shallow water near the
shore. The young fish that we capture are separated by species, then measured
and counted. Several seine hauls are done on each lake. We consider an
average of six or more bass per seine haul to be a good spawn for a lake. Three
to five young bass per seine is considered an adequate spawn, while less than
three usually means a poor spawn and would qualify that lake for supplemental
stocking of young bass. The number of bass caught is not the only criteria for
recommending supplemental stocking. The ratio between the young bass and
their preferred forage, the young bluegill sunfish, is also critical in determining
when a lake needs supplemental stocking of bass. For example, a lake that has
had a huge spawn of young bluegill but only a fair bass spawn could be a
candidate for supplemental stocking of more bass to keep the prolific bluegill in
check.

I have not done a seineing on my pond although I do have a small seine that I have used to seine minnows from creeks. I'll try this next month. I'm not sure I will get any accurate samples due to the ponds steep shore lines but will also keep close tabs on the pond to see if any signs of bass show up. I read the literature in the link posted, it looks like a nice tool for managment.

I also thought I would ask about the fact I live in Iowa, and in comparison to more southern lakes and ponds, wonder if the growing season would be a factor in the time period my bass have taken to spawn? My pond is one of the last open up in the spring, it sets in a draw and is surrounded on a about 75% of the perimeter by trees so does not get as much wind as most.

Thanks again for your input!

FH

Fishhead :

You are correct climate/growing season/latitude has a MAJOR effect on ponds and fish. I tried to factor that into the answer above. For example LMB down here at one year and 10in. spawn. From what I have read it often takes 2 yrs. up north. On the seine surveys we can do those now so I added a mth for you. A mth to six weeks after your LMB spawn is a good time and even later will work as well. Find the shallow area of the pond and make 30ft sweeps with the net. One end stays at waters edge. Walk out the other end into the pond and swing it in a quarter circle and pull it out and count the fish (as per the chart). Then gently flip the net over and back in the water ( or back it out into the pond) to release the fish. I use a 30 ft by 4 ft 1/4in mesh minnow seine that I got at Wal-Mart for $ 20.

I don't think so. The bass spawned in my pond when they were 10-11" and about 0.6 lbs. I think we have similar climates as far as growing season and low temperatures are concerned. Ponds are tough to predict. Thats what makes them so interesting

Ewest, that's the same seine I have so will try it later on, thanks!

Maybe it's possible I missed the bass spawning last year, but I keep close tabs on activity in and around the pond and didn't see any bass in nests and haven't caught any that I would consider spawn of originals.

Jayman, you bring up an excellent point in pond being different and until I bacame a first time owner I may have as well owned Pluto for what I really knew about it. I have fished farm ponds all my life and just took for granted that "If you have a hole with water, you have a fish pond" Couldn't be more from the truth, however, I'm sure some are easier than others.

One of the problems I have been battling since I became owner is the Coontail and Algea. I have good steep banks but the fact that coontail can break off and live adds another dimension to my issue. The pond is pretty clear if it doesn't get a down pour of rain to muddy it, so it gets a good start early and breaks off floating mats. My point is; that it probably restricts the bass's ability to make nests in the best habitat. I have herrons around as well so I'm sure they harrass them, plus raccoons to add a bonus of trouble, I love my pond so will continue to wage the battle!

FH

Be sure to post your results so others can learn from your experience. Good luck and take time to enjoy the pond.