I am watching several ponds of largemouth bass and spotted bass. By watching I get in and snorkel. The bass nested and produced a cohort of broods a little over 2 weeks ago. It has been relatively cold since until the last couple days. Another round of nest building has commenced. That maybe an indication of a second breeding effort. My ponds further north and experiencing a relatively late spring.

There is no sign of wounding on tails or other body parts. Substrate in these ponds is not particularly abrasive. Similar past observations on spotted bass and smallmouth bass in streams with gravel bottoms did not involve much in the way of damaged fins from digging. Damage that was evident seemed associated with fighting and other issues.