Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Dumb questions for you "fishy bass guys and/or bassy fish guys"

But gonna ask em' anyhow-Do bass eat continuously or do they fill up and go get a beer and watch T.V.? Do they roam a given area or hang close to a given structure? If they have no structure do they circle an entire pond? If I catch a bass on one side of an acre pond, can I expect to catch him on the other side next time I fish? Do they prefer a certain bait type or is it always a smorrrgasboard, depending on their environment-i.e. if edible will they eat it at any time? If I introduce a new forage type will it set them back? If they have a non-available food source will they eat each other? Thanks-Postbeetle

P-bettle - You have lots of questions here. And probably there are no specific "cast in stone" answers to them - only generalizations.

Bass do not eat continuously, as bass tournament fishermen and avid anglers will testify. Most fish, but not all, will if possible, binge feed if ample food is present. Binge feeders tyically have stomachs (storage units) vs those with basically long coiled intestines. Binge feeders typically go off feeding for a day to several days. It has not been proven conclusively why they do this yet and lots of theories try to explain this behavior.

LMB tend to be territorial but some are roamers. Spawning has an impact on travel distances. A one acre pond is not far for a bass to travel. Several hundred acres is another story.

LMB are opportunisic feeders and will often "test" eating anything that "looks" alive based on their past experiences. When bass are binge feeding on common food items they can, but not always, ignore other types of vulnerable foods.

Introducing new forage items will ultimately enter the food web. It usually will not take long for this to happen. I think some fish can learn about things to eat from watching other fish eat. the current issue of Pond Boss magazine (March-April) has a very good article about fish learning vs conditioning.

Bass are very cannibalistic and the tendency begins at about 1" long. Smallest ones and slowest growers in every hatch are food for those faster growing and more aggressive individuals.

I'm just a fishy guy, but I'll give you my 2 cents worth:

1. I would say it depends on water temperature and the size of the meal. If it's cold and the bass just ate a forage fish 1/3 to 1/2 his body length, he could lay down and watch a whole Stooges marathon. In the Summer, he's going to metabolize that food much faster (LMB metabolism doubles with each 8 degree F rise in water temp, up to their optimum which is maybe 80 degrees), so he will be hungry after just an episode of Seinfeld. But LMB also eat because they're aggressive - After a 17" pizza they may still snack on chips in front of the tube.

2. I feel they are pretty territorial in my 1 acre pond -I would say they range in a limited area, concentrating around the structure found there. I know I can always catch this one LMB at the Christmas trees 20 feet out from the drain box.

3. Lab experiments on LMB have shown that given a complete lack of structure, they will distribute themselves in a tank pretty randomly. Given the least amount of structure (like a black line painted on one side of the tank), 80 to 90% of the bass will be found at the structure. I doubt any pond except an intentional fishbowl design is completely lacking in structure, so I don't think you can find a random distribution in a pond. But if you put in significant structure, you have a much better idea of where to look for the bass. If there are no trees, docks, rocks, tires, etc., the bass will decide what they think is interesting structure and you won't know where it is until you find them.

4. That's the multimillion dollar BassMaster question. I will respect myself enough to answer when I get paid to fish.

5. Not sure I understand the question. If the new forage provides easier calories by being slower, dumber, or bigger (within the LMB's eating size limits), they will concentrate on it while it is available.

6. Most certainly. In LMB-only ponds, a few bigger LMB eat their offspring which eat the invertebrates that would normally feed the forage fish. Remember, there are two categories of LMB from fry on up - "would be cannibal" and "dinner."

Well, that's what I think. Now the more experienced pondmeisters and bass fishermen can correct me in depth.

Funny questions...here's the way I see it. 1) A ticked off bass will strike when full...that answers 1 & 4. 2) Younger bass roam in schools all over, older bass stay put and eat those roaming (that answers 1, 2, 3 & 6) Finally, a new food source should not set you back, it's natures way of punishing those smaller.