Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations What age for LMB spawn?

I was wondering if LMB will spawn their first summer after stocking? I put in the IADNR free stock of 1-2" bass and they are now in the 8-10" range.

Thanks, FH

Next year.

Lower limits for LMB spawning are 10"-12" and two years old. I had LMB up to 11" last year, had been in my pond for one year, and I hoped (fingers crossed), but no sign of a successful spawn. This year they better, or else.

You got nice LMB growth for one year for as far North as Iowa.

Did you stock in the fall? When we stock 2 inch bass this June they will most definently spawn the next April/May. Hope that answers your question.

FH -- As Theo said, it is unlikely that your largemouth bass will spawn this year. HOWEVER, it would only take a few bigger fish to be able to spawn. Males can start to spawn at something like 10.5 or 11 inches, and females can start at 11-12 inches (at least some percentage of them). So, I hesitate to say there is no chance.

As Greg indicated, I am surprised by your relatively slow first-year growth in a new pond. Generally, the Iowa biologists expect newly introduced largemouths to spawn at age 1. Here is SD, we typically see just what occurred in your pond. The largemouths don't spawn for the first time until they are age 2 because of our shorter growing season. They just can't make 11-12 inches the first year. That really makes it a pain for stocking strategies.

Dave

I don't think I'm dealing with an average pond. It was built in 1952, however, I think the pond is still cabable of being managed through constant observation and help from you all here on PondBoss. I did stock bass in late June, early July. My pond sits low in a large draw that was dammed up, consiquently it is one of the last to loose the ice in this area. I got hit with a cold heavy rain last October that killed several Bass and BG. I have caught around a dozen bass this spring that I thought were in the 10" range. I'm not sure I have the best spawning areas for the bass, as the banks vary very steep and the algea is getting bad along the dam and corners, where spawning might have to occur. Would it be a good idea to notch the tails of bass I catch to see how many I might have?

How I wish a few of you people lived closer so I might invite you over for a cold one, and some managment lessons.

FH

Hi FH. A couple more thoughts for you.

First, if the IA DNR stocked the pond, then I would guess it did not have any fish in it at that time? Did you rotenone it? Were the fish gone for some other reason? I'm asking because if the only LMB are the ones stocked last year, I'm not sure you need to notch tails and keep track.

Even with steep sides, I would expect the LMB to find places to excavate a nest. They are pretty darn resourceful.

Yep, too darn far for a cold one! Darn it.

Your correct Dave, it, to the best of my knowledge was void of fish.

I'll briefly give you the past 5 yrs history, which is basically all I know; 1999 I discovered the property while looking for land to build a house on. The pond was stuffed with Green Sunfish and LMB. I was on here at that time asking about a way to evacuate the pond of the Sunfish as they are not my choice for table fair. When I found out what it would cost to Rotenone I backed off that route. I watched the next spring as the pond cleared and to my supprise I saw no fish, and caught no fish. I pointed my finger towards the fact that central Iowa that past winter was blanketed by snow for a period that broke some records. Guessing the O2 depleated for lack of photosynthysis? Or lack of Phytoplankton? Anyway, I made arrangments through the IADNR to recieve the programs stock of BG & CC that Sept 2000. I watched the BG spawn and dropped the bass in that late June 2001 along with 8 White Amur. I made sure I kept a cleared spot on the ice that winter. 2002 there were no signs of LMB, BG, or CC until right after ice out when I saw what I believed were all the fish. I didn't really know what happened but we had an early thaw in Feb which cleared about 1/3 of the ice from the north side of the pond where the sun could melt with no wind to cool it down. That summer I discovered that some of the White Amur were still alive, later during the Dawg days of summer I watched them die along with one bass that was in the 2 - 2.5 lb range. I then remembered the summer before that the BG were close to the surface sucking O2. I was to dumb to know what was going to happen but guessing again that they ran out of O2, since many were showing up under the thin ice during a late ice over that late winter/early spring O2. 2003 had me applying for another free stock of BG & CC. Next spring, 04, I watched for them and got worried as my intentions of getting aeration came and went, I got worried not seeing them so caught 40 adult BG from another pond and put them in so they could spawn, knowing I had bass coming. Shortly after, I discovered the originals spawning. In June 04 put the bass in again. I watched the BG spawn and saw the bass grow to the 5-7" range but as mentioned earlier Oct brought the cold rain and I'm sure the turnover killed some because a couple days later see several of the bass, some of the adult BG and some of the original BG. No CC were found??? I have fished for the CC a couple times but have not caught any and not sure if their alive??

This leaves me worried, as my managment skills are very limited. Honestly, had I known I was going to have to deal with all these issues I might have just looked at different properties. I am going to try to get elec dropped in next weekend so I can finally get the aeration in. Waited on someone who promised they would rent a trencher last year and we would split the cost and use time. Sorry for the long winded post but that's the last 5yrs in a nut shell.

Thanks again for any and all direction you expert, and experienced managers can give. Eventually I will have this thing in order, or have no hair left.

FH

Fishead:

Race you to the hairline...I win

Ain't it a gas? I'm working with IDNR myself. Got BG & CC last year, and looking for LMB this June. Starting on a second pond ASAP, if the NRCS ever gets the dang prints to me so's I can ask builders for bids. Then, the stocking thing starts over!

I'm going out after 15-20 adult BG this weekend just to be sure to get a spawn this year. The ones the IDNR gave me last fall were DINKY! I'm not kidding...I took a 100 gal horse tank full of pond water to bring them home in, and I could have just used a milk jug...I'm talking biggest were about the size of my thumbnail. (They are advertised as fingerlings, but were really fry.) CC were MAYBE as long as my pinky. That's being generous. Oh well, they were free...

Fishhead :

The Iowa Cooperative Extension Service and the IDNR web site have info on how to manage a pond.They are a great source of info. One of the ones I reviewed infered that bass in Iowa will spawn at the begining of year 3 , that is as best I can tell around their second birthday. They gave no size data. I bet other states in your area have similar publications .In the south 1 year old bass will spawn . From this info I think Dave and Theo are right . I think that length is only one factor or clue that bass are mature enough to spawn . A better guage is age . I hope this helps. ewest

Matt, that's cheatin!

ewest, that's good info. I actually have a publication on Ia ponds that may mention that info. I have read it but it was a while ago and probably remembered what I was looking for and not that. I'll dig it out and read it again.

Wait, where did I put it now?

FH

I made my initial stocking of 1 - 2" LMB last June and now see at least one of them exhibiting aggressive nesting behavior. For some reason or another, that particular fish is slightly larger than the others from his same stocking class.