|
Forums36
Topics42,113
Posts571,680
Members19,115
| |
Most Online23,413
7 hours ago
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 65
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 65 |
If the ratio of bass to baitfish gets back into line, can the stunted bass grow at all? Has anyone witnessed them growing OR once they're stunted - they're stunted forever?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043 Likes: 1
Hall of Fame  Lunker
|
|
Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 20,043 Likes: 1 |
They will grow but they probably won't reach their full potential.
It also depends on the degree of stunting.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,973 Likes: 1
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
|
|
Ambassador
Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,973 Likes: 1 |
100% will grow in right environment. Seen it many times. However Cecil is right. If a 12 inch bass is 5 years old he has wasted many years of life span so never see what his genetics would have taken him to. This is why we are pushing starting over more and more often.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 473
Lunker
|
|
Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 473 |
They can grow just not like bass in a new pond would. My pond was full of 10-12" bass and after 4 years of very intense culling and adding forage now i have a bunch of bass in the 15" range. Some fish that were tagged back in 2009 have only grown a couple of inches while others tagged the same year are 18" now. If i could do it over again i would have just drained it and started over.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 22,033 Likes: 483
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
|
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 22,033 Likes: 483 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10,458 Likes: 3
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame Lunker
|
|
Ambassador
Field Correspondent
Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10,458 Likes: 3 |
I am in full agreement with Greg's point... I really think starting over is the better decision more times than not. The amount of time it takes your fishery to rebuild itself after having been completely renovated isn't as long as some people think. Plus, it may take 4 or 5 years to get all that 10"-12" bass to grow again. When you could have just started over and in 4 or 5 years be catching 5+ pound that will be able to reach their genetic potential. It's just real hard for people to see all their fish go, no matter how many are stunted and undesirable species.
|
|
|
Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57 |
|
.gif)
