Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations small bass already

Fished at one of our tanks today and saw quite a few small , three inch, bass swimming around. Could they have spawned already and would they be that large at this time. Could they be stunted bass because this tank has way too many bass. All healthy and very agressive but the largest we have caught is about three pounds except for a monster nine pounder that the owners dumb father -in-law caught and ate two years ago. This tank has a lot of forage fish so is not short of food for the bass. This is about 45 miles east of San Antonio. At another tank on the same property saw a pair on a nest. I caught both of them and released them. One, the female I'm sure, was back on the nest within a couple of minutes. Does fishing at this time cause any problems for them? Thanks ahead of time for any thoughts and suggestions.

casca - Those are last years 2002 bass fingerlings. Bass you saw on the nest are producing the spawn of 2003. The fish you caught that went back to the nest was the male. He builds and guards the nest. The female just shows up for a brief time and deposits the eggs for fertilization. The male then hangs around for 20 to 30 more days trying his best to protect his offspring. Eggs may or may not have been in the current nest.
Those 3" bass are going to eat a lot of the new 2003 bass fry once they get out of the nest. You will notice this happening in about two or three weeks this if you spend some quiet time patiently observing life in the pond.

Can you go back out there and get us a surface water temperature? Take the temperature in the morning or in the shade if possible. Just use any air temperature thermometer just under the surface. Thanks

Thanks for the reply and I will try to get out there this week Bill. The larger of the two fish that I caught was the one that came back to the nest and I thought the female was the larger fish of a breeding pair. Maybe they were just in the process because I watched them both staying on the nest for quite a few minutes before I threw the minnow past them then brought it back slowly to the nest. I was surprised to catch both. I sure wish I could leave the water clear like it is because it is really nice to sit and watch them and all the other life in there. But I would rather lose the clarity than fight that dang algae and weeds.

Bill, checked the temp today, Wed. the 19th, and it is 68 degrees. Temp was the same in shade or not.

With water at 68 deg. the bass should be well into their spawning which you have observed. Egg laying often starts when the water temp holds steady at around 62 to 65 deg.

In water at 68 deg egg hatching will take 3.5 to 4.5 days.