Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fingerling LMB

What's the best way to catch about 50 of these out of my 2 acre pond? I want to transfer them to a 100 gallon tank so that I can feed train them.

If you can train them to get a beer from the fridge for you, let me know ;-)

Are these the size of LMB that you can't possibly catch on hook and line? I've caught quite a few 4" LMB on a tiny jig and worm.

I haven't seen a trap put together with LMB in mind, but I wonder if you can get mesh small enough to get a miniscule baitfish into a trap to attract your fingerlings?

You can't seine this pond Blaine?

Blaine,

You can buy a dip net and stalk them which takes time. You have to wear polarized glasses, sneak up on them and then swipe the net at them and may only catch one or two at a time.

If you have an open area of your pond where a seine can be run then that is a better option. 30'-50' long seine that is 4' deep will work well for what you are trying to do but will require 2 people to work it correctly. A seine in the 12'x4' range can be used alone but will not be nearly as effective but may work if you only have a small open area of your pond.

I would try to get your LMB before they reach 2". This is the size that is easiest to train. Live brine shrimp are a good starter food and if you can get access to the fry of FHM, GSH or gambusia, they are also good. Get the bass accustomed to you and the food you bring. Eventually you can switch from live foods, to dead frozen but thawed foods, such as frozen brine shrimp, blood worms, etc. Then you can switch to freeze dried foods. Once your bass are eating this solidly, then you can switch to pellets, this should take a couple months to do.

To keep them on pellets, I would keep them feeding on pellets for at least this year. Raising 50 LMB will take some serious resources such as an RAS. Not sure a 100 gallon tank will be large enough...

I want to start with approx. 2" LMB, train them until next Spring when they would be released. Kind of a second generation of feed trained LMB to replace the my original stockers that are feed trained. They are getting to the age of 4-5 years old so I figure that now would be the time to start.

My pond goes to 13' at a 3:1 slope around the entire perimeter. Seems that a seine would be difficult to handle paralleling the shore at 5' but maybe I just need to try it. Then again, sitting on my dock all day stabbing at juvenile LMB with a dip net sounds somewhat enticing. What about the type of trap that sits perpendicular to the shore and curl around for fish that follow barriers to get around them?

I do have another 170 gallon tank with a RAS system that was given to me by a friend but I was hoping to reserve that for tilapia. Also have a 70 gal. tank with a RAS. The 100 gal. only has a canister style pumping filter.

Try a cast net. It would work good if the bass are shallow. If you learn how to throw it and the fish are present, one throw should yield the 50 bass you want.

I,ll second the casting net. Once you get the hang of those things they can be pretty effective. But be warned it does take some practice.

I don't know if you can find a cast net with small enough mesh. What about an umbrella net on a rope?

Esshup, we were catching sunfish anywhere from 1.5" to 3" in one yesterday. I think it would work

Remember bass are much more fusiform than sunfish so they go through smaller mesh sizes. Plus in my experience, fish caught in cast nets take a beating. Best way to do it is find a ball of baby bass who are just past the swim up stage but are still schooling tightly together under their daddy's watchful eye. One or two swipes could easily nab you 50 bass and they'd be in that ideal 1" range. Feed training bass yourself is very rewarding... At least it has been for me. To walk into a room and all the bass go nuts cause they've related you to food, it's neat. When they go into the pond from the aquarium there is some adjusting but most should stay on the pellets. Especially if you over winter them and release them in mid spring. Just remember a 1" bass caught in June and feed trained and not released until a year later could easily be pushing 10". That is why I cautioned you about 50 fish in a 100 gallon tank!