ewest, I checked back, and the earliest LMB stocking was late 2001. I thought about that very thing over the last 2 days, and I'm guessing 2001 or 2002 was when this fish was stocked/spawned.
I know you're correct about the temperature range, with LMB being cold natured critters, but I have yet to catch one this size from my lake that had a full stomach. I've been fortunate enough to catch 3 or 4 LMB in this class at my place, and they all looked like they needed a meal. That's why Cecil's statement makes sense to me.
But, having spent some hot days at Lake Fork, the big girls are currently just ganged up 20' to 25' down, and are gorging themselves on yellow and white bass. A few I caught week before last could have literally sat upright on their own, and they were still biting.
Competition for food, hunger, or natural predator instincts? I'll just never figure it all out. It is fun to try though.
Last edited by FireIsHot; 07/25/12 12:32 PM.
