Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Tiger Bass fingerling growth

jpsdad,

As kids, we would see bass along the shoreline at night with a flashlight.

Usually, they were oriented on some piece of structure. If there was just a small root ball in the water, you could see two 5-6" bass and a BG just hanging out suspended.

Frequently, we might see some forage fish, but that was in heavier/thicker cover.

Since I was usually out during summer, there were frequently water bugs going over the bass and BG in their location. I don't know if the bass and BG were in their "bedroom" for the night, or if they were just waiting for a minnow to eat a bug, and they were then ready to get the minnow?

You might want to put a bug light out on your dock to observe your bass population? I have also seen bass with a flashlight that were hanging out at night near the bug light at the dock. Even though those bass were too big to eat the bugs.

I have never seen a big bass with a flashlight. However, I have seen gigantic carp.

"You might want to put a bug light out on your dock to observe your bass population?"

Uhhh......LOL!!!

As Bugs Bunny said, "Ooooooooo, I'm dyin'!"

It smells like I stepped in a cow patty.

However, I don't yet understand the stink?

Do you guys NOT get little bass under the dock?

I have seen them watching the little fish that were catching the bugs. Is that incidental, were the bass just hanging around the structure?

I think they thought you were dissing me FishingRod. I didn't take it that way BTW. I think you were just sharing your personal experience and I appreciate your thoughts.

ewest said:

So I took that as two steps:

1. Illuminate small fish in shallow water.

then

2. wait and watch.

I was just wondering I what I should anticipate while waiting and watching. Were it something like "now you see a baitfish ... swoosh ... now you don't" ... I might just do it ... for the grins and giggles.

I do see lots of LMB in the ponds I frequent. I don't have to go out at night but the water is relatively clear and they are easy to see in those ponds. Anyways, I've fished a lot at night for crappie with lights. It attracts crappie and the bugs of interest (hexagenia). We'd tip the jigs with hexes and caught a lot of crappie. Miss it a lot.

jpsdad,

I was just bouncing around in the thread responding to the latest posts, like a large Golden Retriever.

When we would be out at night with flashlights, it was usually when trying to quietly move to a new spot to fish for catfish. As a kid, I was a little surprised when you would hit some bass with the flashlight ... and they wouldn't react at all. I never saw them eat or strike at forage, so perhaps they were in their bedroom?

I would think you (or Bradley) could survey the smaller bass and other fish at night, only if you knew that path well. Otherwise, I would be worried about stepping in a muskrat hole, tripping and landing in poison ivy, etc.

Excited to say that we just caught our first couple bass

The bass have been stocked for almost 11 weeks (from 1-2 inch fingerlings)

Both bass were 7 inches long!

Outstanding growth Bradley. Congratulations on the progress thus far.

Using a light at night to illuminate small fish shows small near motionless fish for observation and often the illuminated fish becomes a target for better night sighted predator fish like bigger LMB.

Thank you Eric for the response to my question.