I fully agree with 'hendog'. The TX LMB of 2" to 3" obtained in February thru March are slow growers due to several reasons - most often reason is they were raised as too crowded lacking enough foods. These fish can be healthy but will never grow to the size of their faster growing siblings that achieved 7"-10" lengths their first year. They have lost some of the 1st year growth they could have had. This is because these LMB have lost their potential first year's growth of an ADDITIONAL 3" to 7" (6"-10") that was their ability WHEN getting unlimited foods. It all depends on your goals. If you are not trying to grow real high quality big bass and want just bass that 'could' top out around 5 lb to 6 lb those 1"-3" LMB in February will do that for you providing they have lots & lots of good food each year for the next 7 to 9 years. Lack of adequate foods and when too crowded, ALL types of 1"-3" stocker LMB will not grow their best of 1+ lb gain per year before they die. If those 10" long LMB at one year old get PLENTY of food almost daily EACH year the rest of their lives, these one year olds will be your 9 lb to 12 lb pounders.
Another option if big bass are your goal in Texas, is to wait until the 2026 TX-AK LMB spawns have occurred and best individuals have grown to the 1"-3" size which should be around June to mid summer. In Texas February, 1"-3" LMB in Feb-Mar were last year's hatchlings and they for a few reasons did not get enough food to grow in one year to the possible 5"-10" lengths by Fall-Winter season. To my knowledge TX LMB should be spawning in late March to early April and there is basically very little if any chance of a LMB spawn in TX during late Summer to Fall without very special conditions. Sunfishes BG can spawn in Fall but usually no LMB late Summer-Fall spawns occur especially those LMB sold by traveling fish trucks.
The big disadvantage of getting fish off traveling fish trucks is you have no way of knowing how long those fish have been held in stressed conditions riding on a truck. Those fish are never guaranteed. You have no recourse of those that died. Note - not all dead fish float. It all depends.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/04/26 11:24 AM.
