Everywhere I go, people (especially biologists) think "in a box." In upstate New York the "box" is: 1) bluegill are a nuisance. 2) Largemouth bass won't grow larger than six pounds. There are more "box" thinking issues, but for this discussion, I'll leave it there.
Here's why people in the north look at bluegills as a nuisance. (Fact: Largemouth bass eat bluegills. Bluegills are the backbone of the largemouth bass food chain, world wide.) A 12 inch bass in the south is about a year and a half old. A twelve inch bass in upstate New York is four years old, maybe five years old. In the North, a six pound bass is at least ten years old, maybe older. In the south, a six pound bass could be three years old, maybe four, in a normal environment.
Bluegills in the south spawn three, four or five times a year, often starting in late winter, during butterfly warm days of late January or February. Then, they spawn again in the spring, again in the summer, and often one more time in fall. That means lots of baby bluegill, often, which leads to conditioned bass feeding, often.
In upstate New York, bluegill spawn once...in late June or July.
Here's where it gets funny. There are about 115 "perfect" bass growing days in upstate New York. Those days start in late May, and go straight through into early September. There are about 115 "perfect" bass growing days in the south, spread out from February to late November. Hot summer days are not "perfect" days for bass.
In upstate New York, bluegill, as a population, grow much faster than bass. You would think it wouldn't be that way, but it is. Bass feed on young yellow perch in spring, and when bluegill begin to spawn, there is heavy vegetation growth, good blooms..."perfect" situations for fast bluegill growth. In the north, the climate and many environments are more conducive to bluegill than bass. Bluegill feed actively during most months, even under the ice. Bass aren't "dormant", but they are sluggish under the ice. Advantage bluegill. In the south, bluegill can grow for most of the year, and spawn often. But, the bass there can also feed heavily for most of the year. Advantage bass.
In the north, small average size bass which are older, simply cannot feed as actively on intermediate size bluegill. Once a bluegill reaches three and a half inches, most bass in the system are too small to eat that size bluegill. Over several years, bluegill gain an advantage in northern ponds. But, once a pond reaches its fourth year in the north, the advantage shifts toward bass. By the sixth year, most northern ponds have lots of semi-adult bluegill and a fair number of one and a half pound bass.
