Found a floater this afternoon. 2 years old, 3.90 lbs LMB. I was gonna toss it back up in the woods for the wild things to enjoy but then I decided I wanted to see if I could find anything as to cause of death.



The only thing I could identify with naked eye were the red irritation splotches in LMB mouth:




And YES, opening up the abdomen - that first cut - WHOO! What a smell!






I'm no closer to identifying cause of death after cutting open the LMB.

I found two dead BG and big bullfrog today. I don't know if the bullfrog was dead, but it didn't respond to my poking it with a net. They're the first dead anythings I've found until today. A fish that looked like a redear sunfish was drifting along just below the surface. It came in close enough that I could prod it with the tip of my flyrod, and it scarcely responded. One of my dogs waded out and stood over it and it didn't respond to her either. Yesterday I saw several fish of about the same size drifting along just below the surface. I wonder what's going on. The weather has been almost summerlike for the past few days. I caught a couple BG and a GSH on a fly yesterday, but nothing today.

I'm thinking the same for both cases, that being nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Cold water periods can be stressful, and fish die. Once we become embroiled in our pond's well being, we simply take greater notice and tend to worry when we find morts.

I've seen my fish exhibit what I would call disinterested behavior before, coming out of winter.

I'm with Tony: a couple fish or so is nothing to get worried about. Fish like people have different levels of tolerances to stress. There will always be a few that can't take the stress. And nature is constantly culling the gene pool of inferior performers. Most of the inferior performers are eaten at an early age.

Last year in March I raked up a couple of bullfrogs that were mostly unresponsive. I think they were still in hibernation, but not sure of that.

Don't remember why I was raking in the pond. Maybe some early FA growth or something. At any rate when I drug up the bullfrogs, I quit doing whatever it was I was doing.

I think it was just too early to be prodding around the pond bottom.

I am surprised that a 2 yr old LMB weighs almost 4 lbs. Is that normal?

In a new pond that is possible. Some people are getting bass to 5 lbs in 18 months, 8 lbs in 3 years. As long as you have plenty of forage they will grow fast.

TKD -

Unless in a controlled environment none of this is an exact science. Too many variables at play. But in our roughly 1 acre pond yes the LMB grow and the average relative weight ratio is 120%. I think the formula here was easy to get the LMB to grow fat fast: few LMB, lots of forage fish, no competition. I stocked only a small amount of LMB and a lot of CNBG and RES, and I supplement stock trout and shiners and shad.

Hey basslover, What are some details on your 1 acre pond? Depth, Stucture, Location and anything else that would help me with my brand new 1 acre pond try and get results anywhere close to yours? Thanks so much,

TKD -

I've got a topic here with our pond renovation:

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=447308&page=1

Has pictures, info on depth, stocking, etc. Probably all or most of what you're looking to learn.

Thank you.