Stocked 81 Camelot bell LMB (1-3") in our 1.5 acre pond the first week of June. Haven't seen any sign of them yet I imagine they are prob around 5 or 6 inches by now.. Will these bass school up on the FHM at any point like typical bass do in Summer Texas lakes..

I originally stocked 1800 CNBG and 40lbs of FHM, there seems to be millions of minnows and perch everywhere


Thoughts??

How large are the BG and perch? I think I would have grown the CB out in a cage to prevent them from becoming an expensive snack.

6 to 8 inches are the largest CNBG. I've heard they have smaller mouths than your traditional BG, therefore, they won't really target the small bass..

By the way, I'm feeding cargill pellets about 6 pounds a day

I was told to stock extra CMLMB fingerlings due to the 7 month old CNBG in my pond. I was not worried about doing so because I plan on reducing numbers pulling out the males I catch along with any lmb that don't meet my best ones in the pond. I think there are different views as to if the cnbg will eat or damage the CBLMB fingerlings. Mine were pretty small fingerlings. 85 per acre

Tracy

My regular bass YOY stay in prolly 6" water or less most of the time hammering anything they can catch.. See them all times of the day popping at gams knocking them up on the bank and eating them when they flip back in ... Watch the shoreline for your basslings

Cav,
I stocked some CB LMB on June first...they were but 2 1/2" long. I saw 2 of them 2 weeks ago cruising the shallows. No schooling up, though. I do however see li'l FHM being blown out of the water along many areas of the shoreline. Those CB's are just mean. If the bait fish are too big for them to eat, they just head butt them...damnedest thing I've ever seen. I have noticed that most of the smaller FHM fry are gone. Now they're starting to gravitate towards a li'l bigger size bait. I feel sorry for anything that tried to eat CB. They'd have a fight on their hands.

Tracy when did you stock yours?

Stick em how large are the CB now? Well the 2 you recently saw?

I haven't seen any dead yet.. I like to drive my atv on the pond shoreline looking for them but haven't noticed any.. I still have millions of minnows in the shallow water that range from tiny fry to 2" or so..

I'm hoping they are doing alright just kinda fishy

Cav03,
The best I could tell they've grown at least an inch or better in about a month. That's approx a gain of 25-30% in size. I stocked 53, but have only seen 2 since the stocking. I'm not worried about their survival. The only thing big enough to eat them might be a 7 1/2" CNBG, but there is too much other slower docile bait in the water. The CNBG eat all the feed they want anyway. I've got as closed to 20% structure as I can calculate, so there are many places for all to hide. They're too mean to eat anyway. I may lose a few, but I stocked a few extra just in case. Good luck and tell me about your progress.

Cav, CBLMB went in around the first week of June. I saw 7 of them hanging out together on their 2nd day in the pond, but since then I may have seen 2. I watched one being stalked by a CNBG, the Brim was watching him really close, it looked like he was being eyed for dinner. I swear I did see that. My surface water temp was 95 yesterday, and with my water color being olive green with a shade of brown, it makes them hard to see even if they are close to shore. But I am thinking they might be in a little deeper water. Lots and lots of FHM everywhere, so I don't think they have to stay near the shore to get lunch. And that makes them harder to find. I've seen no floaters, but if they are hanging out at the feeder when the bell goes off, Heaven help them and keep them away from the feeding frenzy of the CNBG.

Tracy

Tracy, I'm hoping my CNBG didn't eat them all. I've Beth fishing with a 2-3" long rooster tail and catch a CNBG every cast off the dock.

This tells me there's no doubt they would try to eat a bass if they could but hopefully the bass instincts kicked in and avoided them until they gotten a little bigger. I guess like most things, only time will tell

2.5" LMB are basically safe from CNBG or any BG predation especially when FHM are present. Small FHM are so much easier for a fish to catch and eat compared to eating a 2" LMB. If you lost your CM bass fingerlings (2.5"-3") it was not because BG ate them.

This may be a tad off subject, but where are folks purchasing most of their Camelot Bell bass from? Direct from Camelot or Overtons or another source? Just curious since I did make a call inquiring about fingerlings for next year and Camelot direct said they no longer are in business with Overtons?

Cav and tracy - here's my thought for you guys stocking CB LMB in virgin ponds....
If you stocked ample numbers of fingerlings in a brand new pond I would relish the thought of predation from CNBG as well as canabilism from larger CB, leaving the larger "jumpers" for broodstock.
This to me would represent the best of the best for the future of your pond.
I have a serious case of CBLMB envy from you guy with the with new ponds..
George

Photo of "jumper" compared to normal size at 6 months..
I received 8 these CBLMB and caught one at age 8 months that weighed 2 lbs:

Snake, I'll do some guessing with you on the past Overton/Camelot with NO insider knowledge.
I believe that Mike Frazier with CB had an arrangement with Overton to “grow out” CB since Overton has some of the best hatchery resources in this part of the country.

I’m guessing that when markening potential was recognized there was a change in this relatinship?
George

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=288833&page=1

I purchased mine from overtones, I believe he grew a few of the old "Camelot bells" out and sells there offspring now.

However, he has no "working" relationship with the current Camelot bell ranch


Curious to see how large these 1-3" fingerlings will get by the end of the summer

Makes complete sense George, any good thing there will always be money to be made.

I'd like to see what max sizes those CB you have Caviler will grow into. Do you know what sizes of Brood CB Overtons is using? Same ones from the original stock or newer offsprings.

It takes a lot of time, effort, and food(mostly fish) to grow big bass. For those interested in the dollar value of a large bass see these prices from the Camelot Bell website: 3.0 lbs & Under $100 ea
4.0 to 5.0 lbs $600 ea,5.0 to 7.0 lbs $1,000 ea, 8.0 to 9.0 lbs $4,000 ea

I was quoted for fingerlings 4-5". $10 each at a minium of 100 fish. Spend a thousand bucks pretty quickly trying to get good genetics.

I think they came off of a 2 or 3 pound bass... But I want to say Todd's "claim to fame" is that the bass the fingerlings came from was a jumper bass out of the previous years spawn..

But then again I could be way wrong..

My "Jumper" CBLMB came out of a 13.5 lb female.
Don't know the size of male - heard maybe 7lb+ but not sure,
George

Interesting information guys. Always like to hear feedback about a subject (CB LMB) that hits close to home. I know my CB'S will never get to trophy size because of the size of the present BOW that they reside. But, I should have some dandy specimens to stock future pond #2.

As a side note, if you purchased your CB LMB from Overtons, Todd would like to hear feedback from you with regards to gains in growth. He asked me to periodically report to him any progress with regards to size and time line as well as behaviors.

todd@overtoncentral.com

Charlie

For you that get the Pond Boss Magazine, last month Todd had a full page ad in it about the Camelot Bell Bass.

If you don't get the magazine, order the back issue to see it.

I am looking forward to growing out the CBLMB to double digit lmb. I met with Walt from Overtons a while back and he had some pictures of some 11 month old CBLMB from a pond that has a similar forage stocking to mine. These CBLMB had a girth that almost matched their length. Fattest 11" lmb I have ever seen, and I have seen some healthy lmb before. In my younger years after I had started my company and looking to start another co but this time with a partner, I was told by a friend that partnerships in business usually don't work. I found out how true that was. I think that tells it all when it comes to the CBLMB.

Tracy

Well I've been walking my entire pond shoreline morning and evening in hopes of seeing ANY sign of the little bass... Still absolutely nothing, I have tons and tons of cnbg on their beds

Maybe it's just too hot in the shallow water and the bass are hanging out in the deeper parts next to my sunken Christmas trees or other structure?

Anyone who has these bass or any smaller bass for that matter seen any lately? Here in east Texas it is HOT and not a drop of rain in over 7 weeks!

Caviler, I may suggest walking the banks at night with a flash light. If you have enough clarity in the shallows, I find a lot of small bass resting in the shallow weeds. Works well for me.

Snake, thanks for the advice I'll definitely give it a shot! I don't have any weeds or places for fish to hide on the shoreline but the bass might feed there at night

Cav
My bass work the shoreline all day and destroy the gambusias. They will follow you scarfing up the gams that leave the shoreline. Do you have a population of gams?

Sorry for being a noob, but what are gams?

I think they are mosquito fish...

Sean

Yep you're right boburk..

I don't think we have any that I know of

We do have TONS of FHM..

Since the bass and crappie decimated the FHM and GSH the gams are the only thing that I see around the banks. Todd has some gams.... He hates them... But they are very prolific and can see YOY bass through till they can eat larger prey. Do you see the FHMs around the banks?

My banks are full of small fry.. Not sure if it's cnbg or fhm they are small.. But just out of the shore in 1-2ft of water starts the cnbg beds everywhere

My bet is you have both. My shore lines are loaded up with FHM and BG right now. Early morning and late evening I can see the YP and SMB blasting them.

I could throw the cast net in hopes of catching a bass to prove they are in there but I don't want to risk damaging them.. So I guess ill just hold my breath and keep looking


Either they are in there or they died as fingerlings and turtles cleaned them up

Cav
Pull up a lawn chair and sit by the shore for a while and if the water is clear you should see a bass cruising along.... Do you see any activity splashing close to the banks?

I put in a minnow trap barely covered with water and mostly caught bass... You might try that... If you catch any as soon as you see them put the trap back in the water to open it so not to damage them till they can be released

Will do pat thanks for your suggestions

Let us know..... I think they in there scarfing up the FHMs