I am proud to announce another successful year with our Lone Star Legacy Bass fingerling production program.

We have a lot of 2-3" size fish available for stocking right now.

If you have a new bass pond or lake in the south that is ready to be stocked, then we hope to hear from you!!

Todd when you say in the "south", what line would you consider to be the most far north that you would feel comfortable recommending your fish would be suitable for stocking?

I'm guessing SE Kansas is too far north, but I don't know.

Since these are FL strain LMB, Bob Lusk I`ve seen write about nothing north of Memphis almost a dividing line. Now could you get away with higher maybe, just depending on how bad a ice cover you may get.

There's able to survive, and then there's able to survive and realize their full potential. I doubt even the best genetics in the world can overcome sub-par environmental conditions.

The line in your area is OK. OK did a study with results reflecting sprkplug's comment. Most of the Fla LMB survived but did not reach their potential over time. Other studies confirm this for other areas. See map

That graph puts me at the top of the black circle area. It's very tempting to give this a try.

Black dots are northern/Fla natural cross (integrades) not Fla LMB. I bet on the east coast the range is coastal plain related (weather). The black dot means that fish with some Fla genetis was encountered. Could have been 90% northern and 10% Fla.

Interesting chart Eric.

There is one black dot in southern Illinois that is about my same latitude. But like you pointed out, it might only be 10% and no indication how they are actually doing, whatever the amount of Florida genetics.

I have my 1/10th acre sediment pond I could try them in as all it currently has is CNBG, RES and FHM. Eventually it will get LMB in it when I have a spawn and a large enough rain event the fingerlings can swim upstream into it from my main pond. But so far I've had no indication of LMB in it (I have been fishing it a lot transferring CNBG from it to my main pond).

I would not mind trying 25 of the Lone Star Legacy bass in it (catch most out as they get bigger and transfer to the main 3 acre pond).

But I have no easy way of getting them here. I could make a road trip to Texas but I suspect it is illegal for me to transport them to Kansas myself. And I know of no other way of getting them here that does not involve large sums of money I don't care to spend. But I would like to try them, just to see how they do.

The black dots are integrades not Fla LMB (ie Lone Star Legacy Bass). There are more studies on the subject and IIRC Ill was one of them. I think the black dot you note is an outlier and may be wrong. Genetic testing has come a long way since the study/map. I can account from other sources the other black dots and Fla LMB but not MD and Ill.

Because of the remote chance that a Fla LMB could get in your pond and do real damage to your genetics I would not do that. I might try an F-1 integrade especially if the northern half was from a northern sourced fish. Just my thoughts.

Ok, thanks for that advice. Sounds good to me.

If your fishery tends to ice over during the winter season, then you are most likely too far north to gain anything from stocking pure Florida genetics.

Stocking pure genetics (as opposed to a mix of F1s) gives you something to work with down the road. As long as the genetic purity is not contaminated then you can manage your population by catch and release as well as selective harvest, and possibly even IMPROVE on the performance and growth potential in your gene pool. For example, I am on my third year of saving/planting seeds from heirloom Black Cherry tomato plants. I collect seeds each year from the strongest, fastest growing, most disease resistant plants, with the largest and most flavorful fruit. I plant these selected seeds the following year, and seem to have improved significantly compared to the performance of the original seed stock. You can't do this when starting with hybrid stock.

Having pure florida genetics also puts you into a seller's market once your fishery needs to be harvested. We pay good $ for adult florida largemouth stock that are harvested from clients lakes to be re-sold to other clients who want to improve on their gene pool. But we have ZERO interest in or demand for adult size intergrades or northerns.

Moreover, stocking our Lone Star Legacy Bass in your new lake or pond gives you something that STILL HAS A NAME even after several generations of reproduction. But if you stock the F1s or mix the stains originally, then several generations down the road you will have "mutts*." **credit Dave Davidson

"If your fishery tends to ice over during the winter season, then you are most likely too far north to gain anything from stocking pure Florida genetics. "

Agreed, but that's a LOT of cold water territory. And the folks who live in such areas still need LMB. Pedigreed Florida's may be all the rage, but if they go belly up when my pond locks up in late December, I'll take a plain old rugged, cold-tolerant, 12 lb northern LMB over a 15 lb Florida anytime.

Just some food for thought...

You deal with a southern market. IMHO if you were located in Northern Indiana your post might read...

But we have ZERO interest in or demand for adult size Florida...

I think the same discussion could apply to CNBG vs BG. Doesn't it really come down to pond guys stock the fish that will do the best in their location.....even though they may WISH they could stock some others?

Just my 1 cent....

I'm too far north then.

That sounds like an argument a pure bred cattle producer would make. But the black baldies still sell pretty well at the stock yards.

I'm more of a mutt kind of guy.

Bill you and Sprk are dead on (correct) with your posts !