Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Rock Bass Reproduction in Ponds?

I am seeking anyone who has rock bass(Ambloplites rupestris) in their pond and if so, if they have seen any natural reproduction from them? If they have, what are the substrate types in your pond?

I am asking as I am seeing if rock bass have similar spawning sight requirements as SMB or possibly need every higher quality spawning sights, ie less silt. I am looking at rock bass as a possible species that can be stocked into ponds that do not have rocky, mostly silt free bottoms as a non successfully reproducing species that could be easily managed via put and take without the risk of them successfully spawning and over populating.

No idea, but around here it is well known they don't make make good eating. Kind of a grainy tough texture and fishy in a not so good way. However they are fun to catch, and our local varieties have very red eyes.

An observation: I catch them in clear lake and river waters, the same places where panfish and perch hang out. Always jumping on the hook when you are trying to catch something else.

I can ask some neighbors to see if any local ponds have them.

We eat the crap out of them around me. They are a gamefish with size limits. They taste great out of the Clearwater streams in Missouri.
http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2002/05/rock-bass-panfish-supreme

I would be willing to bet eatability is dependant on subspecies and forage base. I have seen rock bass from other locations without the red eyes and slightly different shape. I can tell immediately from the taste of a filet ona cookout if it is rock bass, just like chewing a sole of boot.

I second that. Osage Fork of the Gasconade:



They also taste great out of our big lakes. Table Rock table fare!

Everywhere I have ever caught rock bass and eaten them, I thought they tasted fine. Similar to most other sunfish species. White flaky meat and light flavor.

Anyone with experience with these buggers in a pond though?

I am interested interested if they won't reproduce. I wish I had several ponds so I could try projects like this one.

Huh, maybe something about the St Lawrence river rock bass? Hearing all of you tell me otherwise makes me think of something...

Come to think of it, when we had fish frys up near Alexandria Bay, we had no idea raw sewage was being pumped into Carnagie Bay where we fished. This was in the 70's and 80's. We never smelled it, but some business got in big trouble once it was discovered. It is probably why I have a great immune system from swimming in there a lot. It also explained a few episodes of Montezuma's Revenge during the summers :-(. Today you would be strung up by your small parts if you were caught doing that!

I hate to think why they tasted nasty. A strong diet of "Mars Bars" or something. I know though among the extended family fishing there, the rock bass got tossed back in after a few test trials. It is sooo much cleaner up there now, but the water quality and fishing is drastically different due to zebra mussels.

Maybe I will give the rock bass another try! I know they were easily caught on both worms and minnows, and some of the first to hop onto a lure. The fishability of them is great, they are not hook shy at all! They can get quite large and are as fun to catch as sunfish or perch.

Rock bass have delicate flesh, if they are not quickly fillets after they die they can get mushy and fishy.

There are at least 3 subspecies, I think. Not that I could ever hope to tell them apart.

The only way to tell them apart is by county scales and fin numbers...

See this

http://fishbase.org/summary/Ambloplites-rupestris.html

look at the links and data sources.

http://web1.cnre.vt.edu/efish/families/rockbass.html

I have only caught rock bass in cooler classic SMB creeks and rivers and in a few cool rocky lakes. I have never seen one in a mostly mud bottomed pond. I am going to experiment with them and see if they are more or less tolerant than SMB when it comes to marginal silted bottoms for spawning. My hope is they are less tolerant and therefore unable to spawn successfully in a typical pond. From having transported them with SMB, I know they are more tolerant of low DO than SMB.

CJ I did some research and a number of studies note that Rock Bass were found in ponds and small lakes. I did not find any definitive answer on their spawning in ponds. My WAG from the way the studies were written is that a limited spawn in ponds was encountered. Would be good to see how your idea works out.

Thank you for trying to find more info. I am trying to find fish that will do well in smaller ponds that have limited or no reproduction so they can be managed easily. Rock bass don't get huge, but can reach well over 2 pounds and fight very well. They are excellent panfish sized game fish, making them an interesting addition.

I will look some more and let you know what I find.