Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations CNBG Double Jeopardy

While my buddy and I fished around the dock, we noticed that a large LMB kept following our hooked CNBG around, even the very biggest. Every so often the bass would take a whack at the poor panfish, especially when it neared the surface. After a few minutes of this, we saw a second good LMB following behind the first, perhaps curious or hoping for scraps.

Most of the CNBG were very large, nine inches or longer, and the LMB couldn't actually swallow them. But when I hooked a 5 incher, the bass saw its chance and swallowed it whole right in front of me. After a very hard fought battle way too near a sunken tree, the bass finally let go. I reeled in the frazzled CNBG on my flyrod, but before I could get it up on the dock, the exact same thing happened. Another all out battle, me trying to keep it out of the tree, putting extreme pressure on my light fly outfit. This time the bass won; at least, my line snapped & the CNBG ended up as bass lunch. 8.5 pound tippet wasn't strong enough!

Like most fishermen, I've had LMB follow in bluegill at times. Even swallowed a few. But never have I seen such persistent aggression in the face of obvious human presence.

Is this a matter of feeding from the dock, so even big fish lose their fear of humans? Anybody else noticed such behavior?

That kind of brutality is.....................................EXCITING AND AWESOME!!!!

My brother and I used to fish a large private reservoir and would utilize that exact technique!

We would tie on some tiny spinners and quickly put about five BG or GSF in the live well. My brother would then troll them out behind the boat on a big catfish hook under a bobber.

We would then fish the shoreline for LMB. Several times during the day, we would hear his drag start singing on the trolling rod. Caught and returned many bass over 5#. Ate many bass around 2#.

He also definitely lost many bass beside the boat - that were not actually hooked! He just reeled them in as long as the bass was willing to stay clamped on the BG. I actually netted a large LMB that I don't believe was hooked. The BG sprung out of the fishes mouth as soon as the bass felt the net.

P.S. Being young and stupid with my brother sure were good times!

No fear by LMB while eating their natural prey. If they get hooked a few times using that method, they will become wary.

almost exact, except mine was a 2 acre pond , nary a bluegill or other forage in the pond. Stunted LMB by the thousands, catch 50-70
an afternoon in a tube flyrodding, kept and cleaned. At least once every afternoon was a wild tube ride drug by bass over 5 lbs, clamped onto a 10"-12" LMB , never laid hands on the large bass, 4# tippet always broke first. But what a blast.

We used to go fishing for big bluegills and take them to the tail race of a local lakes dam. Then, using surf rods, we would cast to the rough water. There was usually a big HSB or catfish waiting there. Now, they have put those areas off limits.

As I recall, Bruce Condello would keep small LMB & BG to feed bass off his dock. Maybe I should consider doing the same, particularly for small bass that I want to remove anyhow.

Bruce had various species of fish eating sushi....or sashimi to be more accurate. That was after impairing bluegill to waiting hungry mouths.

I think he's now got some kind of conveyor belt feeding mechanism that feeds moist feed.

He's still breaking ground.

Try and hold a bluegill by the tail and NOT jerk your hand back when you see a 10# LMB coming up to grab it. The first few times it's impossible to NOT jerk your hand away. LOL

Here's an older pic that I've posted before. TJ caught this 9# near the upper dock where we hand fed our LMB. She was the alpha, and was always the most aggressive. We would pull 5-8 CNBG out of our hatchery pond, and always fed the largest CNBG first. What I learned was once she got a "treat" she would leave, so the biggest went first. I kept snips in the bucket and clipped the tail of the CNBG, and the spine on any greenies we fed. Both species were crippled and had a tremendous amount of movement, but were easy for the LMB to catch. Feeding LMB needs to be consistent, if not, they'll wander off and look for other meals. At least NE TX LMB will.

EDIT: feeding times need to be consistent like feeder throws.

Wow....Very nice!!!

Al, how large were the CNBG you fed to the bass? Did you fin clip then toss, or actually hold them?

I tried to feed 6-7" if possible. I had tried larger CNBG, but the smaller LMB wouldn't even attempt to catch them. I fin clipped and tossed because it worked, and I didn't have much luck with a 5' pole with a clamp at the end. My patience ran out, so I just didn't give it the time and effort I should have.

Thanks. I'd thought about the clamp, not sure how it would work. I definitely like aggression in bass, want that fish to spawn & spread those genes!

I tried some heavy duty metal clamps screwed to an aluminum pole, but pi$$ed off CNBG didn't want to play nice. Slimy tails are hard to get a solid hold on.

I was thinking maybe clothes line pin attached to heavy line, dabbled in water. That way the frantic prey could swim around a bit, catch the attention of big momma bass.

I used a #10 hook barely under the skin on the tail, with a stiff rod and heavy line. When the LMB grabbed the fish (I'd have them jump out of the water to get the BG) I'd quickly yank the pole and the hook would rip thru the skin on the tail of the BG and the LMB would have it's meal.

What is the reason for feeding off of a pole?

Wouldn't you rather have your big LMB habituated to consuming (poorly) swimming prey?

Even if no bass eats a clipped BG right off the dock, I would suspect that BG gets eaten in the next day or two.

I didn't have a dock, just a platform at the side of the pond that the feeder was on. I wanted to make sure that the BG got eaten, and I observed that LMB try to get in front of their prey if it is bigger so they can grab it head first, so they don't have to turn it around to swallow it.

Don't be sure that a fish without a tail will be eaten. I rotenoned a pond for a person that was growing LMB for the restaurant industry. There was a LMB in there that had it's tail cut off right behind the anal and dorsal fin. It was approximately 3/4 to 1 pound and all the fish were stocked at 5"-7" long. This particular fish escaped being seined out of the pond 5 times. They had me kill the pond before the new crop of small LMB were stocked to minimize cannibalism losses. I have a picture or two floating around somewhere. I'm assuming the tail got cut off in a knife gate sometime during the fish transportation process.

Rod, I take a more recreational view to the treat on a pole. I was going to try to get the larger LMB accustomed to hand feeding by slowly decreasing the length of the pole until they accepted CNBG from my hand. I quit for 2 reasons. 1, I didn't have the time to invest in training them, and 2, I would never set a hook on a LMB that I turned into a pet. Little to no fair play by doing that. I'm just fine if others want to do it, but I'll pass here on my place.

Also, in the above post I mentioned that I snip the spine on greenies. Under no circumstances do I want them spawning. Fin clipped BG/CNBG can get away, and that's ok. Esshup wanted to make sure the BG were eaten, so his plan is solid. My experience has been that they're more apt to survive if they're released in a large number of BG, or during a feeder throw. I've also had schools of CNBG swimming back and forth around a point, and the crippled CNBG just fell right in, and wasn't specifically targeted by LMB.

Thanks for the additional info!

You sure can learn a lot of interesting information when observation is possible.

I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time with George Glazener during his declining, so reflecting, years. When he was speaking about the forum, he told me something I never forgot. It was "I don't give advice, I share experiences". I try my best to follow that.

Sounds like my dad, the wisest man I've ever known.

I miss George. I have a number of flies that he gave me and a lot of them will never see the water.

Me too Scott