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tim k Offline OP
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I have hunted several large ranches in south texas. I am on one now that has a 4-5 acre pond. There has been zero management and zero manipulation of the water or fish. No catfish. I have caught a ten pound bass out of this pond plus many many 4-7 lb bass. I was on a similar type place some years back with the same situation and huge bass.

How does a small pond like these grow this large of bass without stocking bluegill, etc. and without culling etc. ? Just curious

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Genetics, low stocking numbers in the beginning and since it is south Texas, a lot of Tilapia are stocked in those ponds for bass to eat. Tilapia do not die out and will live yr round in S Texas. You can not grow large bass without them having food to grow.

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there are no tilapia in these tanks. the only food source I know of is perch - I have been there ten years and the owner has never stocked anything into the ponds nor fed them

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They're eating something in there.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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There was a 9-pound LM bass caught here in NW Arkansas out of a neighbor's unmanaged one-acre pond. Also a 9-pound CC. Nothing super unusual.

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tim k Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: John F
There was a 9-pound LM bass caught here in NW Arkansas out of a neighbor's unmanaged one-acre pond. Also a 9-pound CC. Nothing super unusual.


not saying it is unusual - just wondering with all the management, stocking, etc. that is done how one just produces bass that big "naturally" - only bait fish I know of in them is perch

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Actually, there's another food source in there. Other LMB. The biggest bass will probably be cannibals, hammering other largemouth for dinner.

I'm guessing the ten pounders are pretty scarce.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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tim k Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Actually, there's another food source in there. Other LMB. The biggest bass will probably be cannibals, hammering other largemouth for dinner.

I'm guessing the ten pounders are pretty scarce.


yeah one ten pounder but lots of 4-7 as mentioned plus a few bigger. Plus they are fat. You are probably right in that they are feeding on some of the smaller bass -

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Largemouth bass as a slender bodied fish (fusiform) especially those under 2 lbs are relatively easy to swallow for a predator with adequate mouth size aka gape. Big Catfish love night resting bass as meals.


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Some bodies of water achieve 'balances' that produce wild results.

Many more times, we come in and screw things up!!


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"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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Originally Posted By: Sunil
Some bodies of water achieve 'balances' that produce wild results.

Many more times, we come in and screw things up!!


I suppose so - I have seen it over 30 plus years in ponds - mostly in South Texas. I have noticed it tends to happen in ponds that are not clear like most of them are in central texas. The ones in south texas are usually not clear

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In my opinion, its a matter of perspective. The question was how a natural pond can turn out a ten pound bass, without intensive management. Maybe it's a case of goals...mother nature's goals, OR the pond owner's goals? They are seldom the same, but may, for a time, overlap somewhat.

Nature produces a handful of big bass in a pond, as they consume one another. But, is this sustainable over time? Pond owners want big bass, but they also want a near continuous supply of bigger bass....culling, feeding, adding genetics, in order to try and sustain that big bass supply. In addition, oftentimes they want additional species also. That complicates things somewhat, as nature tends to favor one species over another. This gives her an edge, as it's usually easier to let one species dominate rather than encourage equal productivity.

I see a pond that produced a big bass, or even a few big bass, without intervention by human management, as fleeting and temporary. That's not what most pondmeisters desire, or manage for.

Just a few random thoughts.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
In my opinion, its a matter of perspective. The question was how a natural pond can turn out a ten pound bass, without intensive management. Maybe it's a case of goals...mother nature's goals, OR the pond owner's goals? They are seldom the same, but may, for a time, overlap somewhat.

Nature produces a handful of big bass in a pond, as they consume one another. But, is this sustainable over time? Pond owners want big bass, but they also want a near continuous supply of bigger bass....culling, feeding, adding genetics, in order to try and sustain that big bass supply. In addition, oftentimes they want additional species also. That complicates things somewhat, as nature tends to favor one species over another. This gives her an edge, as it's usually easier to let one species dominate rather than encourage equal productivity.

I see a pond that produced a big bass, or even a few big bass, without intervention by human management, as fleeting and temporary. That's not what most pondmeisters desire, or manage for.


thanks for your response - good info

I have fished some of these ponds for years and even though there are certainly not 10 lb bass often there are some quality fish year after year. So from my experience they are not temporary - quality fish with zero intervention by humans. I do not understand why - I just know what we catch
Just a few random thoughts.




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Hmmm....maybe one person's pond is another's lake.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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tim k Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Hmmm....maybe one person's pond is another's lake.


we have caught most of our large bass out of a 5 acre pond - I will post more pics of bass from the 5 acre pond. the one in this picture is on the same lease/south texas ranch and is around 15 acres when full - very shallow - no matter the size these ponds/lakes have never been managed - I am simply curious how any pond/lake produces bass of this size with just mother nature being involved - not very good pics but these are out of the 5 acre pond/lake - we catch these in multiples




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Maybe food for thought...A friend of mine has an unmanaged 1/2 acre in Northern Illinois. He has sent me a picture of a 5 pound LMB and a 16 inch BCP that were caught in his pond but he has never sent me a picture of a nice stringer of fish.


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In a nutshell...food. A bass wont grow without eating SOMETHING. Bluegills, or the generic, southern curiosity, perch. Even other bass. They're growing to that size because of forage. And I'm willing to bet that something else population size-wise is out of the range of what might be considered "normal" or "balanced".


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Originally Posted By: Bill D.
Maybe food for thought...A friend of mine has an unmanaged 1/2 acre in Northern Illinois. He has sent me a picture of a 5 pound LMB and a 16 inch BCP that were caught in his pond but he has never sent me a picture of a nice stringer of fish.


All I know is we catch many many large bass out of these ponds/lakes - not just one or two. We do not have stringers because it is all catch and release

I was not trying to argue - just wondering how ponds like this produce bass like this - obviously they have a food source. There are no catfish in these ponds - I know for a fact there has not been any fish added of any kind. No feeding done.

I dont care how it happens I just know we enjoy catching these bass

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Your other photos are of good bass, but not great bass. They actually look thin?


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Originally Posted By: sprkplug
Your other photos are of good bass, but not great bass. They actually look thin?


Ok you are right - the bass in these ponds suck - sorry I brought it up

I am out

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No need to get bent out of shape. Just suggesting that an accurate scale and tape measure often takes the mystery out of what at first, may appear extraordinary.


"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"

If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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I'd like to hear more about the ponds.

Obviously, they are generating some nice bass.

What else could the bass be eating? Any bullheads in the ponds? White or Sand Bass?


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Waters can naturally produce great fisheries. Completely natural conditions often have the ability to achieve a balance. It happens in remote Canadian lakes continually. It is usually by human intervention that usually upsets the natural balance which is often by improper harvest and greed by anglers. Even the stresses of improper catch & release or too much or too frequent catch and release can create a unintended stress on the fishery balance. These human stressors can cause premature deaths of the delicate natural "balance" of the fish size structure that created the initial BALANCE.

Generally the smaller the water body and less of the proper habitat there is that allowed the BALANCE, the easier it is to upset the natural balance.

Wise fishery management can compensate for unbalanced conditions, improve fish body condition(RW) and produce or adjust for a desired balance.


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Tim, do you fish for anything other than bass from these lakes?

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I would guess that enough of the correct habitat/structure to support a healthy and self-sustaining forage base plays a large role in a scenario like this.

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