Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations SMB behavior

I throw feed most evenings about the same time and several times when I get to the pond I have seen 2 SMB about 20 inches long circling and nudging each other right on the surface in the feed area. I have seen them doing the same thing in the daytime a couple times when I am mowing. There are a dozen or so in the pond that size so I'm not sure it is even the same 2. Are they territorial or could it be a spawning ritual? They sure go after the Aquamax LMB size.

I would have to see behavior before making call on that. Wrong time of year for breeding. Could be social squable. Could be soliciting for cleaning, but I have never seen that in SMB's.

SMB rituals

Thanks, that looks exactly like what they are doing but it isn't spawning season, so I'm not sure.

Will SMB do a late spawn like RES??? I don't know. I had RES on beds recently.

I have often wondered if the late spawning RES were the ones just maturing enough to spawn. Maybe they were not fully mature earlier in the season when most adults spawn. Don't know.

I was really surprised at all the SMB fingerlings I have where I only stocked 6-9" SMB around the first of December last year. I figured it would be next year before a potential spawn but I have lots of 3-4" SMB fingerlings.

I have never seen evidence for any bass spawning later than early July. Cessation of RES breeding each year seems more nutritional in nature as I can get year round breeding with them like for bluegill when properly fed indoors. Stoppage of RES breeding seems to start about time of year their diet splits of from what BG consumes. In culture setting I can get later RES spawns where plankton blooms are really strong and forage not limiting for adults.

My RES pond started our very infertile. Just a clay bowl. I did fertilize it once to help get it started but otherwise the only fertility it gets is what comes off ag ground runoff and what feed is fed which is still pretty modest.

I was concerned the first year the RES would have pretty slim pickings for food and that may have turned out to be the case and reduced recruitment the first year. I have several other ponds to compare the water with and this pond is definitely the least fertile.

Now that the SMB recruits are hitting pellets fairly well the amount of feed fed is going up which should help as time goes by.