Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Should the spawn be over in Texas pond?

My 2 acre pond is finally showing a good spawn for the 1st time of LMB. I assumed the spawn is all over. But I just caught about a 2-2 1/4 LMB about 15-16 inch long. Right next to a stand of sawgrass in about 12 inch water. She/he had a little sunken in belly and a bloody tail!! Water visibility is too bad to look for a nest. Maybe just a wore out male feeding up after the spawn?? Do some spawn this late in east Texas ponds?

I saw two LMB that were obviously on a bed just last week, even though I didn't see the bed. Considering that it has been an unusually cool & rainy spring, the spawn may go on longer than normal this year.

In the past I have seen bass on the beds at my pond all through May. This year i think the major freeze we had set back most all fish activity a good month. Based on my fishing Caddo and others remarks on what is going on around other Texas lakes.

Strange year for sure..... haven’t seen any signs of yoy LMB yet

I had bass fry early this month. I found four fry balls around the dock at the same time. But my water is a little bigger and deeper than most. Also with the spring water, my pond did not freeze completely. Don't know if that made the difference, but that's what happened here. I also have seen several smaller Crappie so maybe they pulled off a spawn this year? Who knows

Like Fla , TX has a long north-south axis (big change in latitude) so spawning varies a lot statewide. In addition the spawn can be drawn-out by several factors including weather, population status , stress factors etc.

All LMB in the same water may not be in the same spot in reproductive development. Most will be close but there can be early and late spawning individuals.

Your BG are likely spawning now on the full May flower moon.

CNBG AND fathead minnows fry are EVERYWHERE but honestly have NOT seen any LMB fry yet either!

James how do you have fhm after this many years?

Pat, we wondered that ourselves. But that picture I sent you the other day is IDENTICLE to the old pictures I took of my grandson when he actually caught one on a tiny hook and a kernall of corn. Back then ALL we had were FHM and one inch CNBG. We have not seen any minnows for 3-4 years but I gottum this year!! Only thing I'm doing different is I have my shoreline almost all the way around with stands of sawgrass for the tiny fish to live in. Also I still have not run my aeriation since last fall. I can dip these fish up with the swimming pool skimmer net and they for sure are not CNBG and they have no lateral line like LMB!! I'm just glad to see them!

One more note:...the "minnows" I'm netting up look a lot like what we call crappie minnows or "shiners". Thinking back about a year ago when I was having so much trouble catching my Florida LMB I did go to the local bait dealer and purchased about 3 dozen shiners to fish on a cork for bass. I never got a bite and all the minnows were put in the pond. Maybe THAT'S what has reproduced in my pond!!??

When I googled Fathead minnow pictures it shows at least 2 distinct fish. One looks like my "shiners" or crappie minnows and the other has a real "blunt or rounded" nose. Mine all look like shiners. Very thin and streamline.

That’s what they looked like to me James. By the way how are you catching them? I never see mine except in spring when they are making wakes in the pond, least I think that’s what they are

See this https://www.efish.fishwild.vt.edu/families/goldenshiner.html

Fecundity - up to 200,000 eggs per female.


FH https://www.efish.fishwild.vt.edu/families/fathead.html

This is a FHM - I believe a male, with the breeding bumps on his forehead.

TG, mine are definently NOT fathead minnows by that photo and OMG EWEST, I never dreamed there were so many shiners and minnows. Honestly a few years back when we first stocked FHM I don't think they had that rounded head. But...we got them from Overton's and if Todd said they were FHM then I guess they were. But...what I have now are definently some kind of shiner and for sure not big Golden shiners. Pat, I am just scooping them in a swimming pool skimmer net to get a look at them. They are all over the banks and they "school" out about 10 foot from the bank and feed on the "dust" from the feeder when it goes off. I can text pictures to someone but I can't post on this forum. Sorry. I really wish I knew for sure what I have.

Heres the pics from Flame.

RStringer, Thank you my good friend for posting those photos!! Those fish are 1 and 1/2 inch long . maybe someone can ID them for me.

The first time I seen a male FHM in spawning, I thought I had a new minnow in my pond. To me it didn't just look like the color changes but like the head gets bigger and rounder.

I had the same exact surprise several years back when I found out from Bill Cody just how many species of crawdads there are.

P.S. those pics kind of look like Gambusia.

TG, from what I've seen Gambusia DO NOT have a forked tail. These have a very distinct V shape tail. Rusto, Do you think I need the photos posted under a diffrent catagory for fish ID?

Gams look like a guppy without color. Not golden shiners either. I would be glad to have them for forage

Pat, I sent you a PM.