James Holt's thread about slot limits inspired me to post about a quick trip this weekend. I went out to my mom's place (east of San Antonio) on Sunday. The pond had the classic stunted LMB problem when I started managing it a few years ago. I've been culling LMB and adding large 5-8" BG, but it is a slow process as I cannot get out there as often as I'd like. The pond is 4 acres when full, but right now it's probably 2-2.5 acres.
With the water so low and with fewer places for the forage to hide, I knew I needed to take more LMB out. I know there are BG, RES, and either HBG or GSF--the ones I've netted were too small for me to tell whether they're pure GSF or not. We did not stock the pond. It also has 15-20 large (up to 15 lbs) CC that I'm trying to take out. The big ones are smart. If you catch one or two, the others get lockjaw no matter what you try. Unfortunately, I don't have time to chart the Wrs of the LMB and log my catches when I'm out there, but angling plus the "eye test" quickly tells me the state of the pond.
The results: The LMB are growing (avg. size is now 13-14" instead of 9-10", but they are still VERY skinny. I culled 25 of the average-sized bass in a full afternoon of fishing. Anything "filletable" (10" or so) up to 1.5 pounds that looked thin came out. I could not catch any CCs this time.
Reversing a stunted LMB population is a chore when you do not live at the pond and do not have a lot of help managing it, but it's a fun challenge.
I also caught two LMB with what I think is a deformity that causes a curved spine. Here is one of them:
That is probably the most pathetic-looking LMB I've ever seen.
It seems to be a genetic deformity, but could this also result from a lack of nutrition? Can it be a result of genetic and nutritional deficincies? If the genetics of the pond have not been altered in awhile, could this be the result of inbreeding?
