Skinny Fish?

[Topwaterspook]

Though we're catching some larger fish on deeep crankbaits as fall approaches,there are a lot of thin ones. Typical charecteristics are a long body and relatively large head. I would have thought they'd have been fattened up by this time of the year. The question is: are any of you experiencing the same thing?

[Bluebasser86]

Seeing a few skinny ones but they're starting to get thicker. Haven't really seen a lot of skinny fish this year though. I think the water being low and leaving the baitfish less places to go has played a part in that.

[Glenn]

Are you seeing this in one specific lake, or in a lot of lakes in your area?

[WRB]

Northern largemouth have less body mass than Florida strain LMB, that is a factor if the lake has both strains.

Large male bass have thinner body mass than females, another factor to consider.

Injured bass that are not feeding successfully will lose body mass, they are starving. This can be a result of bass being caught out of water deeper than 40 feet and released, fizzed or not.

The most common reason for the big bass to have over size heads and skinny bodies is old age or prey base can't support the number of predators feeding on it. This happens for several reasons: over population of predators verses prey, predator fish that are faster and bigger than LMB depleting the baitfish population; lakes with stripe bass populations and LMB populations competing for the same pelagic baitfish like shad or smelt.

The summer period is when LMB put on most weight, there is more prey available. The statements that LMB fatten up during the fall period is misleading, they continue to feed, but as the water cools bass metabolism starts to slow down and this continues as the water gets colder, the bass still eat, they burn fewer calories to maintain body mass.

Tom

[Topwaterspook]

This is in one lake,Glenn..............Tom, these bass are having to compete wtih stripers, muskies and pike...............On top of that, there have been as many as 2 tournaments a week on this lake through the summer.................Injured bass are a possibility.................I just don't ever remember seeing this situation before.