My Koi Pond Bass Is Fat

[RSM789]

We did our annual clean-out of our Koi pond today, giving me a chance to get my hands on Blutarsky, the bass I introduced to it last spring.  

 

When I caught him & added him to our pond, Blutarsky was just over 12" long and weighed 1 lb., 2 oz.  After nearly a year of a steady diet of goldfish, nightcrawlers and any other critters my kids feed him, he is now 15" long and a hefty 3 lbs, 1 oz. (see picture below).  He is a very solid fish, just real thick throughout as opposed to a pot belly.  His girth is an amazing (to me) 14", which explains why he weighs a pound or so more than most other fish his size.  I am guessing that the small size of the koi pond may limit the length he grows to, but not necessarily the weight.

 

I also was amazed at how his coloring has changed.  He is now a very dark fish, matching the bottom of the pond pretty well.  He spends most of his time under a few lily pads, but even that shade hasn't stopped him from getting quite the suntan.

 

One interesting thing that occurred was about 4 hours after we refilled the pond and reintroduced the fish.  I tossed some pellets in & the koi as usual started swarming the surface to eat.  I flipped a couple of nightcrawlers towards Blutarsky & he completely ignored them.  The sank right past his nose & he made no movement to eat them.  This is a fish that once tried to eat a ping pong ball!!  Either he is very ticked off about his home being disturbed or he doesn't handle the movement out & back into the pond as well as the koi do and is stressed.  I am guessing the latter and it opened my eyes a little as to how environmental changes can just shut down a bass bite out on a lake or river.

[gulfcaptain]

Very true, noticed the same thing when I purchased "wild" fish for aquariums.  It took them time to settle down once moved opposed to tank raised fish who didn't really care.  Drop them out of the bag and feed them they were fine.  But that is quite the butterball of a bass you have there.  Nice football.  I'd stay away from goldfish though and give him those ruby red feeder fish or better known as fathead minnows.  Goldfish have nasty diseases that can be transmitted to your little buddy there.

[Mccallister25]

Cool idea. I'd like to do something like that one day.

[RSM789]

...Goldfish have nasty diseases that can be transmitted to your little buddy there.

 

I did not know that, thank you for the advice.

[gulfcaptain]

I did not know that, thank you for the advice.

No problem, years working in a fish store, I have lots of useful useless information.....lol.  Your little buddy would probably love krill as well or live crayfish, but it already sounds like it gets a pretty good variety of foods.

[MDBowHunter]

Yup gold fish will stunt his growth, and could give him parasites that will kill him. If it were me I'd go to the local bait shop and get him some minnows..

[riverbasser13]

Nice, good to see ol blutarsky is doing good. I love it when bass get that dark green color.

[RSM789]

Yup gold fish will stunt his growth, and could give him parasites that will kill him. If it were me I'd go to the local bait shop and get him some minnows..

 

Unfortunately in Southern California, there are few bait shops and those there are rarely specialize in live bait for bass.  He may have to settle for anchovies or mackerel...

 

OR, I could treat him like every other transplanted Southern California bass & give him some small rainbow trout to eat.  I am imagining him becoming 18' long with a 37" girth.

[fishballer06]

He could just be getting used to his new water. I imagine the clarity, temperature, and oxygen content is all a big shock to him. Regardless, just goes to show you that maybe your fishfinder isn't crazy whenever it shows you marking a bunch of fish and they won't bite a thing. 

[Master Bait'r]

That is not unusual for fish to shut down in temp changes- koi are very cold water fish so it doesn't phase them.  

 

 

Might want to be careful though...  I think it's pretty cool to keep a bass but some states have laws against keeping wild fish in captivity and doing so can result in heavy fines.  As a former aquatics professional I have heard nightmare stories.  

[RSM789]

That is not unusual for fish to shut down in temp changes- koi are very cold water fish so it doesn't phase them.  

 

 

Might want to be careful though...  I think it's pretty cool to keep a bass but some states have laws against keeping wild fish in captivity and doing so can result in heavy fines.  As a former aquatics professional I have heard nightmare stories.  

 

Someone else mentioned that once, but since Blutarsky came from a private (association owned) lake instead of public waters, I was under the assumption that I was in the clear.  If not, I'll post a picture of me being led off in handcuffs (which wouldn't be my first bass fishing related arrest).  My defense will be that I brought him home to eat and as I pulled him out of the livewell, he leapt into the koi pond.  Once there, i was never able to get him to bite again.  He apparently is the great, great grandson of Tom Mann's bass Leroy Brown.

 

I am trying to figure out the reasoning behind making a law against keeping a wild fish in captivity.  I understand laws against transporting them, as well as laws against introducing them into non-native waters, but unlike a tiger, gorilla or other large wild animal, having a wild bass in a pond or aquarium doesn't endanger the public.

[F14A-B]

Someone else mentioned that once, but since Blutarsky came from a private (association owned) lake instead of public waters, I was under the assumption that I was in the clear. If not, I'll post a picture of me being led off in handcuffs (which wouldn't be my first bass fishing related arrest). My defense will be that I brought him home to eat and as I pulled him out of the livewell, he leapt into the koi pond. Once there, i was never able to get him to bite again. He apparently is the great, great grandson of Tom Mann's bass Leroy Brown.

I am trying to figure out the reasoning behind making a law against keeping a wild fish in captivity. I understand laws against transporting them, as well as laws against introducing them into non-native waters, but unlike a tiger, gorilla or other large wild animal, having a wild bass in a pond or aquarium doesn't endanger the public.

Yea, you make a great point, however, based on what I hear about California & the drought, and the action your Gov. Has taken yet again on water useage, it may well be a mondane point.. They may take your water for the lettuce farms.

Geez, looks & sounds horrific, saw pics today. All

I can say is wow.. Best of luck to you all!

[RSM789]

... California & the drought, and the action your Gov. Has taken... looks & sounds horrific...Best of luck to you all!

 

Yeah, it has been pretty dry.  What isn't being reported is that based on the size of California & how different areas get their water, the one-size-fits-all solutions offered by the governor really don't make sense.

 

The hardest hit areas are the Northern Sierra, which ends up supplying water for most of the state down to Los Angeles.  South of that, much of the water comes from the Colorado river, so a drought in Northern California is irrelevant to those areas.  What matters for those southern areas is the snowpack in the Rockies.  Further, there are many cities & municipalities that get their water from local aquifers and those areas are also not affected by the conditions in the Sierras.  So while the problems in the Northern part of the state are severe, it doesn't affect each & every city.

 

It is like when an earthquake hits someplace like San Francisco & the news reports say "California rocked by earthquake".  It really isn't an accurate description of the damage and who is affected by it.

[Master Bait'r]

Someone else mentioned that once, but since Blutarsky came from a private (association owned) lake instead of public waters, I was under the assumption that I was in the clear. If not, I'll post a picture of me being led off in handcuffs (which wouldn't be my first bass fishing related arrest). My defense will be that I brought him home to eat and as I pulled him out of the livewell, he leapt into the koi pond. Once there, i was never able to get him to bite again. He apparently is the great, great grandson of Tom Mann's bass Leroy Brown.

I am trying to figure out the reasoning behind making a law against keeping a wild fish in captivity. I understand laws against transporting them, as well as laws against introducing them into non-native waters, but unlike a tiger, gorilla or other large wild animal, having a wild bass in a pond or aquarium doesn't endanger the public.

Hey I'm totally with you on that one. I don't get it either but it's a thing unfortunately.

[Kevin22]

I did not know that, thank you for the advice.

 

Fatheads (or rosy reds) are much worse. Stick with the goldfish from a reputable fish shop or catch  your own green sunfish/crawdads. Crawdads make great food source for bass, both captive and wild. I'd bet you have some local neighbor kids that could scrounge you up some from a local creek for a few bucks. 

[Kevin22]

Someone else mentioned that once, but since Blutarsky came from a private (association owned) lake instead of public waters, I was under the assumption that I was in the clear.  If not, I'll post a picture of me being led off in handcuffs (which wouldn't be my first bass fishing related arrest).  My defense will be that I brought him home to eat and as I pulled him out of the livewell, he leapt into the koi pond.  Once there, i was never able to get him to bite again.  He apparently is the great, great grandson of Tom Mann's bass Leroy Brown.

 

I am trying to figure out the reasoning behind making a law against keeping a wild fish in captivity.  I understand laws against transporting them, as well as laws against introducing them into non-native waters, but unlike a tiger, gorilla or other large wild animal, having a wild bass in a pond or aquarium doesn't endanger the public.

 

You caught him?  I thought you said you bought him from a fish farm? Hint hint wink wink

[WRB]

My guess is your bass is female, not male based on growth rate and girth. When bass get ready to lay eggs, they stop feeding. Without a male she might not release her eggs.

If the Koi spawn, the bass will eat thier fry!

Tom

[jtharris3]

Nice looking bass. He seems to have adapted well to your pond. Love the name!

[Mccallister25]

How big is your koi pond?

[RSM789]

My guess is your bass is female, not male based on growth rate and girth. When bass get ready to lay eggs, they stop feeding. Without a male she might not release her eggs.

If the Koi spawn, the bass will eat thier fry!

Tom

 

I didn't even think of that, what a brain fade on my part.  Today, as the koi were munching down on their pellets, Blutarsky sucked in & spit out a half dozen nightcrawlers, something she has never done before.  I don't have a temperature gauge in the pond, but with the waterfall & current, I am guessing it is in the low 60's (10 - 15 degrees cooler than the lake).  She doesn't have that egg bulge that many big females get, but then again, she is probably pretty young.  If Blutarsky is indeed a girl, then it would only be appropriate to change her name to Babs... Or maybe Rosie O'Donnell.

 

There is a big bluegill in the pond as well, if he is a male & Blutarsky is desperate, well you know what they say about any port in a storm.  Soon I may be in the business of selling largemouth/bluegill crossbreeds.  Shaped like a bluegill, matching appetite with a bass's mouth and growth potential...

[RSM789]

How big is your koi pond?

 

It has a series of waterfalls leading to the main pool, which is about 20 feet long, 5 feet across and about 3 feet deep.  It doesn't seem that big until you see how much water you have to take out to do the annual clean-out.  I may be personally responsible for California's drought...

[WRB]

I didn't even think of that, what a brain fade on my part.  Today, as the koi were munching down on their pellets, Blutarsky sucked in & spit out a half dozen nightcrawlers, something she has never done before.  I don't have a temperature gauge in the pond, but with the waterfall & current, I am guessing it is in the low 60's (10 - 15 degrees cooler than the lake).  She doesn't have that egg bulge that many big females get, but then again, she is probably pretty young.  If Blutarsky is indeed a girl, then it would only be appropriate to change her name to Babs... Or maybe Rosie O'Donnell.

 

There is a big bluegill in the pond as well, if he is a male & Blutarsky is desperate, well you know what they say about any port in a storm.  Soon I may be in the business of selling largemouth/bluegill crossbreeds.  Shaped like a bluegill, matching appetite with a bass's mouth and growth potential...

Bass and bluegill don't breed, same basic family but very different.

Tom

[RSM789]

...I'd bet you have some local neighbor kids that could scrounge you up some from a local creek for a few bucks. 

 

I really wish I could do that, but in Orange County:

1. The closet thing we have to creeks are concrete lined barancas that carry our thrice-a-year rain out to the ocean;

    

2. Most kids here aren't very nature oriented, seeing crows eating out of a garbage can and cottontails nibbling on their grass is the extent of their wildlife experience.

 

I know you guys have had a long, hard winter, but I really *** the more rural aspects of your cities & towns.  Easy for me to say when I never have to experience that cold, but I would prefer to have that kind of surroundings.

[RSM789]

For the past 2 weeks, Blutarsky has shown no interest in eating night crawlers. In the past, he would follow my hand as I tossed them in the pond & engulf them as they hit the surface. Since the start of April, he either ignores them or will inhale & then spit them out.

I thought this may be due to a spawning instinct until my wife tossed a few pieces of bread in for the koi. Blutarsky quickly went over & ate the bread. So I then picked up a dozen feeder goldfish and sure enough, once I put them in the pond, the feast was on. Blutarsky chased those goldfish all over the pond, hammering each one A few days later, I tossed him some night crawlers & he again ignored them.

Now ironically, during the same stretch of time, the bite in the lake he came out of has been on fish type lures instead of plastic worms, jigs or Senkos. On a lake where typically plastics account for 70% of the fish caught, only crankbaits, topwaters & swimbaits are producing. This follows a similar pattern from last year.

Any chance that Blutarskys genetics are to key on baitfish & fry for a few weeks this time of year instead of being an opportunistic predator?