Ever Heard Of This?

[tcbass]

My friend has a cabin on a lake in Northern Minnesota that is close to the Canadian border. I don't know what kind of lakes these are, glacial, or what not but they are the type to hold walleye, northern, smallmouth bass, even a few crappie. But not to many sunfish or any other fish like that. I think there may also be lake trout and cisco or whitefish in there. 

 

With the combined fishing of his grandfather's years and his and the rest of his family and me and my family is close to 100 years of fishing. His grandfather fishing it for over 60 years and us for almost 40. 

 

 

In that time we only know of 1 largemouth being caught and that was a long time ago and it wasn't a big one. Then oddly enough this year fishing off of their dock they caught 2 largemouth, both over 4lbs. and at 21" inches. 

 

I assume it's a Oligotrophic lake which means: “Oligo” means very little; therefore, oligotrophic means very little nutrients (Phosphorus and Nitrogen). Oligotrophic lakes are usually found in northern Minnesota and have deep clear water, rocky and sandy bottoms, and very little algae. The fish found in oligotrophic lakes like cold, high oxygenated water, examples include lake trout and whitefish. So not the kind of lake you find largemouth bass in.

 

 

Where did these fish come from? How'd they get so big? Why hasn't anyone ever caught smaller largemouth?

 

 

 

Ever heard of this?

 

 

Up North in Minnesota, it's walleye country. No one fishes for largemouth bass because there aren't supposed to be any and there usually isn't. This is truly a surprise.

[slonezp]

Bas of that size in a lake that far north are probably at least 10 years old. If LMB do not occur naturally in that lake they may have made their way in a fisherman's minnow bucket.

[Bruce424]

I think you'd be suprised where you'll find largemouth. Those bass got big probably because they are old and had time to grow. Like you said nobody up there fishes for them so they probly don't get disturbed too much, like loch Ness monster! To prove the population of the largies. Site fish in late april. Haha

[tcbass]

I think you'd be suprised where you'll find largemouth. Those bass got big probably because they are old and had time to grow. Like you said nobody up there fishes for them so they probly don't get disturbed too much, like loch Ness monster! To prove the population of the largies. Site fish in late april. Haha

 

 

 

What's weird is I'm pretty sure they bit on just your regular walleye/smallmouth bait, a bobber with a hook and leach....something that we've fished with our entire time up there, basically the only style of fishing.....and never caught largemouth bass before. 

[MIbassyaker]

As natural lakes age, they accumulate sediment and nutrients, and become increasingly more shallow and more fertile, going from oligotrophic to mesotrophic to eutrophic. Largemouth tend to be found in late mesotrophic and eutrophic lakes, while smallmouth tend to be found in late oligotrophic to mesotrophic lakes. Here in michigan, especially the northern half of the lower peninsula, we have a lot of lakes in the mesotrophic range with some zones that support more smallmouth and some that support more largemouth. But human development can make the transition speed up a lot, due to agriculture, fertilizer, erosion, shoreline changes, pollution, etc., and some zones of the lake may transition faster than others. You may well have a lake in which human development and use has caused some eutrophication, thus increasing the amount of suitable largemouth habitat a lot in a relatively short amount of time.

 

EDIT: I should add, the In-Fisherman books on Largemouth and Smallmouth have excellent, detailed discussions of this.

[papajoe222]

My guess is that they've always been there, but the presence of other predatory fish, scarcity and competition of and for the size and type of forage that is available has kept their numbers minimal.  Those that survive do so by avoiding the areas where you likely fish for those other species and that could be the reason for the lack of your paths crossing.

[tcbass]

My guess is that they've always been there, but the presence of other predatory fish, scarcity and competition of and for the size and type of forage that is available has kept their numbers minimal. Those that survive do so by avoiding the areas where you likely fish for those other species and that could be the reason for the lack of your paths crossing.

You'd have thought that someone would have least caught a hungry little bass before then.

Not just two 4lbers.

[MIbassyaker]

Sounds like somebody did catch a hungry little bass before then -- you said somebody caught one years ago. Largemouth populations do not tend to go away easily once present, and it sounds like this lake has always had a small population hanging around, probably spending most of the time tight to cover, nearer shallower water than the walleye, pike, and smallmouth, possibly in places most anglers of those other species aren't hitting. Whatever watershed the lake is in, I bet you can find largemouth here and there throughout it depending on whether there is enough habitat to sustain them -- connecting waters and/or occasional flooding would be how they got there. And a small population can still have some big ones growing in it provided there is enough forage. One of the best lakes near me for good sizes of largemouth is a fairly bad lake for numbers; it's easy to get skunked, but when you tie into one, the chances it's 4lb or more are pretty good. 

[ClackerBuzz]

funny I just saw a video of a guy from Wisconsin that found a pocket of LM in a SM lake.

i bet there are a bunch of LM in that lake but nobody ever targets them via punching/frogging the slop.

are most guys trolling or fishing deep?  the LM might be in very skinny water where others don't venture.

https://youtu.be/YyBUx_aM61g

[Dtree11]

My family from northern Minn (Hibbing) feel that bass are an intrusive fish. Walleye is king in those parts. Maybe they have never bring in large mouth because they never try.

[tcbass]

funny I just saw a video of a guy from Wisconsin that found a pocket of LM in a SM lake.

i bet there are a bunch of LM in that lake but nobody ever targets them via punching/frogging the slop.

are most guys trolling or fishing deep? the LM might be in very skinny water where others don't venture.

https://youtu.be/YyBUx_aM61g

No slop. This is a deep, cold lake, with mostly rocky shoreline and pine trees. When you see a movie with a lake in the woods and bears and stuff, it's that kind of lake.

[ClackerBuzz]

No slop. This is a deep, cold lake, with mostly rocky shoreline and pine trees. When you see a movie with a lake in the woods and bears and stuff, it's that kind of lake.

I hear banjos

[WIGuide]

I read an article somewhere about how in a lot of lakes, fish with small populations in the lake can grow some giants. They have less competition with their own species over food where they live and they aren't a targeted forage because there aren't enough of them. I wouldn't doubt if there's some more of them in there though.

 

I think you'd be suprised where you'll find largemouth. Those bass got big probably because they are old and had time to grow. Like you said nobody up there fishes for them so they probly don't get disturbed too much, like loch Ness monster! To prove the population of the largies. Site fish in late april. Haha

He might want to wait until a little later. It's possible the water is still hard or freshly softened that time of year, not to mention their fishing season isn't open yet.

[hatrix]

It's kinda similar to the perch in my mothers lake. Like 5 or 6 years ago I caught 1 on a fluke. Through the next years I think 2 or 3 more were caught by people. It's weird it's so few as this is a place where hundreds upon hundreds of bass are caught each year and bass lures = perch lures pretty much. Well this year I caught 9 of them in one day. I shattered the all time count I know of in like 5 minutes on a jerkbait. I caught 6 in 6 casts out of a corner of the place. I guess they shouldnt really even be able to survive so I hear with it only being 13' deep anymore from silt. There was also supposed to be eyes at one point I heard but those also are supposed to need that deeper water like perch.

Where do they go and why don't I ever catch them more often? I have no idea how that works but I don't think there is probably more then 20 or 30 of them in the whole place and they travel is little schools I bet. They are so few and the chance of survivng to reach a decent size is rare with 5#+ bass and 10#+ cats swimming around. Even if they do a 8-10" perch is still a easy meal for those fish.

I will say that my perch s-waver catches more then any other one I have. But in it defense it has shaved joints is my oldest s-waver and has mojo in the hundreds going for it.

[PourMyOwn]

I've seen this a few times in NH, fishing deep clear lakes for smallmouth. I'm sure they came in via another fisherman, but nobody will ever know. Very little evidence of small bass, but a few nice ones. 

[tcbass]

I read an article somewhere about how in a lot of lakes, fish with small populations in the lake can grow some giants. They have less competition with their own species over food where they live and they aren't a targeted forage because there aren't enough of them. I wouldn't doubt if there's some more of them in there though.

 

He might want to wait until a little later. It's possible the water is still hard or freshly softened that time of year, not to mention their fishing season isn't open yet.

 

 

 

That makes sense. Must of not gotten eaten by a walleye or northern as they were growing.

[the reel ess]

Been there all along. But given the clarity and depth, they've been deep. I fished a rock quarry once I was told had no bass but did have catfish and bluegill. You could see 20' down. I caught a bass on a little piece of cut bluegill. They were down on the bottom.

 

For whatever reason, something caused these fish to be shallow. Maybe spawn or dissolved oxygen content.

[NathanW]

I know a couple of lakes like that here in Washington. Up in the mountains close to ski resorts or mountain passes. Everyone who fishes them are after some type of trout and never bass. Some of the looks I get when people see me casting around a spinnerbait or jig in my bass boat are pretty priceless. I will tell you though these fish are easy to fool once you find them and big. Don't ask where these lakes are because I will never give them up.