How Fast Do Bass Grow?

[smr_hga]

I've noticed something while fishing at my local pond. The average bass size has gone up! I've lived in florida here for almost 3 years now and i've realized that the bass are bigger. The community i live in is only about 4 or 5 years old so the bass im catching were probably there since the beggining. Anyways the old average size was about 12in. Now it is more like 14in! I have even caught 3 17+ inchers this year which fit into my top 4 biggest fish caught there (with the biggest being my 24in PB) Anyways, out of curiosity i would like to learn some stuff about the growing rates of bass. So if someone could share some knowledge on this it would be much appreciated

[Josh Smith]

Different rates for different zones. I'll look it up a bit later, though I'm sure someone will beat me to it.

Josh

[Mainebass1984]

 I have aged a few bass in New England. The growth rate, age expectancy are completely different with the northern strain largemouth then the Florida strain. If you are still interested I would be more then willing to dig up the info and share.

[the reel ess]

They grow maybe a pound a year down south, given the right conditions. In a big lake full of shad, you can just about tell a yearling bass when you catch one. Water quality and unlimited bait supply will allow a healthy growth rate. But I have fished many places where the sexually mature females (the ones loaded with eggs) were a pound on average. That indicates a limited food supply and overstocking.

 

Never feel guilty about taking fish out of a place like that unless the owner doesn't want you to. You'll be doing them a favor. I caught 23 at my buddy's pond two Fridays ago. Not one over 1.25 lb. I left him 12 eating size in his basket and didn't take any. The last time I caught one over 2 lbs in there was 2 years ago. I put it back because it's a big fish for that pond. I'll bet that fish was 4-5 years old. I caught one 6.5 lb in there 10 years ago.

[WRB]

I've noticed something while fishing at my local pond. The average bass size has gone up! I've lived in florida here for almost 3 years now and i've realized that the bass are bigger. The community i live in is only about 4 or 5 years old so the bass im catching were probably there since the beggining. Anyways the old average size was about 12in. Now it is more like 14in! I have even caught 3 17+ inchers this year which fit into my top 4 biggest fish caught there (with the biggest being my 24in PB) Anyways, out of curiosity i would like to learn some stuff about the growing rates of bass. So if someone could share some knowledge on this it would be much appreciated

Was your pond new or existed prior to the housing development and what size is this pond?

Ponds can be a closed system with no inlet or outlet, a natural spring or may have a stream flowing in ant out.

A closed pond without a inlet stream has the least potential for good bass growth unless someone is feeding the bass they will eat themselves out of a good supply food and stop growing.

Ponds with a constant flow of water tend to have a constant replenishment of a food source and good water quality. When the bass reach adult size, over 15",they can grow a pound a year with a good supply of high protein food source.

Tom

[kickerfish1]

There are too many factors that are associated with bass growth. One of the biggest is the strain of bass. What you will find is that there are 2 main strains of bass. The first is a northern strain and the 2nd is Florida strain. The Florida bass grow bigger and faster. Part of that is due to the longer growing season. Other factors that influence how bass grow is the amount of forage and the number of bass in the body of water. If there are lots of smaller bass and limited prey options the bass population will be stunted and growth will be minimal. There are bodies of water here loaded with 13 inch and under bass. You can catch lots of fish and very few if any that will be over 14 or 15 inches. Lastly consider habitat available as another reason why fish may or may not grow quickly.

[smr_hga]

Was your pond new or existed prior to the housing development and what size is this pond?

Ponds can be a closed system with no inlet or outlet, a natural spring or may have a stream flowing in ant out.

A closed pond without a inlet stream has the least potential for good bass growth unless someone is feeding the bass they will eat themselves out of a good supply food and stop growing.

Ponds with a constant flow of water tend to have a constant replenishment of a food source and good water quality. When the bass reach adult size, over 15",they can grow a pound a year with a good supply of high protein food source.

Tom

From what i know the pond was built around when the houses were, although im not too sure so i could be completley wrong. It's a reservation pond where water is taken for sprinklers in people's yards. The size is about 4 acres but i'm horrible at judging acres so i'll make sure to get a picture of it next time i go to see what you guys think. I should also mention that they are stocked in there with just Bluegill and recently grass carp were added to maintain the algae growth. The bluegill are also HUGE. I can't seem to catch any under 9 inches...

(Proof)

So i honestly don't think the food supply is that great. Alot of times they'll be hanging out by a patch of weeds right by the bank. (My PB was also right by the bank) I've even seen them grab insects off the top of the water. Ok, one last thing, there are a few water outlets around the bank of the pond where i sometimes find the monsters hiding and also a turtle lol.

[WRB]

Untreated lawn run off water is very high in phosphates from fertilizer and promotes aquatic weed growth and bass growth to a point. The tipping point is massive fish die off from lack of dissolved oxygen, unless the pond has a aeration system ( sometime looks like a fountain ) and good place to fish.

The bluegill looks like a copper nose and must have spawned several times, should be lots of smaller bluegill if the bass haven't eaten all. You may want to invest in a dark color bluegill swimbait!

The bass learn where the food source is located, inflows and outflows bring food to them.

It sounds like all the fish were planted at the same period, new ponds are fertile and fish achieve rapid grew the first decade.

Good luck!

Tom

[the reel ess]

The huge bluegill generally will mean small bass.

[Catch and Grease]

With a good supply of food, about a pound a year after 15" I believe

[Bass newb]

You can count age by counting rings on their scales just like a tree.

[Bass newb]

I recall a table for general growth of females in a particular region in this site as well:

http://www.umpquavalleybassmasters.com/bassbook.htm

[Bass newb]

At the end of the - First Year 4"

Second Year 7 1/2"

Third Year 9"

Fourth Year 11"

Fifth Year 13"

Sixth Year 15"

Seventh Year 17"

Eighth Year 19"

Ninth Year 21"

Tenth Year 23"

Eleventh Year 25"

Regional data of course.

[smr_hga]

Untreated lawn run off water is very high in phosphates from fertilizer and promotes aquatic weed growth and bass growth to a point. The tipping point is massive fish die off from lack of dissolved oxygen, unless the pond has a aeration system ( sometime looks like a fountain ) and good place to fish.

The bluegill looks like a copper nose and must have spawned several times, should be lots of smaller bluegill if the bass haven't eaten all. You may want to invest in a dark color bluegill swimbait!

The bass learn where the food source is located, inflows and outflows bring food to them.

It sounds like all the fish were planted at the same period, new ponds are fertile and fish achieve rapid grew the first decade.

Good luck!

Tom

Fortunately there happens to be a fountain in the middle of the pond. Also the bluegiil are indeed copper noses and now that you mention it, i have seen smaller bluegill around 6 inches occasionally in the shallows. Ironically enough, i do plan to get a dark colored bluegill swimbait lol.

[Catt]

Quaility water & food sources are paramount

The genetics in the female & male are of extreme importance, some bass regardless of the quaility of water & food simply will not achieve a good growth rate. A long the entire Gulf States region 1 1/4 to 2 lbs during the first few years is very common. Then if we add in F1 (Tiger Bass) we are talking 2 lbs plus being very common, Alabama had an F1 reach 7 1/2 lbs in only 27 months.

[MO_LMB]

The huge bluegill generally will mean small bass.

 

Not true at all. Huge bluegill often mean the bass can't eat the giant bluegill, which in turn leaves an unlimited breeder of baitfish (baby bluegill)  for bass to eat

[smr_hga]

Not true at all. Huge bluegill often mean the bass can't eat the giant bluegill, which in turn leaves an unlimited breeder of baitfish (baby bluegill)  for bass to eat

Yeah if anything the bluegill will be eating the bass XD TBH they pull harder than the bass XD Only reason i fish for bass more often is because it's easier to get the hook out of a bass' mouth than a tiny bluegill mouth lol

[bigbill]

Well at the mall drainage pond the bass grew from dinks to 2/3lbers very quickly I'll say in 3 -4 years. The food source is the key to fast growth. Plus a healthy eco system.

[the reel ess]

Not true at all. Huge bluegill often mean the bass can't eat the giant bluegill, which in turn leaves an unlimited breeder of baitfish (baby bluegill)  for bass to eat

 

Pg 5 of this document explains the imbalance that exists when there are small bass and big bream, which is the case at a couple ponds I fish.

 

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/fishing/pdfs/pondchapter4.pdf

 

Overstocked bass (stunted), most bluegill get eaten by bass. The few bluegill that do survive to a size too large to eat have little competition and grow large. That's what I meant by big average bluegill = smaller average bass. It's a pond out of balance, unless you really like trophy size bluegill. Nothing wrong with that.

[bigbill]

Grow time wise? Quicker if the wife feeds them. Right now it's bread. Deer and fish get fed bread.

[Bluebasser86]

Pg 5 of this document explains the imbalance that exists when there are small bass and big bream, which is the case at a couple ponds I fish.

 

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/fishing/pdfs/pondchapter4.pdf

 

Overstocked bass (stunted), most bluegill get eaten by bass. The few bluegill that do survive to a size too large to eat have little competition and grow large. That's what I meant by big average bluegill = smaller average bass. It's a pond out of balance, unless you really like trophy size bluegill. Nothing wrong with that.

I only know of one local pond with really big (over 1 pound average), gills, but this is exactly the case for that pond. The bass are stunted with a very dense population. There aren't many bluegills but when you catch one, it's huge. Biggest bass I've ever seen from that pond was 2.5-3 pounds and very skinny/unhealthy looking. 

[the reel ess]

I only know of one local pond with really big (over 1 pound average), gills, but this is exactly the case for that pond. The bass are stunted with a very dense population. There aren't many bluegills but when you catch one, it's huge. Biggest bass I've ever seen from that pond was 2.5-3 pounds and very skinny/unhealthy looking. 

The only way to change the bass trend and restore the balance is to take a lot of them. My friend doesn't mind this issue at his pond because he likes catching big 'gills. They are awesome. They'll bite Roadrunners, inline spinners, micro Rebels and even small Rapala minnows when they're hungry. The small bass will bite the same things so I use a light rod with an UL spinning reel and 6# mono. Then, when you hook a 1.5# bass, it's a great fight.

[Bluebasser86]

The only way to change the bass trend and restore the balance is to take a lot of them. My friend doesn't mind this issue at his pond because he likes catching big 'gills. They are awesome. They'll bite Roadrunners, inline spinners, micro Rebels and even small Rapala minnows when they're hungry. The small bass will bite the same things so I use a light rod with an UL spinning reel and 6# mono. Then, when you hook a 1.5# bass, it's a great fight.

The pond I fish is hopeless because the owner doesn't want any fish taken out of it. It's fun to catch big bluegills though. I use to fish for them with a flyrod and wooly bugger. Caught a lot of bass doing that too and it's the same deal, a 1-1.5 pound bass or bluegill is a blast on a flyrod. 

[smr_hga]

The only way to change the bass trend and restore the balance is to take a lot of them. My friend doesn't mind this issue at his pond because he likes catching big 'gills. They are awesome. They'll bite Roadrunners, inline spinners, micro Rebels and even small Rapala minnows when they're hungry. The small bass will bite the same things so I use a light rod with an UL spinning reel and 6# mono. Then, when you hook a 1.5# bass, it's a great fight.

Unfortunatley, due to all the fertilizer from the runoff of sprinkler water i have determined it is unsafe to eat fish from there. (and have been told as well) I have also found that i can catch them with a spinnerbait. I have also caught a good few with a 2in crankbait XD and believe it or not, a popper even had a bluegill blowup.

[the reel ess]

Unfortunatley, due to all the fertilizer from the runoff of sprinkler water i have determined it is unsafe to eat fish from there. (and have been told as well) I have also found that i can catch them with a spinnerbait. I have also caught a good few with a 2in crankbait XD and believe it or not, a popper even had a bluegill blowup.

Yeah, that is the hard part. If you want the bass to get bigger, you have to remove them anyway. Even if you don't eat them. Nobody wants to do that unless it's a wall hanger because it feels like wasting them. So the balance will never be restored toward big bass unless it's drained or poisoned and started over.