Are the Bass getting smaller?

[WRB]

Wow nearly 8 lb male, that's a monster size! Must be great to have a bass fishery management program, California bass are on there own!

Tom

[Catt]

39 minutes ago, WRB said:

Wow nearly 8 lb male, that's a monster size! Must be great to have a bass fishery management program, California bass are on there own!

Tom

 

What I've heard & read is that California, Florida, & many other big bass fisheries are losing their genetic base. The saving grace of Florida is their genetic base is still fairly high, catch & release has offset removal.  Florida is where all our genetics came from!

[WRB]

California only introduces bass into new lakes when they are initially impounded. Occasionally (rare) a local bass fishing club or organization will net bass fingerlings and restock a lake with permission form the Department of Fish & Wildlife. The California Florida strain bass came from Cypress Gardens area of Florida back in 1959 and planted into in San Diego city lakes, with a few exceptions, that already had established northern strain LMB. Smallmouth bass were the 1st bass species introduced to California around 1880, LMB in 1890. Our bass genetic gene pool is getting old.

Tom

[jr231]

Yup. On a mild day of catching dinks. I just chalk it up to all the fish are small as well 

[BASS302]

"Are the Bass getting smaller?"

 

Only the ones I catch!

[IndianaFinesse]

Those bass are going to get even smaller if you put them on a scale.

[TOXIC]

I think you will see that "managed" fisheries will outproduce "natural" bodies given time and smart management.  

[clark9312]

I wonder if catch and release has anything to do with it? This is just a theory but if you look at deer populations they keep growing. Kentucky keeps producing near record harvest numbers every year and we continue to see more and more deer. I wonder if people not taking enough fish has any impact. 

 

Note: I never keep bass I catch and release only

[Airman4754]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 0:55 PM, fishballer06 said:

To also add to the mix... How many times has the world record spotted bass been broken in the past two years?

 

It's all at Bullards Bar though. One lake being awesome doesn't mean it's awesome across the board. Oroville and Shasta are dink spot factories. There are some good fish there, but nothing like Bullards.

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 1:43 PM, Catt said:

Last year on Toledo Bend 139 double digits were caught during 3 months of the spawn, this years is off to a great start.

 

Ryan Pinkston of Center, Tx caught this 14.62-pound largemouth Saturday while fishing in the Bass-N-Bucks tournament on Toledo Bend Reservoir...he had a 36 # stringer.

 

One of the two-first named pros down here caught a 40lb bag on Guntersville on Saturday.

[Airman4754]

On ‎3‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 10:15 AM, Catt said:

 

Genetics!

Not every bass is genetically capable of reaching 10# status.

 

Past genetic research focused mainly on the female but the ShareLunker program is showing the equally important role of the male's genetics.

2014 Nacogdoches Texas, a lake record of 12.54 lbs was caught on Lake Naconiche; genetic research showed some interesting facts.

The mother was ShareLunker #370; 14.28 lbs from Falcon Lake.

The grandmother was ShareLunker #187; 14.05 lbs from Lake Fork.

The great-grandmother was ShareLunker #9; 16.13 lbs from Gibbons Creek.

Plus ShareLunker #305; 14.67 lbs from Lake Fork.

All 5 were from the same father; an almost 8 lb male.

 

Each female bass listed was hatched at the ShareLunker hatchery in Athens, Texas & stocked a fingerlings!

 

Why more states haven't adopted a Lunker program like this is beyond me. It's such a cool thing.

[BassThumb]

12 hours ago, clark9312 said:

I wonder if catch and release has anything to do with it?

 

It could be possible that lunker bass that have been caught-and-released a couple times are wiser, more skittish, and less likely to be fooled again.