Bass as Pets.

[soflabasser]

2 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

dont have access to some private waters

You are incorrect. I have permission to fish plenty of private lakes but I rarely fish them anymore since there is not much of a challenge to catch the bass in these places. Caught one of my double digit bass from a private lake along with a 22 pound channel catfish, +8 pound peacock bass, +2 pound bluegills, +2 pound redear sunfish, and other fish. It is a nice place to take kids who are learning how to fish but not somewhere I consider a challenge. Anyone can catch +8 pounder from a managed private lake but not anyone can catch a double digit from a pressured public lake.

1 hour ago, Hawkeye21 said:

I had looked into keeping bass before and read that it's very difficult.  The one guy said that it's hard to keep up with feeding them since they're not like goldfish that can be fed with basic fish food.  I don't think it's worth the time and money unless you had a pond that you could stock bait fish in with it.

 

It is much easier to raise a smaller species of fish than raise a bass. A regular sized largemouth bass weighs 1-4 pounds and that is too large for most home aquariums. I find cichlids to be more interesting fish to raise and you can raise cichlids in a 150 gallon aquarium or less.

[Glaucus]

4 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

You are incorrect. I have permission to fish plenty of private lakes but I rarely fish them anymore since there is not much of a challenge to catch the bass in these places. Caught one of my double digit bass from a private lake along with a 22 pound channel catfish, +8 pound peacock bass, +2 pound bluegills, +2 pound redear sunfish, and other fish. It is a nice place to take kids who are learning how to fish but not somewhere I consider a challenge. Anyone can catch +8 pounder from a managed private lake but not anyone can catch a double digit from a pressured public lake.

 

Some people fish for fun. Put me on a lake where I can easily catch big bass all day, I'm going to have fun. Catching is the whole point. 

[soflabasser]

8 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

Some people fish for fun. Put me on a lake where I can easily catch big bass all day, I'm going to have fun. Catching is the whole point. 

You need to visit Florida since big bass are almost everywhere down here. I catch plenty of big bass from public waters, including this past weekend. It was nice catching big fish in private ponds as a kid but I have outgrown that. I now focus on catching big bass from public water, multi species fishing, and other hobbies that I have. You put in your time on the water, learn from your fishing trips (not just go fishing and expect miracles), and the results will show.

[Glaucus]

8 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

You need to visit Florida since big bass are almost everywhere down here. I catch plenty of big bass from public waters, including this past weekend. It was nice catching big fish in private ponds as a kid but I have outgrown that. I now focus on catching big bass from public water, multi species fishing, and other hobbies that I have. You put in your time on the water, learn from your fishing trips (not just go fishing and expect miracles), and the results will show.

I don't get to fish very many private waters here in Illinois. I'm a public pond hopper and river rat. 

[soflabasser]

4 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

I don't get to fish very many private waters here in Illinois. I'm a public pond hopper and river rat. 

River smallmouth bass fishing is much more fun than catching bass in a private lake, at least for me. You have muskies in some of your rivers and that is another fun fish to catch. 

[OCdockskipper]

59 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

...I have permission to fish plenty of private lakes but I rarely fish them...

Wow, you just pegged my BS detector.

 

I understand how some private lakes are avoided because the logistics are difficult, the other anglers are jerks or the cover is something you don't enjoy fishing.  However, when the goal is to catch fish and you say you avoid a place because you catch too many fish, well "ding, ding, ding".

 

If your goal is a challenge, why fish in Florida?  It is easier to catch DD bass in Florida than most any other state other than maybe Texas.  You want a challenge, go fish in Indiana.?

[Glaucus]

13 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

Wow, you just pegged my BS detector.

 

I understand how some private lakes are avoided because the logistics are difficult, the other anglers are jerks or the cover is something you don't enjoy fishing.  However, when the goal is to catch fish and you say you avoid a place because you catch too many fish, well "ding, ding, ding".

 

If your goal is a challenge, why fish in Florida?  It is easier to catch DD bass in Florida than most any other state other than maybe Texas.  You want a challenge, go fish in Indiana.?

Yeah I'm really not seeing his logic all things considered. People foam at the mouth for a chance to fish an awesome private lake. Like you said about changing states then because of the challenge, we can even go as far as to say well then change gear and baits. Go back to a wooden pole and worms. More challenging than taking a good, sensitive rod and a tried and true lure. 

[soflabasser]

25 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

If your goal is a challenge, why fish in Florida?  It is easier to catch DD bass in Florida than most any other state other than maybe Texas.  You want a challenge, go fish in Indiana.?

Don't you live in Southern California, the capital of giant bass? What is your PB largemouth bass and how many years have you fished for? I live in Florida so that is where I do so most of my bass fishing. I agree Florida is one the best places to catch a double digit bass and I know how fortunate I am to live here. Indiana is not a state I plan on visiting but I am sure there is decent fishing there. You can keep fishing for private water bass if you want but I have no need for it when there are so many public bodies of water with big bass down here. 

9 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

 Like you said about changing states then because of the challenge

I have bass fished in 5 states so far and plan on fishing more states. Caught several species of black bass in my travels and Florida is still my favorite by far. Going back to the original subject now. It would be best to do your research about raising bass in a home aquarium and I would advise against it. Better to raise smaller, easier to take care species than trying to raise a bass that can potentially get over 5 pounds which will require a aquarium most people cannot have in a home.

[Glaucus]

3 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

Don't you live in Southern California, the capital of giant bass? What is your PB largemouth bass and how many years have you fished for? I live in Florida so that is where I do so most of my bass fishing. I agree Florida is one the best places to catch a double digit bass and I know how fortunate I am to live here. Indiana is not a state I plan on visiting but I am sure there is decent fishing there. You can keep fishing for private water bass if you want but I have no need for it when there are so many public bodies of water with big bass down here. 

I have bass fished in 5 states so far and plan on fishing more states. Florida has been my favorite by far.

To each his own. I'm not going to say you're BSing because I'm not you and I don't know you. It's perfectly plausible that someone fishes purely for the challenge. I think most of us fish for the fun and the whole concept: catching fish, and catching big fish. Then there's the guys who fish for the money. Then there's the guys who fish for all of those reasons combined. Personally from my perspective, nothing sounds bad about being on private water and catching big bass with ease. I did have the time of my life wading and kayaking rivers for Smallies this past season with my wife and good friends. We caught a ton of fish and made a lot of memories. That's the whole point to me, so private water sounds like a blast. I have fished private water, but few and far between and where I live, there isn't much of a difference. But to get on private water in a big bass state sounds like a dream. 

[soflabasser]

5 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

To each his own. I'm not going to say you're BSing because I'm not you and I don't know you. It's perfectly plausible that someone fishes purely for the challenge. I think most of us fish for the fun and the whole concept: catching fish, and catching big fish. Then there's the guys who fish for the money. Then there's the guys who fish for all of those reasons combined. Personally from my perspective, nothing sounds bad about being on private water and catching big bass with ease. I did have the time of my life wading and kayaking rivers for Smallies this past season with my wife and good friends. We caught a ton of fish and made a lot of memories. That's the whole point to me, so private water sounds like a blast. I have fished private water, but few and far between and where I live, there isn't much of a difference. But to get on private water in a big bass state sounds like a dream. 

You can believe whatever you want, it is the internet after all where anyone can type words on a keyboard. I am a man of my word and have albums full of big bass so I do not need approval from somebody online, especially someone I will not invite fishing with me. With that said, I like catching big bass from public waters and that is my preference. If you want to fish a well managed private pond filled with trophy bass go for it as long as you have permission from the owner and are not breaking any laws.

[Glaucus]

Matter of fact, I take that back. There was one place this season that was private that was head and shoulders above anywhere else I've fished in my area. My buddy got us on a big private pond a few times over the summer. It had big LMB and big SMB in it. Crystal clear water. It never gets fished. We got bit on almost every cast no matter if we threw a spinnerbait, chatterbait, crankbait, worm, Senko, topwater, you name it. That was a lot of fun.

2 minutes ago, soflabasser said:

You can believe whatever you want, it is the internet after all where anyone can type words on a keyboard. I am a man of my word and have albums full of big bass so I do not need approval from somebody online, especially someone I will not invite fishing with me. With that said, I like catching big bass from public waters and that is my preference. If you want to fish a well managed private pond filled with trophy bass go for it as long as you have permission from the owner and are not breaking any laws.

I think you read my post wrong or you had an improper idea of the tone of it. 

[soflabasser]

4 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

Matter of fact, I take that back. There was one place this season that was private that was head and shoulders above anywhere else I've fished in my area. My buddy got us on a big private pond a few times over the summer. It had big LMB and big SMB in it. Crystal clear water. It never gets fished. We got bit on almost every cast no matter if we threw a spinnerbait, chatterbait, crankbait, worm, Senko, topwater, you name it. That was a lot of fun.

If you got permission to fish it go for it. That is not the type of fishing I like but what matters is you enjoy yourself. As for me I will continue catching big bass from public waters since it is what I enjoy when it comes to bass fishing. I will also not hire a guide for largemouth bass and prefer catching my own fish since I find it more rewarding.

[NHBull]

I think I just saw a commercial where for $ 9.95/month you can adopt an endangered Small-mouth.  They will send you a picture of the adopted fish along with monthly updates as to the size.  ?

[inrll]

If you want to keep a small bass in an aquarium then go for it. I did it as a kid along with bluegill and they were always very hardy. You just have to make a trip to the pet store and pick up a dozen or so goldfish every week. You can also supplement them with worms you find under rocks or when it rains, as well as bugs. You could also buy minnow trap and drop it in a pond or lake and feed it those. The point is it's not as complicated as people on here are making it seem. At least not any more than any other freshwater fish. Feed it, but not too much and change out at least half the water once a week.

 

Having said all that, is it illegal to keep an undersized bass? Yes.

[J Francho]

Check your local laws.  You'd be better off keeping a sunfish, though.  They can actually be housed in aquariums that aren't unreasonably huge.  I had some in a 75 gal.  They're messy, so invest in a nice water exchanger.  You'll be doing 20-40% water changes once a week.

[soflabasser]

19 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Check your local laws.  You'd be better off keeping a sunfish, though.  They can actually be housed in aquariums that aren't unreasonably huge.  I had some in a 75 gal.  They're messy, so invest in a nice water exchanger.  You'll be doing 20-40% water changes once a week.

Glad to see you post on this subject @J Francho. I know you have many years of experience raising fish in aquariums and it would be wise for the OP to listen to you. It is much easier to raise sunfish such as bluegills, redears, warmouths, etc in a home aquarium than raise a largemouth bass which can potentially grow over 5 pounds. Too many people are watching Youtube videos of bass in small aquariums and they are not doing the needed research to understand how much space a fully grown bass will need. Bass grow for a lifetime and this is something that needs to be taken into consideration when wanting a bass as a pet. Bass can live for several years if properly taken care of and the ones that die under a year in a aquarium where not taken care of well.

[OCdockskipper]

1 hour ago, soflabasser said:

Don't you live in Southern California, the capital of giant bass? What is your PB largemouth bass and how many years have you fished for?...

I don't believe So Cal is the capital of giant bass anymore since the DFG stopped stocking bite sized rainbow trout in lakes where they quickly became meals for DD Florida strain largemouth.  We still have the climate to grow the largest bass (like Dottie) but the key forage is now gone.  BTW, those trout plants used to occur mainly in public lakes.

 

The lake I live on is small (85 acres) and has Northern largemouth, not Florida strain.  I have caught three 8's & two 7's out of it, I don't know if there are bigger bass in it.  The forage is bluegill & crawfish, no trout or shiners.  You can catch good numbers on it if you understand the lake, but it is no means a bass factory.  The private part is cool because it limits boat traffic in a county of 3 million people.

 

There is a nearby private lake with Florida strain that popped out a 19lb a decade ago (Lake Mission Viejo).  I only fished it twice, it wasn't much fun.  It was more gridlocked than our freeways and there was zero etiquette by the other anglers.  I prefer being the only boat fishing on the lake.

 

[OCdockskipper]

Back to the topic...

 

I have a bass & bluegill that live in my koi pond.  They started as a 12" bass and adult bluegill, the bass is now over 18" and the bluegill has kept pace in order to stay too big to eat.  I believe the bass is a male so he most likely won't get any larger.

 

Feeding & upkeep is not much more than if the koi lived alone.  I feed the bass 10 large goldfish twice a week and the bluegill gets giant mealworms.  The bluegill occasionally poaches a goldfish or two as well the koi pellets.  The bass gets extra treats whenever my kids catch a grasshopper or other critter.

 

The bass is definitely king of the pond, although at the peak of summer, he gets a little sluggish and the warm water koi invade his space.  He likes to lounge under the lilly pads while the Bluegill is a bit more shy and will hide under rocks.

[scaleface]

6 minutes ago, OCdockskipper said:

Back to the topic...

 

I have a bass & bluegill that live in my koi pond.  They started as a 12" bass and adult bluegill, the bass is now over 18" and the bluegill has kept pace in order to stay too big to eat.  I believe the bass is a male so he most likely won't get any larger.

 

Feeding & upkeep is not much more than if the koi lived alone.  I feed the bass 10 large goldfish twice a week and the bluegill gets giant mealworms.  The bluegill occasionally poaches a goldfish or two as well the koi pellets.  The bass gets extra treats whenever my kids catch a grasshopper or other critter.

 

The bass is definitely king of the pond, although at the peak of summer, he gets a little sluggish and the warm water koi invade his space.  He likes to lounge under the lilly pads while the Bluegill is a bit more shy and will hide under rocks.

I would enjoy  that .

[Captain Phil]

Some of you may not remember Tom Mann.  He was one of the early bass pros.  He founded Mann's bait company in Eufaula Alabama and created the Hummingbird brand of electronics.  For years he had a pet bass called Leroy Brown in a huge aquarium in his factory. The bass became famous and we stopped by to see him in the early seventies.  There is an article about this bass on the Bassmaster website. Google Tom Mann Leroy Brown bass.

 

A friend of mine had a pet bass in his tackle store.  He put it in a aquarium when it was about 6 inches long.  He fed it minnows and shiners. The bass eventually outgrew the aquarium and was released.