Where are these LM coming from?

[crankbait2009]

Over the past couple years, I have been entering in state wide kayak fishing tournaments. Every year I see people posting pictures of LM bass that are insanely fat in the mid section. They are shortish but stubby fat. I have never seen LM bass in my neck of the woods that look like this. I have pulled some 3 pounders out, but again, don't look fat.

 

By looking at this photo, can you tell what kind of waters they are being pulled from? I'm guessing a pond of some sort. I can't imagine bass in lakes look like this, especially in Ohio, but what do I know.  

 

I most likely won't enter next year, just for the fact that I don't have access to these little pigs.

[Scott F]

I thought that total length of the fish caught determines the winner not weight in kayak tournaments. Short and fat don’t score more than long and skinny when a ruler is used. 

Fat fish like in your photo probably had recently eaten but not digested their last meal

[Dens228]

I kayak fish a lot.  I don't fish many lakes mainly because there are a lot of quarries around me.  I can tell you I've caught my share of big bellied bass from quarries. But will admit my far and away biggest, fattest came from a pond.

[crankbait2009]

You are correct about length and not weight.  But it seems like every year I see pictures, they are always 18"+ or so, and always look un-proportionally fat, like the photo above.

[FishinBuck07]

6 minutes ago, crankbait2009 said:

You are correct about length and not weight.  But it seems like every year I see pictures, they are always 18"+ or so, and always look un-proportionally fat, like the photo above.

I also am from Ohio, I fish a lot down in Southeast Ohio at AEP Recreation Lands( used to be Ohio Power Ponds).  The bigger fish down there are always stubby and fat. 

[crankbait2009]

I've heard a lot about those AEP ponds.  They are quite popular.  I've thought about it, but I'm struggling to justify the 3 hour trip.  I guess I don't have any room to complain about not being able to compete, when it's on me at this point......?

 

I've had a few local guys tell me about the AEP's.

[jbsoonerfan]

Lake fish here in Oklahoma.

[WRB]

The answer is very simple that LMB came out of a eccosystem that has abundant high protein prey/food source.

Weight is a factor of body mass and the reason girth is a factor considering weight; length X length X girth / 1200 = weight in lbs. length measured mouth closed.

Avaerage bass the girth is about 70-75% of the length.

Heavy body bass the girth is about 8O-85% of the length.

Giant bass the girth can be 90-100% of the length.

Tom

[TOXIC]

That just looks like a healthy bass to me.  Not overly short or fat.  My point being that body shape also has to do with the environment as well as genetics.  River fish tend to be longer and thinner vs. lake fish being round.  Anybody who fishes Lake St Clair and Lake Erie for smallmouth can tell the difference between the 2.  We can tell immediately when a Lake Erie smallmouth is in St Clair either by migration or by taking a ride on tournament day.  They look completely different but are the same species.  We call them Lake Erie Footballs and St Clair Toads.  The St Clair fish are much longer and thinner as a rule.      

[J Francho]

Small mouth, big girth, well fed, fast growth rate.  Here's one from a managed, and fed population:

 

[Hower08]

We regularly get big bellied bass like that on the lakes I fish around me in Ohio. What part of the start are you from

[Jleebesaw]

The OP picture just looks like a normal LM to me. A big one, sure, but normal proportions. I do agree about those open boundary type tourneys though. I know some guys who have a pond on a hunting camp with huge bass in it. 8 and 10 pound bass. Here in new york, that is very big. They buy feeder fish to stock in there and have aeration in it. If these guys do this, I'm sure other people do it too. It would be hard to compete against managed, private ponds on natural lakes. If I'm fishing for competition, I want everybody on the same water leaving the launch at the same time with open live wells! 

[Bluebasser86]

That fish is borderline skinny for what I'm use to seeing at some of the local lakes that are packed with big gizzard shad if it's 18" and 3 pounds. Not unusual for a fish to be 16" and 3 pounds. 18" fish will usually be over 4. It's usually the pond fish that are skinny and sickly looking here from lack of forage and overpopulation around here.