Some lakes grow harder-fighting bass.

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, GRiver said:

This scene right here is what it’s about, “the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat”…. 

 

For sure!

[Susky River Rat]

@ol'crickety I think we are on to a business venture! 

[Swamp Girl]

Just now, Susky River Rat said:

@ol'crickety I think we are on to a business venture! 

 

😄

[Zcoker]

Big wild bass out in the everglades will re-define what many think about bass and how they fight. They're not stocked nor are they pampered. They are subject to one of the most extreme environments on earth. In that regard, and in order to get to any size (which is a sheer miracle out there) they have to overcome almost impossible odds and obstacles. Not gonna catch one unless ya REALLY work at it, day in, day out, night in, night out, putting in the time into oblivion...and when hooked, all I can say is to hold on for the fight of a lifetime! 

 

[gim]

49 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

nor are they pampered

 

Pampered?  Like in someone else takes care or them, feeds them their meals, puts them to bed, and makes their lives easier?

 

I think you misrepresented how a fish lives with this one.  There's no fish out there that has their lives given to them on a platter.  Its eat, reproduce, or be eaten.

[Zcoker]

1 minute ago, gimruis said:

 

Pampered?  Like in someone else takes care or them, feeds them their meals, puts them to bed, and makes their lives easier?

 

I think you misrepresented how a fish lives with this one.  There's no fish out there that has their lives given to them on a platter.  Its eat, reproduce, or be eaten.

 

Yes, meaning that they are stocked, managed, like a lot of fisheries here in Florida. And, yes, some of these fisheries even have feeders! 

[gim]

Stocked fished still have to eat, reproduce, and undergo the rigors of every other fish once they are released.  Virtually all of the trout, walleyes, pure strain muskie, and tiger muskie here are stocked.  Makes it no easier to catch.

 

Feeder fish?  I had no idea.  That's bush league.

[Zcoker]

Well, it makes a BIG difference here in Florida, at least from my experience. The wild bass out in the glades are WAY different the way they fight. I thought I knew what bass fishing was all about until I started tangling with them. They changed my tune quickly! 

[Mike L]

Just now, Zcoker said:

Well, it makes a BIG difference here in Florida, at least from my experience. The wild bass out in the glades are WAY different the way they fight. I thought I knew what bass fishing was all about until I started tangling with them. They changed my tune quickly! 

Ain’t that the truth!!

I had a discussion with some friends who like me call Okeechobee home and fish it every chance I get. 
Fishing The Lake is the closest but there is a difference for some reason. 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Bankc]

I believe it.  The bass in my local lake don't fight worth a darn.  But the bass in a smaller lake not too far away fight much harder. 

 

If I were to hazard a guess, I would think it has something to do with the dissolved oxygen levels in the water. 

[fin]

It seems to me that fish in shallower water (like less than two feet) can get some kind of leverage and create more resistance than the same fish in deeper water. It may seem like a stronger fighting fish, but it's really just where it is caught. At least that's my hypothesis.

[Pat Brown]

My friends and I talk at the marina sometimes as we pass each other coming or going and here's a thing some of us have observed that I find interesting:

 

On the small pressured ponds with well educated but large bass - the fights are insane.  They pull out all the stops.  Often acrobatic launching into the air with head shakes etc.  These fish have been caught.  These fish do not like being caught.  These fish recognize fairly quickly when they're being caught.  These fish consistently fight like their life depends on it to get off (and often successfully do!)

 

On the bigger lakes - it seems more situational.  Sometimes the fish seem like they don't even know they're hooked til they can see the boat.

[softwateronly]

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

If I were to hazard a guess, I would think it has something to do with the dissolved oxygen levels in the water. 

^^^

I definitely concede that river fish are different, but when comparing slack water fish I'm going with DO, water temp, individuality, and possibly then the competitiveness of the environment as reasons.  but this is just an opinion.

 

scott

[Bazoo]

I caught a 5lber on the heavily pressured public lake I frequent and it didn't really put up a fight, more like succumbing to the inevitable. I mean sure it pulled a bit, but not like I would have expected.

 

I catch bass that haven't been caught before on a small private lake and they put up more of a fight, jumping, thrashing, sometimes throwing the hook. They are mostly smaller ones.

 

The fish on the river though fight 3 times as hard.

 

7 hours ago, Zcoker said:

Big wild bass out in the everglades will re-define what many think about bass and how they fight. They're not stocked nor are they pampered. They are subject to one of the most extreme environments on earth. In that regard, and in order to get to any size (which is a sheer miracle out there) they have to overcome almost impossible odds and obstacles. Not gonna catch one unless ya REALLY work at it, day in, day out, night in, night out, putting in the time into oblivion...and when hooked, all I can say is to hold on for the fight of a lifetime! 

 

Awesome picture, thank you for sharing.

[Dwight Hottle]

21 hours ago, king fisher said:

I know people wont believe me, but at a couple lakes I fish in Mexico, the largemouth bass fight as hard as any small mouth bass I ever caught.  I don't know if they are Florida strain, or a mix between Florida, and northern strain, but they are the hardest fighting bass I have ever caught.  Anything over 5 pound's will jump completely out of the water a minimum of 3 times, and will not only bulldog like a freight train, but at times will go on blistering runs.  The bass in other lakes I fish close by, fight more like largemouth I have caught in northern waters.  It doesn't sound logical, but that is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Lake Baccarac bass fight much more aggressively than many other waters. So I truly agree with your assessment.

[ironbjorn]

I have mostly only fished in the north, Great Lakes region states. I have noticed two things when it comes to LMB up here. They fight harder in the rivers (no surprise), and they fight harder in minimally pressured, secluded ponds and lakes (whereas popular, highly pressured ponds and lakes produce weak fighters). The only conclusion I can draw about the latter is that conditioning has taught them what being caught is (when caught from high pressure waters), so they don't really give it hell (or something). Idk. But it's consistent for me.

[TnRiver46]

On 7/24/2024 at 5:09 AM, Susky River Rat said:

I will put the susky small mouth up against any other region of bass there is. They are extremely hard fighting and strong. 

You Gotta try the coosa spots, Alabama bass, whatever the nomenclature happy pencil pushers are calling them now. They are unreal

 

i caught a SMB at rainy lake, MN this weekend that nearly pulled me off a dock. Funny because it was smaller than the one I caught the day before but much stronger . Might have had something to do with its tail 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Agreed about Alabama Bass, the violence and top end speed of that fish in unmatched pound for pound. 

 

I had a 2.5lb one literally jump in the boat last night when I was trying to retrieve a stuck bait, then proceeded to go absolute nuclear.  I've never had that happen before, still blows my mind.....just like you see in those flying Asian Carp videos.  

[TnRiver46]

We need the footage of this incident 😂 . A 2.5 lb spot in the boat all green could cause serious injury to any humans on board 

 

I’ve had little LM jump into a kayak when I was frog gigging at night. Just paddling along watching the bank and fish jumped in 

[king fisher]

15 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve had little LM jump into a kayak when I was frog gigging at night. Just paddling along watching the bank and fish jumped in 

You are around so many bass they just jump in the boat, and you can't catch one on a spinnerbait?

[TnRiver46]

1 minute ago, king fisher said:

You are around so many bass they just jump in the boat, and you can't catch one on a spinnerbait?

Yes but these bass that jumped into the kayak were much smaller than a spinnerbait . And for the record I CAN catch one on a spinnerbait, it’s just like one per year 

[WRB]

Yes and no to some lakes produce harder fighting (Largemouth) bass. Overall Lake Casitas seems to produce harder fight pound for pound bass then other SoCal lakes because the bass are generally healthier outweighing the same length fish.

It comes down to individual bass in each lake. I caught bass and ask who was helping you as fish fought like it was life or death struggle. Others fought a ho hum battle giving up easily at the same lake.

Tom

[Buzzbaiter]

On the topic of different species, I’ll say the following:

 

Largemouth that I’ve caught fight decently, lots of headshakes.

Florida bass give up relatively easily, although it might just be because I tend to catch them in heavy weeds where I don’t let them fight.

 

Smallmouth pull hard on short runs, and jump if you let them get towards the surface. They’re very hard fighters.

 

Suwannee bass fight somewhere between largemouth and smallmouth; I’d say they have a fight style similar to the former, but the strength of the latter.

 

Shoal bass are the hardest fighting bass I’ve caught. They fight like schoolie rockfish. 
 

On the topic of whether some fisheries have harder fighting bass than others, I’d say yes, and that it likely has to do with genetics, water conditions, and hunting habits. Moving water seems to consistently produce harder fighting fish, irrespective of species. I would imagine fish that feed in open water tend to chase more than those that feed in cover, which might make some fish more inclined to swim around than others. 

[Bird]

On 7/31/2024 at 12:22 AM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Agreed about Alabama Bass, the violence and top end speed of that fish in unmatched pound for pound. 

 

I had a 2.5lb one literally jump in the boat last night when I was trying to retrieve a stuck bait, then proceeded to go absolute nuclear.  I've never had that happen before, still blows my mind.....just like you see in those flying Asian Carp videos.  

And DNR says that Alabama bass are invasive here in VA......... welcome to VA i say as them things fight harder than a smallmouth in River current.

[scbassin]

Water Temp has a lot to do with it.