Would you rather catch...?

[Dan N]

I think the short fat ones look cool, but I’ll take whatever 😉

 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Few things make me as happy in Bass fishing as catching a super fat Bass, doesn't even matter how big.    I just love seeing these critters thrive!    I actually caught a super fatty this afternoon 😁

 

I LOVE FAT BASS AND I CAN NOT LIE.......

 

You other anglers can't deny.....

That when a Bass swims in with a fat tummy

And a round belly in your face

You get hooked, wanna get spooled

Cause you know that Bass is stuffed

Deep in that gut she's wearing

I'm hooked and I can't stop staring 

Ooh Baby I wanna get with ya 

And take your picture

 

- Sir Bass A Lot 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

4 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Few things make me as happy in Bass fishing as catching a super fat Bass, doesn't even matter how big.    I just love seeing these critters thrive!    I actually caught a super fatty this afternoon 😁

 

I agree with you 100%. If I catch a 15" bass that's bulging, I smile. 

[woolleyfooley]

Whichever fights harder. 🙂

[Catt]

[Aaron_H]

I'm torn. On the one hand, I love seeing those big, fat, healthy proportions on a bass. Even when they're small, it just looks right.

 

But on the other hand, a longer fish is probably an older and "bigger" fish in that sense, and probably a bit wiser and trickier to fool.

[rgasr63]

The tug is the drug for me. I am excited on every catch. But ecstatic over the big fish. 

[Columbia Craw]

[Macropterus]

Short and fat! Same as most, I’d be happy to catch either of the fish pictured, but the skinny ones make me feel like they weren’t at their full potential. And I would bet that fat fish are happy fish.

[Swamp Girl]

23 minutes ago, Macropterus said:

the skinny ones make me feel like they weren’t at their full potential

 

Exactly. I worry about the skinny ones. I wonder why, with their years of experience, they aren't thriving. 

[Swamp Girl]

Here are another two examples. The first bass is only 18.25", but thriving:

 

 

The second bass is 20.75" and likely heavier, but I prefer the one above:

 

 

 

[DogBone_384]

I have no preference as long as I feel that 'tick'  and 'pull'.

[Spankey]

1 hour ago, Swamp Girl said:

 

Exactly. I worry about the skinny ones. I wonder why, with their years of experience, they aren't thriving. 

I don’t think there is much to worry about. I have a feeling it’s an after spawn situation. 
They are a rare catch for me. Has always been with largemouth bass. Head doesn’t match the body. But we’re healthy and strong. May be just an age thing. 

[Lottabass]

Anything that wiggles, but...

[fishballer06]

Ya'll are catching fish?!

[casts_by_fly]

for ANY given weight, I'd rather the fish be shorter and thicker.  1- they generally fight harder.  2- That tells me there is a good food base there so if that one is there there are probably more.  Like Tom said, long skinny fish usually mean a spotty forage base (aside from the very freshly spawned ones) and that's never a good thing for anyone.

 

This lake has a pretty good forage base.

 

[Swamp Girl]

18 minutes ago, fishballer06 said:

Ya'll are catching fish?!

 

Ha! Not me. The wind is howling over ice in Maine. 

 

@casts_by_fly: Your fish are healthy! I'd love that lake.

[JHoss]

No contest, short and fat. Long and skinny means underweight and not healthy. 

 

Even immediately after a spawn, bass should still be 95% of their relative weight. Too many people see a skinny bass and chalk that up to spawning stress, when in reality, the fish is not getting enough to eat.

[Catt]

Skinny fish could simply mean post spawn.

 

[Craig P]

I want to catch them all! But I do geek out to the ecology of them all too. 

 

 

[Swamp Girl]

14 minutes ago, Craig P said:

I want to catch them all! But I do geek out to the ecology of them all too. 

 

 

 

Me too. I can catch ten lmb and photograph all ten and each looks different, which has me wondering why. My smb don't vary nearly as much.

[Skunkmaster-k]

15 hours ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Few things make me as happy in Bass fishing as catching a super fat Bass, doesn't even matter how big.    I just love seeing these critters thrive!    I actually caught a super fatty this afternoon 😁

 

I LOVE FAT BASS AND I CAN NOT LIE.......

 

You other anglers can't deny.....

That when a Bass swims in with a fat tummy

And a round belly in your face

You get hooked, wanna get spooled

Cause you know that Bass is stuffed

Deep in that gut she's wearing

I'm hooked and I can't stop staring 

Ooh Baby I wanna get with ya 

And take your picture

 

- Sir Bass A Lot 

 

 

I sang this twice and laughed both times. 

[JHoss]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Skinny fish could simply mean post spawn.

This is a common misconception which has been disproved since the late 70's when Wege and Anderson came up with the idea of relative weight. Fish from a healthy population will still be at or close to 100% relative weight after the spawn. 

[LrgmouthShad]

19 hours ago, Swamp Girl said:

I should have given this thread the heading, "Post your big bass!"

🫡

[Catt]

@JHoss Yes sir but it will not have the egg swollen belly. Some bass are simply built long & skinny while others are short & fat. 

 

A typical marsh bass down here a generally short & fat.

 

Both of these bass weighed 11 lbs 3 oz., mine was post spawn from a marsh, the other is from Oklahoma.