eggs?

[clayton86]

how much weight does a bass gain when she is full of eggs. my nephew and I fish a private lake with some 7 and 8 pounders in it that was 2 years ago so with the spawn and hopefully them growing possibly a state record the current one is 11lbs 4oz. its probably high hopes and dreams but isn't that a reason to fish

[George Welcome]

Roughly 10% - ie: 8 pound gal would be approximately 8.8 pounds with a full load, and ideal belly full of food. Keep in mind that she will in less than ideal shape post spawn, but once recovered from the rigors of spawn she will bounce right back: assuming ideal forage.

[shimmy]

Roughly 10% - ie: 8 pound gal would be approximately 8.8 pounds with a full load, and ideal belly full of food. Keep in mind that she will in less than ideal shape post spawn, but once recovered from the rigors of spawn she will bounce right back: assuming ideal forage.

really?...i have always been under the assumption and from what i have read, bass can have an extra pound or two during the spawn. The bigger the fish, the bigger the percentage...this is interesting

[J Francho]

Roughly 10% - ie: 8 pound gal would be approximately 8.8 pounds with a full load, and ideal belly full of food. Keep in mind that she will in less than ideal shape post spawn, but once recovered from the rigors of spawn she will bounce right back: assuming ideal forage.

really?...i have always been under the assumption and from what i have read, bass can have an extra pound or two during the spawn. The bigger the fish, the bigger the percentage...this is interesting

I can't say about bass too much, simply not enough years fishing the spawn, but for trout they are heavier when in good condition, but not prespawn.  Browns are tanks in spring.  Muscle must be more dense than eggs?

[clayton86]

its a extremely healthy lake/pond everything there is giant even the gills. its very well hidden and surrounded by farm land that's posted. unless you walk down stream a few miles to get there. we just asked the farmers and got the go ahead just don't trash the place. but all the fish are extremely healthy and spunky

[Team9nine]

George is pretty much right on. Weight varies by the exact timing of your catch relative to the spawn, but in general, 5%-8% is very common in most waters, with 10% being toward the high side of the curve.

-T9

[WRB]

The weight of eggs in bass has been extremely exaggerated over the years. Eggs are high % of liquid small % of tissue mass, slightly heavier than water. 16 oz or 1 cup of water weighs 1 pound. 10 lb bass may hold 1/2 cup of eggs or 1/2 lb of eggs. The 10% of body weight estimate would be on the heavy side for eggs, a good guideline for total added body weight gain just before spawning.

Tom

[Catt]

Roughly 10% - ie: 8 pound gal would be approximately 8.8 pounds with a full load, and ideal belly full of food. Keep in mind that she will in less than ideal shape post spawn, but once recovered from the rigors of spawn she will bounce right back: assuming ideal forage.

X2 

[Fish Chris]

Well now, this is an interesting subject.

I think George was pretty close..... although, I think they can sometimes lose more than that.

Now WRB, you said

The weight of eggs in bass has been extremely exaggerated over the years. Eggs are high % of liquid small % of tissue mass, slightly heavier than water. 16 oz or 1 cup of water weighs 1 pound. 10 lb bass may hold 1/2 cup of eggs or 1/2 lb of eggs. The 10% of body weight estimate would be on the heavy side for eggs, a good guideline for total added body weight gain just before spawning.

Tom

I agree with this too.....

But the thing that a LOT of people fail to recognize, is that while a bass (lets just say a little 10 lb'er for example ) might dump 12 oz of eggs, she also might lose 20 ounces of body mass, because of all of the energy expended on spawning, in conjunction with the fact, that for a certain time period, she will be spending all of her time and effort, making babies (eggs) instead of eating ....not to say that she won't eat at all, during the spawn.... just to say that eating is not her primary concern.

So to recap, that fish that weighed 10.0 lbs at her peak right before spawning, could easily drop down to 8.0 lbs, immediatly after the spawn, but of that 2 lb loss, maybe 1/3 of it would be from actual egg weight.

Peace,

Fish

[RoLo]

Roe is Overrated

Most anglers agree that the growth rate of fish is influenced by water temperatures.

On the other hand, anglers are sharply divided as to the seasonal period

when bass attain their peak annual weight. Fish eggs (roe) add an average of 8%

to the bodyweight of a cow bass, reportedly ranging between 5 and 11%.

For all practical purposes, cow bass fast during the bedding season,

and the 8% weight gain due to roe, amounts to about 10 ounces for an 8-lb bass.

Solar energy peaks during the summertime, when weed growth is full-blown,

feeding is in high gear and baitfish are large and plentiful. The same 8-lb cow

that gained 10 ounces during the spawn is very likely to lay-up a pound

during the summertime, while toting a 1/2 lb minnow in her gut.

Roger