Roger. It was only the select giant bass population that crashed, 95% of the bass population was not affected because the smaller size bass do not primarily target large baitfish like the planted trout offered. Very selected few bass that make up the top end of the population and this phenomena didn't occur as radical anywhere else where the trout plants stopped.

Giant bass are very rare fish, the population varies in all our lakes and boom and bust periods are common, usually tied to high water periods offering excellent recruitment and low water drought periods creating poor habitat and low recruitment. I understand all the normal factors and have been pursuing these bass successfully for decades.

The trout plants being stopped happened when the Casitas giant bass population was at a peak unfortunately.

These bass should have adapted, they simply didn't.

Thank you for all the background, the local biologist didn't have a logical explanation and I have learned to move on.

Quite simple there Tom!

The portion of the population that died was old, stubborn, hardheaded, & set in their ways!

Bass are highly adaptable with an ability to acclimate as conditions dictate, those bass were simple to old to adapt.

Here's something to mull over!

Given the ecosystem that is Castaic what if biologist had followed the Texas model & not interfered to the degree the did what kind of results would we now have?

Lake Fork has produced 256 bass between 13-18 lbs & is still kicking out Hawgs!

California doesn't have a decent fishery management program. The trout were being planted into Casitas since it opened in 1958. Trout are a valued species and hatchery raised by the DFG for recreational anglers. Northern strain Largemouth are initially planted along with catfish, bluegill, crappie, crayfish shortly after the dam was built, typical for California reservoirs.

The FLMB were introduced by a local bass club with permission by the DFG in 1971, one time plant of pure FLMB fingerlings and a few adult size bass from Lower Otay in San Diego. The DFG also planted Threadfin shad and red ear sunfish in 1971. It's illegal to transport live game fish in CA, need a permit from the DFG. The Easley bass 21 lb 3 oz lake record was caught in 1981, same year I caught a 18 lb 10 oz.

The planted trout were always in Casitas until a law suit preventing non native trout to be planted into reservoirs that have native trout or steelhead populations. Prior to the dam being constructed Coyote creek had native steelhead during wet years. The result was no more trout plants into Casitas.

There wasn't a plan to feed trout to bass, the NLMB ignored the planted trout, the FLMB targeted trout.

I don't know the total number of 13+ lb FLMB caught form Casitas, no records are kept, it's over several hundred from this 2,000 acre lake.

Tom

What does everyone think? Say a bass lived in a very pressured waterbody, and he gets caught by fishermen routinely. Do you think it could ever get to a point where the bass begins to associate the act of feeding entirely with getting hooked, so he stops feeding altogether until he starves? I know this is true in some mammals, if they begin to associate eating with pain then they eventually will not eat. I know bass are not self-aware and can't feel pain, but I'm talking purely instinctual. And I'm not talking about a bass getting wise to a certain bait, because I know that can happen.

i know that i am a bit late to the party here, but i will tell you what i have observed over the years here on our ozark lakes.  unless, the water temps get really cold, bass will continue to eat.  fishing pressure might make feeding more sporadic but bass are going to eat.  bass will adapt and we have forced them to become more open water feeders.  many bass never get near the bank or bottom, with the exception of spawing because we have forced them to from constant fishing pressure.  here on table rock, our declining timber is another factor, as well as the brown sludge that is covering everything from pollution going into the lake.  just as we humans look for a different restaurant that suites our needs better bass will also.  

 

bass will occasionally go dormant from an unusually cold winter.

 

bo