Is there any difference in behavior and / or fishing tactics between lakes that are continually stocked with bass and lakes that only hold naturally occurring fish?

Nearly every lake in California was initially stocked when it was filled and sustains the population naturally. The behavior difference between Florida and Northern strain LMB is obvious, the NLMB are far more aggressive and easier to catch. The FLMB are less aggressive, more cautious and grow 50% heavier.

Tom

 

trout is a different story. natural trout are hard catch, yet the stocked ones are easy to catch

Short answer for bass....no.  Bass are instinctive and will be the same no matter where they are spawned.  Now fish that migrate may be different but a bass is a bass and will hold true to the instinctive traits of bass.  IMHO.  

Generally speaking, no, but there are exceptions like everything else. If given the choice, nearly always select the stocked lake. Stocked lakes have the better chance of having a stronger population, and there tends to be a direct correlation between population size and catch rates. Additionally, new research suggests natural populations can suffer from "fisheries-induced evolution," simply meaning adding fish with a different genetic make-up can offset some biological characteristics inherent in native populations.

If the hatchery raised fish is introduced into a wild environment that fish is unaware of predators and hasn't had to find food for itself....naive fish. If the hatchery raised fish is only a juevnile it either adapts quickly or becomes part of the food chain. Planted trout are usually young adults when planted, weaker than a trout swimming and living in the wild and the planted trout are easy to catch. I have no experience with hatchery raised bass that where adults when planted, but my guess is they would be similar to hatchery raised trout, weaker and easier to catch until they adapt to the wild environmemt.

Tom

To adapt and survive well in their environment, bass must be released as fingerlings.  There are multiple articles on this site about attempts to transplant trophy bass that always end up with the bass losing weight.  They may survive, but they don't adapt well in a new environment when moved.  In other words, if you transplant a 10 lbs. trophy bass to your pond, next year she may be 8 lbs. 

 

Stocked lakes are generally managed, so you will have better luck, more bass and possibly bigger bass if they are managing toward that.  However, some stocked lakes in city parks around here are also overfished and it can become difficult to catch anything once they've been in there a while.