I have had my bass since the fall and I think it’s time to let my friend go. I have a perfect private body of water to release him in and he is still less that 10 inches. So does anyone have any advice for me so this transition is comfortable for him?

Does the new water have ample food for the bass, i.e. bait fish, crawdads, ect..?

Are there any big predatory fish in the pond that could eat your bass..?

I assume your new place for the bass has some cover for it to hide in.

Lastly, are there any known parasites or diseases in there that you know of.?  

Time to get another one

Just gonna add my opinion here. I had a neighbor that had 2 14" bass in a 75 gal aquarium. Even with fake plants, and a big rock all they did was suspend. Unless you have a 100+ gal. tank, leave the bass in their natural habitat.

 

If you want to keep a good fish pet, get an Oscar or 2. 

My daughters brought a tiny bluegill home once that they caught in a bucket. We dropped it into a small 20 gal tank. The fish did pretty well. He got cichlid food along with meal worms every now and then. The fish grew from about 2" to about 7" or so. I we had him for a total of about 3 years. 

Let me think...letting a domestic hand feed bass into the wild world of predators, what could go right?

Tom

15 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

Does the new water have ample food for the bass, i.e. bait fish, crawdads, ect..?

Are there any big predatory fish in the pond that could eat your bass..?

I assume your new place for the bass has some cover for it to hide in.

Lastly, are there any known parasites or diseases in there that you know of.?  

Lots of frogs, turtles, and fish for him to eat in there. The top dog fish is a bass so the only thing that could eat him would be a 4+ pounder. And no I haven’t seen any diseases, but I would be surprised if there were leaches.

14 hours ago, WRB said:

Let me think...letting a domestic hand feed bass into the wild world of predators, what could go right?

Tom

He came from the wild and has only been with me over the winter. He is very aggressive so I know he will have no problem eating.

10 hours ago, BASS302 said:

That’s public waters 

He'd probably be fine if you get the water temp. about the same...

Basically you captured a wild LMB and kept it for a few mouths and now want to release it back into the wild. Shouldn't have a problem as long as the bass is conditioned to the water temps. 

Does Ohio law allow transplanting LMB? It's illegal in California to remove a live bass from any waterway to transplant it, but it's done a lot.

Tom

17 minutes ago, WRB said:

Basically you captured a wild LMB and kept it for a few mouths and now want to release it back into the wild. Shouldn't have a problem as long as the bass is conditioned to the water temps. 

Does Ohio law allow transplanting LMB? It's illegal in California to remove a live bass from any waterway to transplant it, but it's done a lot.

Tom

You can’t transfer between public bodies of water

25 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

He'd probably be fine if you get the water temp. about the same...

That’s what I’m thinking.

He'll be fine but acclimate bass to the new water temp slowly, 20 minutes. 

 

Assuming he'll be in a bucket or cooler, set it at the waters edge and keep adding a cup of water every 5 minutes or so until temps are close to the same. 

 

I'd also set him free close to cover. 

1 minute ago, Bird said:

He'll be fine but acclimate bass to the new water temp slowly, 20 minutes. 

 

Assuming he'll be in a bucket or cooler, set it at the waters edge and keep adding a cup of water every 5 minutes or so until temps are close to the same. 

 

I'd also set him free close to cover. 

Thanks that’s good advice

Comfortable?

 

Everyone on this forum has caught a Bass with hooks (single and treble) Pulled the fish out of its watery enviroment into the open air. They stuck their hand in it's mouth to hold the fish while unhooking it by hand or pliers. Then placed the fish back in the water, gently or by tossing it in.

 

Bass are tough. I worry most about aeration on the trip to the water. Make sure there is an airstone and bubbler if it is a long trip to the water. Other than that take him out of the bucket and place him back in the water.

16 minutes ago, NYWayfarer said:

Comfortable?

 

Everyone on this forum has caught a Bass with hooks (single and treble) Pulled the fish out of its watery enviroment into the open air. They stuck their hand in it's mouth to hold the fish while unhooking it by hand or pliers. Then placed the fish back in the water, gently or by tossing it in.

 

Bass are tough. I worry most about aeration on the trip to the water. Make sure there is an airstone and bubbler if it is a long trip to the water. Other than that take him out of the bucket and place him back in the water.

It isnt about comfort for the fish. The fish is a cold blooded animal so temperatures dont affect comfort. 

 

With that said, cold shock doesn't discriminate and will do away with a fish fairly quickly.

You shouldn’t have kept it in first place so releasing it into the wild to die shouldn’t be an issue either. 

 

I too am guilty of the joy of selfish stewardship.

More than thermal, the threat to your former pet is predatorial (He/she is an uneducated target).

 

Roger

 

You said it’s aggressive,  was there any other fish in the tank?   Frankly you should cull the fish.  You risk introducing disease into the pond 

I’m not liking all this negativity 

 

Honestly, I would just keep it at this point. Let him live out his days in your fish tank.  Honestly it’s not going to know the difference between your tank or the lake.  The only real thing that goes through a Bass head is  eating, going to the bathroom, and reproducing 

 

Introducing disease would be my main worry to another lake  or body of water 

23 minutes ago, Johnpenguin said:

I’m not liking all this negativity 

 

Unfortunately, there's more at stake here. First you kept a bass that is clearly Under size limit for your state, then you transported it , likely against the state regs.

You have no way of knowing If the bass has any issues that could potently impact the body of water you want to release it in..

 

Also, people don't really think about what can happen when they think it's o.k. to take a wild animal or fish home, then later decide to release it. If anything, I hope you have learned a lesson from this, and maybe pass it on.

The big question begs... If he was brought up in captivity and has been domesticated, will he be able to survive in the wild? Will he be able to join a bass herd or will they reject him? When he sees a minnow will he be able to chase it and catch it or will an experienced bass need to take him under his wing...er fin... and show him the ropes. And can he learn before he becomes emaciated? 

 

These are all questions to be pondered before your just dump him off in some random pond. Maybe, just maybe you shouldn't have removed him from his natural habitat to begin with. That thought should weigh heavily on your mind.

 

If you've pondered all of this and decided that you might just have to keep him for his own good... well, there's always the frying pan right?

?

8 hours ago, Johnpenguin said:

I’m not liking all this negativity 

 

I hear you, but in most states it isn't legal to keep game fish.  It definitely isn't legal to release any creature back into the wild.  Any negativity you brought on yourself when you decided to make them pets.  If you want to legally proceed, you'll have to contact your state's DNR., and secure the proper permits.  It isn't hard to do, but it helps if you have some association with a college or research facility. 

 

A short disclaimer, and reason why I'm closing this thread: this forum cannot allow any illegal activity.  We simply must to isolate ourselves from any legality issues.  That said, I think you can probably find someone with a private pond, which should be kosher.  They should acclimate well. Look online for temp/pH acclimation for new fish in tanks, and use that process for them.  Good luck, I hope you figure it out.