No bass over 18" in my pond

[Swamp Girl]

I shared in another thread that I bought 4.5 acres of waterfront on a 170-acre pond. The pond is full of hard-fighting bass, nearly all 16" to 18". I rarely catch anything smaller. I've also never caught anything bigger. The pond is 10' deep down the middle with a lot of its water being 5-6' deep. The bass are all thick, I.e. well fed. It has both largemouth and smallmouth and both species are exceptionally strong, so it's a fun place to fish. I've fished it perhaps 20 times and have never caught a 19" bass nor have I hooked and lost a 19" bass or larger. It was stocked in 1992 and it takes a Maine bass about 20 years to reach 20", so perhaps that's the problem. Again, there's no deficit of forage, as all the bass are thick. I have caught bass in its deepest parts and shallowest parts. 

 

Any suggestions or ideas about why it's a 16" to 18" factory, but nearly none smaller and none bigger...so far. Here are some bass I've caught there, to give you an idea of their build. The first one is 18" and I've only caught a few that length. 95% of them are 15" to 17.75".

 

I'm also open to fishing a new lure, technique, or place in the pond, although I think I've fished pert near the entire pond. The last time I was there, I was catching them in 12" of water, but I've also caught them off the bottom in 10' of water this year. I've used all the techniques I apply to catch four, five, six, and seven-pounders at other ponds, but nada. 

 

Two more points: It's rimmed with swamp on three sides, so the water quality is especially good and it has humps all over, where lily pads grow and all those spots hold bass, so there's plenty of cover.

 

 

 

[gim]

1 minute ago, ol'crickety said:

It was stocked in 1992 and it takes a Maine bass about 20 years to reach 20", so perhaps that's the problem.

 

20 years from 1992 would be 2012.  I don't think that's the issue.  The original stocked fish are very likely already dead.  It takes a bass about 10 years here in MN to reach 20 inches/5 pounds.  I was told this by a biologist in 2016.

 

Maybe there's no genetics in the system to grow anything bigger.  Or maybe you just haven't caught one yet.  My guess is the latter.

 

The fish look healthy and stout.  I'd say they're doing fine.  An 18 incher is a better than average fish for the northern tier.

[Swamp Girl]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

20 years from 1992 would be 2012.

 

Oh, yeah. My math ain't mathing this morning.

 

4 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Maybe there's no genetics in the system to grow anything bigger. 

 

This is my worry. 

 

6 minutes ago, gimruis said:

It takes a bass about 10 years here in MN to reach 20 inches/5 pounds.  I was told this by a biologist in 2016.

 

This is from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife:

 

Quote

"Furthermore, bass are slow-growing in Maine waters so it takes many years for a bass to reach desirable size and there are not very many “trophy-size” bass in a given lake. For example, in eastern Maine, a 12-inch bass is usually 6 years old, and bass from 15-20 inches long can be up to 20 years old!"

 

8 minutes ago, gimruis said:

The fish look healthy and stout.

 

They are. I should stop worrying and enjoy them. I can target bigger bass at other nearby ponds and bogs.

 

However, @PhishLI thinks bigger ones are already there, but that just haven't found them. 

[gim]

6 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

thinks bigger ones are already there, but that just haven't found them. 

 

That's a reasonable explanation.  I agree with it.

[PhishLI]

6 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

However, @PhishLI knows bigger ones are already there, but that just haven't found them. 

Fixed that for you.😁

[MIbassyaker]

Yes, a bass of 20 inches can be 20 years old, but that does not mean it is typical for it to take 20 years to reach that length.   10 years to reach 20 inches is a pretty average rate for waters throughout the northern states   That's about what it is here, too, except in places where there are exceptional forage, like gobies (there they can reach 20 inches faster).

 

If your bass are thick and well-fed, it is unlikely you have a problem with growth rate. You should not worry. There are almost certainly larger fish in there that you haven't caught .

[Bird]

An over abundant population of bass could be an issue.

I always look at the DNR electro-shocking report of each lake I fish and always surprised when I see 90% of bass are 13-17" long and maybe 1 % were 20" or longer.

When a lake reaches this state, best thing to do is keep a bunch and break out the frying pan.

Your pond doesn't appear to be dink infested though.

[Susky River Rat]

The bigger the bass the lower percentage there are of them in there. Could be genetics. Nothing looks stunted or unhealthy. Maybe try really upsizing to see if you can break the mold of that size fish?

[Swamp Girl]

15 minutes ago, Bird said:

An over abundant population of bass could be an issue.

 

I have considered this.

 

15 minutes ago, Bird said:

Your pond doesn't appear to be dink infested though.

 

Yep, it isn't. The bass are thick. When I lay them on the bump board, they're speed bumps of muscle.

 

7 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

Maybe try really upsizing to see if you can break the mold of that size fish?

 

Cast one of my swimbaits that would catch a musky, huh? I'll give that a try.

 

17 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Fixed that for you.😁

 

Ha!

 

15 minutes ago, Bird said:

When a lake reaches this state, best thing to do is keep a bunch and break out the frying pan.

 

I've also considered doing just this. I just wish I enjoyed eating bass more than I do. 

 

Thanks, guys, for weighing in. If you hear a YAHOO! from the northeast, that'll be catching my first four-pounder from my pond. I have learned what'll come after that four-pounder.

 

Coach PhishLI will say, "Whadda 'bout that five-pounder now?"

[PhishLI]

1 minute ago, Susky River Rat said:

Nothing looks stunted or unhealthy.

That's the clue that bigger fish are there, they're simply harder to find because as a rule, there's simply less of them up here.

 

10 minutes ago, Bird said:

Your pond doesn't appear to be dink infested though.

And that's another clue. Every single spot in my area where 2-3 pounders are the norm, big fish are caught occasionally. Where there are lots of 12"ers and the max norm is 2 pounds there's often an overstock issue leading to stunting.

[Swamp Girl]

1 minute ago, PhishLI said:

And that's another clue. Every single spot in my area where 2-3 pounders are the norm, big fish are caught occasionally. Where there are lots of 12"ers and the max norm is 2 pounds there's often an overstock issue leading to stunting.

 

2 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

That's the clue that bigger fish are there, they're simply harder to find because as a rule, there's simply less of them up here.

 

^This^ is hugely helpful to me, as it keeps me hopeful and focused. 

[PhishLI]

44 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

I've fished it perhaps 20 times and have never caught a 19" bass nor have I hooked and lost a 19" bass or larger.

Eh, you're just warming up. 20 times is barely practice.

[Susky River Rat]

@ol'crickety it’s worth a shot. 

[casts_by_fly]

had you fished it before this year?  You're in the prespawn now, so the fish are looking their best and chewing.  Before making any proclamations give it a full year.  170 acres is still a good bit of water to hide nice bass. 

[Pat Brown]

I'm in the 'they are there, you probably haven't 'fished for them' yet' category of folk.

 

By this I mean, the big fish might eat different stuff and do different things on this small pond than the smaller fish (often find this to be the case) and you just haven't figured out the 'big fish techniques' that intersect with your repertoire of confusion yet.

 

I find it's rare that water that has bass in it that are good size and healthy doesn't have great size bass in it.

 

Small private ponds that people enjoy and fish over the years can be like any pond and the small population of big smart bass can get ever more clever by the year.

 

Something to consider: you could try managing for bigger size more deliberately.

 

Cull bass under 14" for the rest of time and I'd wager the 16-18" that are able to make the jump to 20-22" would then do it.  It's all about freeing up space at the table so the bass sitting at it can unbutton their pants and gorge a little more.

[gim]

1 minute ago, Pat Brown said:

Cull bass under 14"

 

She's never caught one that small in there lol

 

Everything is 16-18 inches

[Pat Brown]

Some day she will 😂👍🏼

 

It's just something to consider/be aware of @gimruis but I hear ya.  It seems like she's got that calibre of fish dialed in and hasn't yet encountered the dinks or the giants that doubtlessly inhabit the pond.

 

I find that if I change techniques I can catch lots of 6 to 12-in bass and if I change techniques I can catch very few 20 to 22-in bass and sometimes there's techniques that really do Target those welterweight bass extremely efficiently and sometimes you're unaware of the fact that you are doing that!

[the reel ess]

Try keeping everything you catch for a while and see if things change. This should allow the freaks of nature to increase their food supply and maybe a couple will break through.

 

Fish all the typical big bass baits. I know some people feed the bluegill so they make more offspring to feed the bass. That's costly of you do it correctly (an automatic feeder on a timer). But I'd probably do it if it were my pond.

 

Try big live bait. Probably don't want to use anything not already in the pond unless you know it's sterile or won't survive. 

 

On the other hand I've fished countless ponds that don't even seem to have a 2 pounder in them even though people are routinely taking small fish out. So don't look upon 2-3 lb. bass as a bad thing.

[Pat Brown]

You could maybe pay to have a shock study done? 😎

 

I dunno what the rates are but seems lots of people who manage private ponds have this done.

[Swamp Girl]

29 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

had you fished it before this year? 

 

Yep. I'm on my third year of fishing it.

 

24 minutes ago, gimruis said:

She's never caught one that small in there lol

 

Everything is 16-18 inches

 

Yep. I don't think I've ever caught a 14" bass there. However, I understand the culling idea and I think it's wise.

 

15 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

You could maybe pay to have a shock study done? 😎

 

I dunno what the rates are but seems lots of people who manage private ponds have this done.

 

Remember that you're talking to an angler who's having her dock made from pallets and who can't afford to finish the driveway.

 

26 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

It's all about freeing up space at the table so the bass sitting at it can unbutton their pants and gorge a little more.

 

So, you catch big bass and you're funny too??? Some anglers were kissed by angels were they were born.

 

21 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I find that if I change techniques I can catch lots of 6 to 12-in bass and if I change techniques I can catch very few 20 to 22-in bass and sometimes there's techniques that really do Target those welterweight bass extremely efficiently and sometimes you're unaware of the fact that you are doing that!

 

Interesting idea. I think your analytical mind is why you're so successful, Pat...well that and the angel kisses

 

18 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

So don't look upon 2-3 lb. bass as a bad thing.

 

Oh, I don't. I love them. This pond grows, pound for pound, the strongest bass I catch. Its 2.5-pounders fight like the four-pounders I catch at other ponds. Bass do vary fight-wise. My PB, caught about three weeks ago, felt like a soggy log. Other bass spin my canoe and drag me into the weeds. Yesterday's 5.25-pounder, caught on another pond, gave no indication whatsoever of her weight. I didn't realize she was big until she reached the net. 

 

18 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

Try keeping everything you catch for a while and see if things change. This should allow the freaks of nature to increase their food supply and maybe a couple will break through.

 

I'll keep a couple and fry them. Fingers crossed I like them. When I keep fish, they're usually panfish or walleyes/sauger/yellow perch. 

 

I'm out of reactions, so I can't thank you guys individually, so thanks for all your responses. I am going to try different techniques. I'm wondering if Pat is right, that I've dialed into the 2-3-pound weight class.

 

I have some BIG Keitechs that I've never used and some 12" worms that I have used to good effect at another pond. I'll try those along with my two, hard swimbaits. 

 

[casts_by_fly]

40 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I find that if I change techniques I can catch lots of 6 to 12-in bass and if I change techniques I can catch very few 20 to 22-in bass and sometimes there's techniques that really do Target those welterweight bass extremely efficiently and sometimes you're unaware of the fact that you are doing that!

 

I had typed something along these lines earlier but deleted it.  I find this to be true also.  Fishing certain baits targets certain fish, whether its sized related, mood related, or something else.  I don't tend to catch many or any fish under 12" at any of the lakes I fish.  They are in there, and I'm sure if I swapped to a wacky senko I'd start picking them up.  But most of the time I'm throwing a bigger moving bait and aiming for bigger fish.  Going to the next extreme would be throwing 8-10" glides and targetting the biggest fish.  I find that when I downsize to a smaller beaver (for instance), I catch a lot more 12-13" fish than when I throw a bigger jig or spinnerbait and average 14-16" fish.  

 

21 minutes ago, ol'crickety said:

Oh, I don't. I love them. This pond grows, pound for pound, the strongest bass I catch. Its 2.5-pounders fight like the four-pounders I catch at other ponds. Bass do vary fight-wise. My PB, caught about three weeks ago, felt like a soggy log. Other bass spin my canoe and drag me into the weeds. Yesterday's 5.25-pounder, caught on another pond, gave no indication whatsoever of her weight. I didn't realize she was big until she reached the net. 

 

My dad has a lake like that.  I fished it a couple times with him last year.  By far the hardest fighting largemouth I've seen.  Similar size range too- mostly 14-19" fish.  We've figured out why though.  The lake was drained for repairs and then refilled 4 years ago.  The stocked bass are on a tear and eating everything they can get their mouths on.  There's a ton of shad, bluegill, and trout in the lake and they are growing fast.  I had a 21-22 lb bag there last year with him but didn't have one over 5 lb.  If it had been a team tournament with 10 bass it would have been a 40-lb bag.  Aparently he fished it yesterday and hammered fish, though I don't know sizes yet as I haven't talked to him.

 

Regardless, you don't  have young bass but you've got fiesty ones.  I'd keep a couple 15" fish every now and then and enjoy the fights.

 

[Swamp Girl]

@casts_by_fly Here's some video of me hooking one of these bass and being slightly surprised by their power:

 

 

10 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I had a 21-22 lb bag there last year with him but didn't have one over 5 lb.

 

I had a bag like that at a different pond: Every bass was four pounds and change. 

 

[Swamp Girl]

Here's a smallmouth from the pond. They're well-fed too:

 

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

Before making any proclamations give it a full year.  170 acres is still a good bit of water to hide nice bass. 

Bingo.

[Swamp Girl]

1 minute ago, PhishLI said:

Bingo.

 

Well, with the driveway being finished today and the dock being built this weekend, I'm five minutes away from it and will be fishing it at least once a week through November. I'm excited to try bigger lures.