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Author Topic: Interesting article referring to study on why some bass get so big  (Read 2354 times)

taxid

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“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

zwiggles

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Thanks for the share.

I wish they would have explained this better (unless I just missed it):

“Research on largemouth bass has shown that some are genetically inclined to be easier to catch, a trait that enables other bass to grow disproportionately large.”

I guess I am missing why some fish getting hooked more often makes other larger?

seamonkey84

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More aggressive feeding behaviors make them bite before the others have a chance. I suppose that’s based on places that have people who haven’t Bass.  Here in Maine, no one eats them, they’re all released and the population gets stunted. Besides being bad for future fishing, they are actually an invasive species here.
"You know when they have a fishing show on TV? They catch the fish and then let it go. They don't want to eat the fish, they just want to make it late for something." - Mitch Hedberg

taxid

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Thanks for the share.

I wish they would have explained this better (unless I just missed it):

“Research on largemouth bass has shown that some are genetically inclined to be easier to catch, a trait that enables other bass to grow disproportionately large.”

I guess I am missing why some fish getting hooked more often makes other larger?

What they found out was the bass that were not captured because they were difficult to catch lived longer and got bigger. The easily caught ones were harvested and pulled out of the gene pool. Over time the bass got more difficult to catch because more difficult to catch bass were passing on their genes vs. the dumb ones.

I will also say bass will learn to avoid baits after a couple of releases on them. Found that out in one of my ponds.

On an interesting note Flordia strain bass are more difficult to catch than the northern strain. I have seen more than one article about managing a pond with Florida strain bass down south where the fishing clubs complain they can't catch anymore bass in the private impoundment. Pond manager comes in with an electroshock and shows the bass are there.

Another difference between Florida strain largemouths is the female shares guarding the bed duties vs. in the northern strain the male is left with that chore.
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

JDK

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So let me see if I have this correct.  Fish that were easier to catch and were killed didn't grow as big as fish that were hard to catch and lived longer.  How the hell do I get some of this grant money to do these studies.

# SAND

Raquettedacker

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We went yesterday and theres a lot of bass that will live longer.  We didn't catch a one.
Next time we will have to try a spot that's got bass that are easier..      :rotflol: :rotflol: :rotflol:
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own.....<br />Strangers stopping strangers just to shake there hand...<br />\"Dying is the easy part. Learning how to live is the hard part....\"

lowaccord66

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So let me see if I have this correct.  Fish that were easier to catch and were killed didn't grow as big as fish that were hard to catch and lived longer.  How the hell do I get some of this grant money to do these studies.

Call Roland Martin!  ;)

zwiggles

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So let me see if I have this correct.  Fish that were easier to catch and were killed didn't grow as big as fish that were hard to catch and lived longer.  How the hell do I get some of this grant money to do these studies.

That was my thought as well. Shocking that a dead fish don’t grow no more.

taxid

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That was my thought as well. Shocking that a dead fish don’t grow no more.

 :rotflol: :rotflol: :rotflol:
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

JDK

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I don't believe it all is just being caught either.  just like other animals some just get bigger.

I agree.  I catch a couple salmon a year.  Some you look at and say, "that is going to be a big fish someday".  Others not so much.

# SAND

taxid

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I don't believe it all is just being caught either.  just like other animals some just get bigger.

Of course not. Some fish are genetically predisposed to grow faster, live longer, whatever it takes to be larger than most of the other fish.

However factors like catchability and food supply play a big role too though.

Case in point: Caught a yellow perch 5 oz. bigger than the state record and just over 16 inches in one of my ponds back in 2005 ice fishing. (This before I started raising and hatching my own fish.) State would not allow it to be entered citing I feed my fish. If feeding was the only factor I would have produced another one. I have not done so in 15 years. There was something about this fish genetically that caused it to get to that size.

OTOH most of my brook trout in the pond exceed the Indiana state record. That's because brook trout have a short life span and feed is not as plentiful in the wild as it is in my pond that I fish. Also the environment for brook trout in Indiana is suboptimal.

Ironically as anglers we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to a body of water producing big fish. We tend to harvest the largest fish.

Interestedly evolution favors that largest fastest growing fish for survival as they are quicker to avoid predation by their larger size. We as anglers tend to short circuit that.

I have a survey of Maxintuckee Lake done by 2 California professors for the then Department of Conservation at the turn of century (1900) It mentions 14 inch bluegills!


“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

 



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