How long does it take dinky largemouth bass to grow into 2+ lbs. in a small man made pond?
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The pond is called Harveston Lake, and has homes, walkways, fountains, and the likes all around it. The only other fish I’m aware about (other than baby/dinky largemouths) are very small catfish. I believe the bass only feed on very small insects and don’t have a very hardy diet to grow on. Any knowledge on the growth of these bass would be appreciated and so would a time frame to expect when these bass will be worth fishing for. Thanks
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With good forage, the bass will be 2 pounds in one year. There is probably more food there than you may see. If you want to put some bait fish into the pond catch a few carp and release them in it.
A bass will eat anything that wont eat it first, baby catfish included. I’ve caught 5lb. bass out of ponds so small you could almost jump across them.
A common question asked of professional pond managers revolves fish populations in small ponds. Most schools of thoughts profess simple stocking of channel catfish with fathead minnows, maybe a few hybrid sunfish. After all, it’s explained, small waters won’t grow many bass.
While this is true, don’t discount bass from a small pond. As long as you know the rules, you can play. Bass will grow in small ponds, but small ponds grow small quantities. A half acre pond, for example, probably won’t grow more than 25 pounds of largemouth bass, naturally. Since bass are top line predators, focus on forage fish production, if you want bass. Feed bluegill, diversify with tilapia and/or threadfin shad in fertile water. Bass will thank you. And, from time to time, supplement with crawfish or minnows. It won’t be much more than a snack for hungry bass, but you will get a kick watching bass annihilate your offering.
From time to time, weigh and measure a few bass. After all, you can completely change a fish population in short order in small waters, if you need. If bass decline, remove a few, or stock adult bluegill. Growth rates are highly variable with differences attributed mainly to their food supply and length of growing season. Female bass live longer than males and are much more likely to reach trophy size. By age 2 or 3, females grow much faster than male bass. Males seldom exceed 16 inches, while females frequently surpass 22 inches. At 5 years, females may be twice the weight of males. One-year old bass average about 7 inches in length and grow to an adult size of 10 inches in about 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 years. The oldest bass from Florida whose age has been determined by fisheries biologists was 16 year of age. Generally, trophy bass (10 pounds and larger) are about 10 years old. The formula used by Florida scientists to estimate weight based on length and girth is: log(weight, in grams) = -4.83 + 1.923 x log(total length, in mm) + 1.157 x log(girth, in mm)
Have fun and tight lines.