what is this bass

[drewish]

I'm going to steer clear of the whole moral debate about feeding mice, etc. But, everything I've heard about LMB and personally observed seems like they are a lazy opportunistic fish. When I'm fishing, I practically have to drop my bait in front of the fish to get it to hit it. When I'm walking along shores looking into the water sometimes I can see bass just sitting still in one spot until they're either spooked or enticed by an easy meal.

Bass Pro/Outdoor World in Dania Beach, FL has a huge indoor aquarium (I think it's about 30,000 gal.) and they have several bass specimen in there. They just sit around most of the time, barely moving. When they do move they swim slow as hell, barely expending any calories. Other fish like the tarpon they pulled out of brackish water are constantly on the move. Hell, even the catfish in there swim around more than the bass.

Bill Dance Outdoors was my favorite bass fishing show, and he was always talking about working your lures slowly because bass instinctively try not to expend more calories hunting than what the meal will provide.

These fish are NOT that active.

Again, another person compares fish in CAPTIVITY to fish in the wild. And your observations are pretty flawed.

Even a 30,000g tank is minuscule compared to a pond or a lake. Have you ever witnessed bass chase bait fish? Obviously not. Groups of bass in the wild will chase schools of bait fish into the shallows during feeding times (around sunrise and sunset in my area). I've also witnessed this in streams where bass will crash schools of bait fish into the banks.

Bill Dance is right in what he says, bass will not expend energy on something that will not satisfy them. Which is why larger lures/bait catch larger fish. Unlike fish in the wild, bass in CAPTIVITY do not have to move at all to feed. Imagine if you never left your bed and someone fed you a fillet mignon for all your meals. Are you going to be healthy? Have you noticed how fat those bass are at Bass Pro Shop?

 

[mikehawk]

Again, another person compares fish in CAPTIVITY to fish in the wild. And your observations are pretty flawed.

Even a 30,000g tank is minuscule compared to a pond or a lake. Have you ever witnessed bass chase bait fish? Obviously not. Groups of bass in the wild will chase schools of bait fish into the shallows during feeding times (around sunrise and sunset in my area). I've also witnessed this in streams where bass will crash schools of bait fish into the banks.

Bill Dance is right in what he says, bass will not expend energy on something that will not satisfy them. Which is why larger lures/bait catch larger fish. Unlike fish in the wild, bass in CAPTIVITY do not have to move at all to feed. Imagine if you never left your bed and someone fed you a fillet mignon for all your meals. Are you going to be healthy? Have you noticed how fat those bass are at Bass Pro Shop?

Yes, I have seen bass go after a school of shiners, but they don't do it all year long, it's seasonal. And when they do chase shiners, they don't do it all day long either.

The bass at bass pro didn't seem any fatter than the one I pulled out of a canal today.

My observations are flawed, but you're trying to compare the metabolism, lifestyle, and diet between cold blooded fish and warm blooded primates. Okay.... Anyway, bass do have to move to catch live food, even in captivity. If you wanted to compensate for lack of exercise in captivity, then just feed the fish less. Although, I've never heard an angler complain that the bass he caught was too fat.

 

[mikehawk]

Possibly because most of the areas that you are seeing these bass are in much warmer waters. I know for a fact here on Long Island that the bass are extremely active and aggresive. They are many types of bass. Florida bass are different in their own from a Northern Largemouth. Bill Dance is quite hilarious I love it when they show him falling in! haha Good fisherman though.

Interesting theory, but wouldn't the warmer water of South Florida speed up the metabolism of the cold blooded fish?

Bill Dance is the man. I swear he must be drinking when he's not on camera, his blooper shows are the best. And he always pulls out some fat bass.

 

[Gonzaga]

I think that the difference in type also has a difference in the temperature that they are most active at. Say in the salt the striped bass is actually much more active in water from around 65-75. Once the water starts to get warm they get very very slugish and at that point will not work hard for their food. The fall and spring run of striped bass is always much better due to the cooler temperatures and also more baitfish around. In the summer I have to fish in 130 feet to consistently catch bass. Where in the fall I can catch them right in the wash!

 

[bryan.olsen]

if anyhting made it childish it was the shatty buttrock music.i have personally seena a bass take out a baby duck...but i could never feed one, and im sure in the wild small rodents such as chipmunks fall in the water pretty frequently and then the would become prime pray for a large bass​