Are MN bass stronger than bass from other states?

[06reata]

I have caught bass in NE, MO, IA, TX, OK, KS, AR, and I really think the bass in MN fight much harder than any where else I have caught bass. I always figured it is the clean natural lakes up there that make the bass just seem healthier...anyone else feel this way? can this be true or is it just my imagination?

Hello, 06reata here..... just thought I would introduce myself.

I am from Lincoln,NE and have been to Ottertail County 23 of the last 25 years. I have family that has been going up there for the last 60 years.

I joined the forum in 08. I am addicted to this HSOforum. The first thing I do every morning is log on and hope there are new posts. I have only posted once before when I had a question about coming to Ottertail County on duck opener...Sure can tell when its 9:00 a.m. on duck opener.

I really enjoy reading the post and have learned a lot of new techniques....thank you!

MN is awesome, I wish I lived there. I totally respect the fish and the reg's. I do eat the small walleye, crappie and blue gill while I am there and release the 19"+ eye's, 9"+ gills, 13"+ crappies.

I will be up there again this year for the bass opener so if you see a red ram pulling a blue & white 06 ranger reata that's me.

Anyway, thanks for all of your post and the helpful advice I get to read every day.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Fun stuff!!! Glad to have you join us!.. .give us a fishing report once you do hit the water..

[Dylan33]

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Anyway, thanks for all of your post and the helpful advice I get to read every day.

+1 totally agree- awesome site with great advice

[gspman]

It's the steroids the DNR puts in the water.

[apegs]

go huskers

[corncob]

Dont know if they are stronger, but, I'm amazed at the number of people I talk to from the southern states that have yet to catch a 5 lb bass......Seems like our bass fishin aint so bad!.

[06reata]

IMO no other place I've been to compares to the bass fishing in MN. Most of the bass caught around my home town that are 5LB+ come from farm ponds.

A lot of the lakes around here now have a 21" limit so the quality of fish is getting better. Problem is the little 200 acre lakes will have 25 boat trailers in the parking lot when you arrive in the morning.

Talk about boats jumping in front of other boats!

Biggest bass I have caught was 6.19lbs and was 22" long...caught at a farm pond in my belly boat.

Biggest bass my buddy caught in MN was 6.12 lbs and 19" long...pig!

This is what I mean, the same weight bass in MN seem to be shorter than they are from other area's....maybe thats why they seem to fight harder.

[Craigums]

Interesting observation 06reata, thanks for chiming in.

[Nick Kuhn]

Might have to do with water temps and dissolved oxygen. The water here is a little cooler and there tends to be better DO so the fish can continue a fight for a longer period of time.

[RK]

Hiya -

One thing I do know for sure, having heard it from multiple anglers coming from other states, is that the bass here are far stockier than fish from down south. I remember fishing with a friend from southern Missouri and when he caught his first MN bass he was blown away by how fat it was. It was about 16" - a nice solidly built fish, but nothing spectacular to my eyes - but he freaked out. I think his quote was "back home you can see through fish this long..." The rest of the day he commented on how thick every fish was. That, plus catching 25 to 35 fish a day, completely blew his mind.

I think you have to look pretty hard to find the quality fishing we have here in MN when it come to bass of both species, *especially* when you consider how little pressure they get, particularly as you get farther north. In my neck of the woods (Ottertail Co., as it happens) a guy can fish some pretty decent bass lakes all year and not see another bass angler. On my favorite smallmouth sleeper, I haven't seen another boat fishing bass in years.

We're pretty dang spoiled here...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[gritsnham]

The dissolved oxygen is a very interesting theory that I would side with at first glance. I would tend to side with less pressure and the abundanc eo fish, maybe those southern fish are just trained to being caught!