Why are the Largemouth Bass in Minnesota small compared elsewhere?

[BTL]

This is probably true. I've seen plenty of guys from down south posting pictures of 14" fish and calling them "nice ones".

Yep, I'm happy to catch one like that out here. When I hook one that size in MN, I almost hope he gets off so I don't have to spend the time unhooking him.

I can also attest to the fat/skinny thing. 99% of the Minnesota bass I've caught were fat,dark, and healthy looking. Bass in my area are skinny and pale more often than not.

[mabr]

While im on a roll down here im going to weigh in on this subject. As one who moved up here from SC, MN has an exceptional BASS fishery. RK I was one of those that couldn't believe the football's you refer to. MN bass fishing is unreal compared to southern lakes. EXCEPT during the spawn, thats about the only time you see the true large ladies the south is known for. At that time of year, hands down im going south!

Over all I'll take MN any day of the week if judged over a years time. I know I'll never break my personal best (10.2) in MN but thats ok. I'll take 4-6 lbrs all day long. They actually fight better than any 8+++ I've ever caught down south.

Again, if the season would open up a little earlier I think MN wold see the state record broke within a few years and I wouldn't be surprised at over 9. I seriously think I've had 2 that would have been in the running had I caught them full of row.

[goblueM]

Yep, I have been wholly unimpressed by the average fish in the south (VA and a bit of NC)

Minnesota kills it for quality and quantity, the only negative is the lack of double digit top end size

[Stick in Mud]

I've heard the same thing--that the bass fishing in Minnesota is some of the best in the entire country, even though we don't get fish of the size they do elsewhere. And I also agree that the record would be in serious jeopardy if we did allow spring fishing. But we don't.

[itchmesir]

We do have a bigger state record for smallies compared to these southern states though...

[goblueM]

We do have a bigger state record for smallies compared to these southern states though...

actually, many southern states grow smallies bigger than Minnesota

Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia all have state record smallmouth bigger than Minnesota's, and Mississippi's is only an ounce short

[KickNBass]

I sent a question into the DNR about the MN LM Bass history and here's what I got from none other than Mike "Cold Front" Kurre:

Quote:

Here is a timeline on the State Record Largemouth Bass.

The largemouth bass record of 8 lb 15 oz stood from 1944 to 1961, when it was broken by a 10 lb 2 oz fish from Prairie Lake, Itasca County. This bass record stood for another 20 years, based on an affidavit provided by the lucky angler, with no picture or record of a weigh-in. Department of Natural Resource Fisheries disqualified this recorded in 1982 and replaced it with 9 lb 6.5 oz fish caught in 1961. This largemouth bass, along with several others, were either disqualified or not certified from the period 1982-1985. In 1985, after clearing several suspicious records, Department of Natural Resource Fisheries accepted new largemouth bass applications from anglers for bass 7 pounds and larger. In the coming months, a string of new largemouth records were set and broken. In fall 1986, the record climbed to 8 lb 9.5 oz.; in 1994 to 8 lb 12.5 oz. In 2005 a new record was established for with a 8 lb 15 oz bass.

[lookincalifornia]

how much does diet come into play? it seems to me that out here in cali fish are eating shad and trout and growing huge. i realize that the growing season is much longer and we do have floridas, but the fishes diet is also a fattier fish than bluegills,perch, and crappies. could the recod fall to one of the smaller ponds that stock winter trout? could this turn a 5 pounder into an 8 or a 7 into a 10?

how does the state record work on border waters? if i am fishing mississippi backwaters and break the recor, does it go the the state where i hold a licsense or what?

[mainbutter]

Diet is a HUGE factor in fish growth of all species. I'm not sure what particular diet makes for big LMB, but I've seen a few studies on bluegills and crappies that essentially say that the best thing for a lake to produce big'uns is a tremendous freshwater shrimp population.

Then there's the study on great lakes whitefish and zebra mussels.. the zebs have an impact on the availability of whitefish's typical diet, but researchers found that the whitefish can eat zebra mussels. However, they grow much slower with a mussel heavy diet.

I've also noticed that my aquarium fish grow faster when fed my extra crappie minnows regularly than when fed commercial fish food.

It also seems to me that trout/salmon/char-fed pike grow FAT. Trout, salmon, and char tend to be a bit fattier, full of omega-3s and vit D, when compared to perch, suckers, and other prey for big pike. You see this in Colorado, you see it in Alaska, and I've seen it in person in Ontario.

Diet availability AND type definitely plays a role in fish growth rates, and ultimately the top tier of fish size in a given lake/river system.

[Comit 2]

Quote:

Funny thing is Michigan's state record has two fish tied at 11lb 15oz. One was caught not far from Grand Rapids which has a latitude of just south of the MN border. And the other was caught in north eastern Michigan in a location that has a latitude similar to Minneapolis/St Paul. The bass from Wisconsin was caught at a latitude just south of the MN border also. So obviously some MN lakes get similar weather as all these lakes.

Most of those lakes fall in the heart of farm land in Mn. Those lakes are farm irrigation first. Fishing second. The Q was asked back is late sixty's, Do we want to feed the world or go fishing? So we feed the world!

[itchmesir]

Diet is a HUGE factor in fish growth of all species. I'm not sure what particular diet makes for big LMB, but I've seen a few studies on bluegills and crappies that essentially say that the best thing for a lake to produce big'uns is a tremendous freshwater shrimp population.

Then there's the study on great lakes whitefish and zebra mussels.. the zebs have an impact on the availability of whitefish's typical diet, but researchers found that the whitefish can eat zebra mussels. However, they grow much slower with a mussel heavy diet.

I've also noticed that my aquarium fish grow faster when fed my extra crappie minnows regularly than when fed commercial fish food.

It also seems to me that trout/salmon/char-fed pike grow FAT. Trout, salmon, and char tend to be a bit fattier, full of omega-3s and vit D, when compared to perch, suckers, and other prey for big pike. You see this in Colorado, you see it in Alaska, and I've seen it in person in Ontario.

Diet availability AND type definitely plays a role in fish growth rates, and ultimately the top tier of fish size in a given lake/river system.

It would be interesting to take in to consideration fishing pressure and stress put on the fish... I would think a pond/lake that gets less pressure than say more heavily fished lakes would be more likely to be a prime location to find bigger fish... since they don't get stressed out by being caught and released numerous times.. it keeps their stress level low and the feed bag on more regularly...

[tolle141]

Just to summarize so everything's condensed, as I believe everyone has pretty much touched everything. Reasons for sizing:

1. Genetics. There are the two strains, florida and northern. Florida strain are proven to grow faster than northern strain in identical environments.

2. Management. Some states manage for trophy fish. Texas and CA in particular, with Texas's Lone Star Lunker Program for breeding 10lb+ bass.

3. Geography: translates to growing season

4. Forage. A big factor. CA stocks trout which fattens the fish quick. Up north, some lakes have Golden Shiners and shad which can be major factors in the fish populations. Just look at some of the lakes in the north and west metro. EVERYTHING grows bigger

5. Season. Many states allow fishing during the spawn, which as everyone knows can turn a 5lb bass into a 6lb or bigger. Apply that to a 10 or 15lber....

6. Finally, support. Support translates to better CPR and better management. Just look at Muskies for a case study.

Have I missed anything? I suppose you could add in habitat, pressure, etc. The point is, there are a lot of variables. Genetics and geography play a huge part in potential. Forage, management, angler orientation, and fishing seasons are the deciding factors of whether or not they reach that potential.

[Hammer Handle]

The record would be larger...but it was "reset" years ago.

Many large bass were caught and not "registered" as a larger bass was on record as the biggest.

That is why our state record large-mouth is so small....

And the climate too....