How Old is 3" Bass?

[MK49]

A few days ago, I saw an 8 pounder swimming close to the bank. About 10min later, she followed my jerkbait, but didn't hit it. About 15min later, I saw hundreds of 3" bass swimming in the same area. What I was wondering is this. They're too small to be 1yr old, but too big to be a few weeks old. How old are they? Does bass grow to 3" in 1mo or less? I saw the similar school of 3" bass last year, but it was in June.

[DarkShadow]

It really depends on the biomass at your lake.

I know some lakes where a 3" bass is last year's spawn.

I know some lakes where a 3" bass was spawned 2 years ago simply because there is lack of food, and cannibalization is common.

[toddmc]

If you were at DVL, that fish is probably from an early spawner this year. Some fish will spawn in early February. It doesn't take long for them to get a few inches in length. They grow much slower once they get closer to 12 inches. The back of coves and the shallows will be loaded with fingerlings before the end of summer.

[DarkShadow]

If you were at DVL, that fish is probably from an early spawner this year. Some fish will spawn in early February. It doesn't take long for them to get a few inches in length. They grow much slower once they get closer to 12 inches. The back of coves and the shallows will be loaded with fingerlings before the end of summer.

Speaking of DVL, whatever happened to that place?

I was out there last Saturday and managed 5 keepers (and 100 8" fish) and it barely made 10 pounds.

[toddmc]

If you were at DVL, that fish is probably from an early spawner this year. Some fish will spawn in early February. It doesn't take long for them to get a few inches in length. They grow much slower once they get closer to 12 inches. The back of coves and the shallows will be loaded with fingerlings before the end of summer.

Speaking of DVL, whatever happened to that place?

I was out there last Saturday and managed 5 keepers (and 100 8" fish) and it barely made 10 pounds.

Long periods of low water does that. This combined with stripers makes the fishing at DVL tough. It will get better if they can keep the water up for a couple of years. There is still plenty of big fish. There was a 10 and 7 caught in the last tournament. Overall, the population is down. The recent spawn really needs the new cover to protect itself from the stripers. They also lowered the water right during the spawn this spring. That pushed a lot off beds. I may get out this weekend. I hope that they haven't continued to drop the water because it really hurts all of the shallow patterns.

[MK49]

If you were at DVL, that fish is probably from an early spawner this year. Some fish will spawn in early February. It doesn't take long for them to get a few inches in length. They grow much slower once they get closer to 12 inches. The back of coves and the shallows will be loaded with fingerlings before the end of summer.

I don't now where DVL is, but I think you're right. They're probably from this year. They're just too small to be from last year. This year has been warmer, so I guess some bass spawned a bit earlier.

[toddmc]

If you were at DVL, that fish is probably from an early spawner this year. Some fish will spawn in early February. It doesn't take long for them to get a few inches in length. They grow much slower once they get closer to 12 inches. The back of coves and the shallows will be loaded with fingerlings before the end of summer.

I don't now where DVL is, but I think you're right. They're probably from this year. They're just too small to be from last year. This year has been warmer, so I guess some bass spawned a bit earlier.

I thought you might be one of the guys on here that has mentioned that he fished DVL. Yesterday, I caught a bunch of the fat 8" bass that DarkShadow referenced in his post. Those are probably from last year because the are so fat and healthy. It's possible that they could be from two years ago in a more sterile lake. I usually fish deeper or move to a different area once I have caught a bunch of small fish. I fish a bigger bait also. Sometimes the double digit fish are feeding on the fingerlings. I caught my first double digit in 1989 out of a school of recently stocked F1 hybrids after I had caught a few dozen of the smaller fish. My boater refused to move thankfully!

[DarkShadow]

I thought you might be one of the guys on here that has mentioned that he fished DVL. Yesterday, I caught a bunch of the fat 8" bass that DarkShadow referenced in his post. Those are probably from last year because the are so fat and healthy. It's possible that they could be from two years ago in a more sterile lake. I usually fish deeper or move to a different area once I have caught a bunch of small fish. I fish a bigger bait also. Sometimes the double digit fish are feeding on the fingerlings. I caught my first double digit in 1989 out of a school of recently stocked F1 hybrids after I had caught a few dozen of the smaller fish. My boater refused to move thankfully!

I enjoyed that place when the water was down and boats couldn't launch.

We'd be there, every....single...weekend. We'd drag our trolling motor and battery down the 1000 yard launch ramp, and we'd have 50 fish days. But, these fish were consistently 2 to 3 pounds, with 5s and 6s thrown in the mix.

The moment we saw the stripers, I said, "There goes the neighborhood" to the chagrin of various DFW biologists who till this day still swear up and down that stripers have zero effect on fisheries.

The massive balls of shad? Gone. The bluegill? Gone.

I know guys who do well at that place, mainly because they are fishing it 3 times a week. But, it's a shell of its former self.

[toddmc]

I thought you might be one of the guys on here that has mentioned that he fished DVL. Yesterday, I caught a bunch of the fat 8" bass that DarkShadow referenced in his post. Those are probably from last year because the are so fat and healthy. It's possible that they could be from two years ago in a more sterile lake. I usually fish deeper or move to a different area once I have caught a bunch of small fish. I fish a bigger bait also. Sometimes the double digit fish are feeding on the fingerlings. I caught my first double digit in 1989 out of a school of recently stocked F1 hybrids after I had caught a few dozen of the smaller fish. My boater refused to move thankfully!

I enjoyed that place when the water was down and boats couldn't launch.

We'd be there, every....single...weekend. We'd drag our trolling motor and battery down the 1000 yard launch ramp, and we'd have 50 fish days. But, these fish were consistently 2 to 3 pounds, with 5s and 6s thrown in the mix.

The moment we saw the stripers, I said, "There goes the neighborhood" to the chagrin of various DFW biologists who till this day still swear up and down that stripers have zero effect on fisheries.

The massive balls of shad? Gone. The bluegill? Gone.

I know guys who do well at that place, mainly because they are fishing it 3 times a week. But, it's a shell of its former self.

You do have to fish there regularly to catch them consistently on DVL. It's not like a lot of other lakes that I can just show up to and catch them because I have experience there.
The stripers destroyed all of that shad. It was amazing around 2010 when they spawned and you could catch 30 pounds in 5 casts when the largemouth would push the shad on the shore. The bluegill are in the deeper trees. That is what most of the fish feed on now. The bluegill do a better job of hiding from the striper than the shad, but dropping water exposes them also.

[DarkShadow]

You do have to fish there regularly to catch them consistently on DVL. It's not like a lot of other lakes that I can just show up to and catch them because I have experience there.
The stripers destroyed all of that shad. It was amazing around 2010 when they spawned and you could catch 30 pounds in 5 casts when the largemouth would push the shad on the shore. The bluegill are in the deeper trees. That is what most of the fish feed on now. The bluegill do a better job of hiding from the striper than the shad, but dropping water exposes them also.

Yep, had many a memorable catch at DVL.

Had my buddy catch an 8 and a 9 on the same cast on the double underspin rig in the quarry.

I got broken off by a 50 pound catfish that decided to eat my Triple Trout.

And, my DD that I caught on the Hudd.