R
Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)
Guest
I've often thought that if we can stock millions of carp and other variants into our still waters, wouldn't it be a good idea if we could also consider a game fish too.
I am thinking of course of the Small Mouth Bass (Micropterus dolomeiu) a species which was originally native to the northern parts of America, particularly in the area of the great lakes. This fish over the past 100 years has been successfully introducedto many other parts of North America, Southern Africa, Scandinavia and even Japan. The Small Mouth Bass is actually not a truebass at all. It is a member of the American Sunfish family which includes the Largemouth Bass, Crappies, Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds. It is a fine and very handsome game fish which can reach double figures in exceptional circumstances. However a 2 pounder is a good fish and a5 pounder is a whopper. I have been fortunate in a past life to have caught them to 6 1/4 lbs.
Unlike the Largemouth Bass which prefers a tropical climate, smallies thrive in cool water conditions and would be ideal for stocking clear water gravel pits and reservoirs. They are self propogating and have fairly high fecundity. One stocked the populations would be self sustaining - unlike rainbow trout which require costly restocking.
These fish are top of the apex predators, feeding on insects, crustaceans and small fish. Probably their favourite food are crayfish. They have rudimentary pharyngeal teeth and have no problem eating fairly large crustaceans such as signal crays.
They are also extremely good eating, the flesh resembling Dover Sole, with a texture similar to zander.
But unlike zander, these fish fight! In fact I would put the small mouth bass as one of the hardest fighting freshwater fish, size for sizeon the planet.
So what do you think? Would stocking a large land locked gravel pit with Smallmouth Bass as an experiment be a good idea?
I am thinking of course of the Small Mouth Bass (Micropterus dolomeiu) a species which was originally native to the northern parts of America, particularly in the area of the great lakes. This fish over the past 100 years has been successfully introducedto many other parts of North America, Southern Africa, Scandinavia and even Japan. The Small Mouth Bass is actually not a truebass at all. It is a member of the American Sunfish family which includes the Largemouth Bass, Crappies, Bluegills and Pumpkinseeds. It is a fine and very handsome game fish which can reach double figures in exceptional circumstances. However a 2 pounder is a good fish and a5 pounder is a whopper. I have been fortunate in a past life to have caught them to 6 1/4 lbs.
Unlike the Largemouth Bass which prefers a tropical climate, smallies thrive in cool water conditions and would be ideal for stocking clear water gravel pits and reservoirs. They are self propogating and have fairly high fecundity. One stocked the populations would be self sustaining - unlike rainbow trout which require costly restocking.
These fish are top of the apex predators, feeding on insects, crustaceans and small fish. Probably their favourite food are crayfish. They have rudimentary pharyngeal teeth and have no problem eating fairly large crustaceans such as signal crays.
They are also extremely good eating, the flesh resembling Dover Sole, with a texture similar to zander.
But unlike zander, these fish fight! In fact I would put the small mouth bass as one of the hardest fighting freshwater fish, size for sizeon the planet.
So what do you think? Would stocking a large land locked gravel pit with Smallmouth Bass as an experiment be a good idea?