Turning the Knob on Table Rock Bass

[magicwormman]

3 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Fished the dam with Mike this morning right before the storm.  It didn't have any magic as it was harder than a bankers heart out there.  We decided to wait a while and fish up the river a mite and let those persnickety critters at the dam go about there business without us.

Same up the James! We fished from 6:30 A.M. to 7:15 and never had a bite. We saw several boats fishing and never saw a fish caught. I was telling some guests that they always bite before a storm. It shows what I know!

[bferg]

Never had a topwater bite up the White this AM either.  Saw hardly any Topwater activity at all.

[Bill Babler]

I talked to 4 or 5 other guides this morning and all were more than crying the Blues.  It was just brutal, after yesterdays feeding fest.

[m&m]

Yesterday morning the fish won!

Mike

[Notropis]

Great pictures, It's interesting that the young fish in Bills hand aren't shad.  Looks like white bass.  

[Bill Babler]

Pretty sure they are black bass.  I think white bass fry would be bigger, a broader body and maybe not that far away from their spawning area yet.  Morig would know.   Who ever they are there are millions of them from Campbell Point to Big M.

[Notropis]

"Pretty sure they are black bass.  I think white bass fry would be bigger, a broader body and maybe not that far away from their spawning area yet.  Morig would know.   Who ever they are there are millions of them from Campbell Point to Big M."

Yeah they do have the look of a bass and they might be blacks that are partially digested and have lost their color, but whites look like that too when they're that young and don't develop the typical deep body until they're a little older.  I was also considering their presence in deep water (if I understood you're post).  Black bass young typically hug the shoreline to stay in cover but anything's possible when it comes to fish and their behavior.  Whatever they are, it's obvious the lake has had a great spawn, typical of a high water year. 

BTW I've looked at just as many young fish as Morig has in my 28 years as a Fish Biologist, (doesn't mean I'm right in this case, ha ha) in fact, I've worked with him on many occasions. He's a great guy and a real asset to these forums!

[Bill Babler]

You are also buddy.  Notropis there are huge schools of these in the bushes and along the bank also.  Just simply millions of them in the Shell Knob area.  By Black Bass, I was alluding to any of the 3/4 varieties we have swimming here.   LM, Spots, SM, and Meanies.

Would these schools, combine to make these bio masses?

Who and what ever they are, their parents did a good job of getting them to that size in massive perhaps record breaking numbers.

Thanks All and Good Luck out there.

[Notropis]

Thanks Bill, I try to contribute to the forum when I can. Sounds like an incredible spawn!  When they're as small as they are currently, they will stick together in large groups to try to avoid predation. That's probably what you're seeing.  As soon as they get a little bigger, they'll scatter and take advantage of the tremendous amount of flooded cover available to them.  High water years create a perfect environment for huge spawns and enhanced survival of the young fish due to flooded nursery habitat and additional nutrients in the water to promote zooplankton (critical for the survival of fry). 

Looks like the makings of a great year class!