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Bass Spawning & Pumpkinseeds Snorkeling Pics


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#1 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 11:40 PM

I'm not sure how much interest there would be in these... just joined the community today and I wanted to share something LOL.
I took these pics a little while back while snorkeling up here in a NH pond.
Sorry for the poor quality :blush:
Didn't want too many load issues so pumpkinseeds and the rest are in post 2

LM Bass Spawning

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Edited by Heather, 02 October 2013 - 11:54 PM.


#2 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 02 October 2013 - 11:41 PM

Pumpkinseeds.. my favorite :wub:

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Little Buddy Bass that followed me around the pond for a while followed by some last few misc bass pics

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#3 Guest_Kanus_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 08:45 AM

Very cool! I've never seen photos of bass spawning, looks like they do it in pretty standard sunfish fashion though. Always a treat to see these behaviors. And Pumpkinseeds are nice too. I actually photographed my first one yesterday. It was a subadult, but still very pretty and had some color to it.

#4 Guest_centrarchid_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 09:11 AM

Heather, did you get any photographs of larvae or fry being tended by adult(s)?

#5 Guest_EricaLyons_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 11:19 AM

Wow, that's really cool. They're not the least bit shy about spawning in front of you! I've never seen bass spawn before. Thank you for sharing :)

#6 Guest_EricaLyons_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 11:21 AM

Oh, I should ask, what camera did you use to capture these pictures? I'm always curious to hear opinion polls from people about a model they've field tested.
Waterproof and 'waterproof' aren't the same thing, you know?

#7 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 06:47 PM

Very cool! I've never seen photos of bass spawning, looks like they do it in pretty standard sunfish fashion though. Always a treat to see these behaviors. And Pumpkinseeds are nice too. I actually photographed my first one yesterday. It was a subadult, but still very pretty and had some color to it.


Thanks very much.... glad you like them!
Let's see that pic you took! I can't tell you how cool it is for me to speak with others who also appreciate pumpkinseeds! :wub:

#8 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 06:49 PM

Wow, that's really cool. They're not the least bit shy about spawning in front of you! I've never seen bass spawn before. Thank you for sharing :)

No they really weren't. That particular pond is near family land and I've spent just about every summer since I was born soaking in there... I prefer to believe those fish know me LOL j/k. They were just very wrapped up in what they were doing.
Thank you... really glad you liked them Erica!

#9 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 06:53 PM

Oh, I should ask, what camera did you use to capture these pictures? I'm always curious to hear opinion polls from people about a model they've field tested.
Waterproof and 'waterproof' aren't the same thing, you know?

It was one of those disposable Kodak underwater cameras for like $10 at Walgreens. Can't get much easier than that. :laugh:
I don't remember for sure.. but I think they're good to about 15' down maybe 20'?
I tried SO HARD to get pics of a HUGE snapping turtle I came across out of nowhere underwater while diving. :blink:
Good lord it took my breath away... scared the ___ out of me.... but unfortunately those pics didn't come out. Biggest snapper I've ever seen and to see it just laying there below you all of the sudden... wow.

#10 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 07:14 PM

looks like they do it in pretty standard sunfish fashion though.


Oh I forgot to mention... they actually do it quite differently.
LM Bass seem to prefer to spawn on short grasses and neither do much to prepare the area other than a bit of mouthing right before. As opposed to of course the male sunny habit of cleaning out and often reusing an old pit/bed... constantly digging and adjusting his real estate obsessively.
The pair of LM bass both hover above the chosen site heads down doing a very rapid head shake extremely similar to pair bonding cichlids right before spawning. Then... they swim side by side forward while spawning... both back up... and repeat in rows. No circling like sunnies... and the male never seems to leave the female's side to chase away others the way sunnies do. It was as if they formed a tight pair bond for a few hours.. then of course the female leaves. I also didn't note anything that would resemble a "spawning colony" of bass. I've read that many times they all spawn in the sunniest parts of the lake/pond... but atleast here... they spawned fairly far apart from each other all around the perimeter of the pond.
JMHE!

#11 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 07:17 PM

Heather, did you get any photographs of larvae or fry being tended by adult(s)?

Nooo unfortunately. These were taken one random April day that got up to the high 80's... so I was only able to get out that day before it got way too cold again. I do have a wet suit but it's short sleeved... looking back not the best planned purchase LOL.
That's why if you look closely all the lily pads are just starting to sprout..

I *DO* however have pics of Bass fry I can show you taken some weeks later :wub:
These are even worse quality but you get the idea... don't they look like "minnows"?

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Old Pumpkinseed bed - LM bass spawn in the short grasses

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HAHA Self Portrait *YES* I DO have hair.. LOL

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#12 Guest_EricaLyons_*

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Posted 03 October 2013 - 07:59 PM

lol. You're a hoot.
Those bass fry are adorable . <3

#13 Guest_Kanus_*

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Posted 04 October 2013 - 02:05 PM

Oh wow, that's really interesting, it does sound much different than typical Lepomis sunfish. I had the privledge last spring of watching a pair of Redbreast sunfish spawning in the river and was pretty impressed by the female's attention span when it came to waiting for the male to drive away any and all fish that ventured within a few feet. Sometimes he would randomly zoom off mid-spawning just to stare out into the open water to watch for competitors. Pretty funny. I took some video of them here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsIV8HiJrfw


Also, here's the pumpkinseed I shot the other day. Turned out amazingly well considering it was shot from about 6 feet away, of a 3.5 inch fish, while free floating (I was avoiding touching ANYTHING because it was a super-silty backwater area).
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#14 Guest_jacksmelt_*

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Posted 04 October 2013 - 08:52 PM

awesome pics and vids there folks!

#15 Guest_MasterJW_*

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Posted 10 October 2013 - 08:08 PM

It looks like one of those bass is a smallie, I didn't know they hybridized.

#16 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 19 October 2013 - 10:23 PM

Derek... great video and pics!! It is funny how crazy the males are about being hyper territorial.
That pic is so clear.... you said you were free floating?? How cold is the water down there in October? I sure wish I could still go swimming up here in October!

#17 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 19 October 2013 - 10:26 PM

It looks like one of those bass is a smallie, I didn't know they hybridized.

Nope... both large mouths. If you look closely in a couple of the pics you can see the "smallie looking one"'s dark lateral line... just different pattern right during spawning everywhere else and a really crummy disposable camera LOL

#18 Guest_flier82sunfish_*

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Posted 13 November 2013 - 11:03 PM

Pumpkinseeds are my absolute favorite fish! I loved the photo of the young one here. Thanks for sharing.

#19 Guest_Heather_*

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Posted 07 January 2014 - 06:58 PM

Pumpkinseeds are my absolute favorite fish!

Agreed! Favorite native by far... Posted Image




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