| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 224.1 | ... | GEMVAX::JOHNHC | | Fri Oct 09 1992 09:55 | 17 |
| I've seen what you describe as "hook throwing" behavior, and I believe
it to be an attempt to dislodge parasites or some other unwelcome
homesteaders that have taken up residence in the gills.
Just speculation on my part, but it makes more sense to me than that
these fish are practicing human-predation evasion.
Bass do indeed learn behavior, though. I have trained large numbers of
bass around a freshwater reef off the end of our dock to regard divers
as friends who provide food. (I uncover a crayfish or two for them
whenever I'm out there.
Then I take a saltwater diver who believes freshwater is boring out for
a dive in front of the house. The look on that diver's face when a
dozen large bass come begging for a handout is hilarious.
John H-C
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| 224.2 | Thanks | ECADSR::BIRO | | Fri Oct 09 1992 11:17 | 29 |
| re -1
That does make sense, the "hook throwing" behavior is
an attempt to dislodge parasites or someing their gills.
Would this be the same for an Adult Bass? In a swamp
where I fish there is a very large BASS ( over 8 lbs ) that
likes to surface feed, each time the fish stricks the surface
the fish dive for the bottom then resurface, dancing on the surface
for about 10 feet doing the "hook throwing" behavior.
No he is not hook, I was just watching him from shore.
I though maybe the fish got so big by practicing safe "hook throwing"
assumming that every bit of food had a hook in it, but your idea of
disloging unwelcome homesteaders might make more sense.
thanks john
PS I have put a crawfish trap out in the same spot for about
3 years now, this year the Bass have decided that this is a
nice place to take a night time nap, They assicoate with the
trap and sleep right next to it. I gues they get a few free
craw fish that are on the out side of the trap. Maybe this
is simular to the Bass that you have had tain to feed for
handouts
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| 224.3 | $0.01 | GEMVAX::JOHNHC | | Sat Oct 10 1992 09:30 | 12 |
| It occurred to me as I watched this year's pet bass in one of the tanks
in my office at home that I had forgotten another occasion when bass
act as they do when attempting to throw a hook.
When the bass swallows something particularly large (say, almost half
as big as it is), it will behave in the same way shortly after getting
the morsel down its gullet. It almost looks as if it is trying to
rearrange the alignment of the thing in its stomach.
Isn't speculation fun?
John H-C
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| 224.4 | Turning on/off the Lateral Line | ECADSR::BIRO | | Wed Oct 14 1992 08:15 | 32 |
| Baby Large Mouth Bass feed heavily on tiny crustaceans and other
junk until they are bout 2 inches long, then they start eating
insects and small fish.
The two I have been watching are just switching over to small
fish. The smaller of the two (apx 3 in long) has no problem
and chases the small fish and has it for lunch. The larger of
the two (apx 3.5 in long) has a problem. It has just started
to catch small fish, however, instead of chasing them the
fish 'turns' on his 'lateral line' and attacks fish on the
surface with a display of aggressiveness and sudden instinctive
reaction striking the surface bait. It will ignore bait swimming
near itself.
One of the LargeMouth bass senses is its 'lateral line' which is
a series of sensitive nerve ending that extend from just behind its
gills to its tail. The lateral line can pick up underwater vibration
as subtle as a swimming baitfish.
What I found surprising about the 'lateral line' is that when the
Bass is at sleep or not very aggressive the 'lateral line' is not
visible! When the bass gets aggressive then the line is very visible.
The other fish that chases game fish does not show this ability to
turn on and off the 'lateral line'.
Do all LargeMouth Bass have the capability to turn on/off the
'lateral line', and do they always have the line visible or
turn on while feeding.
john
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