Round Valley Bass, a Crappie

[Bruce Litton]

Got out with Fred a couple of weeks ago & we caught a bunch, but the largest about 11 inches, which we find typical on the reservoir. He took another friend out the next week, who caught a smallmouth close to two pounds, and again, small bass. (I also caught a crappie, first we've seen.) Have caught three pound plus largemouths, including one over five, from shore in May, but again, most are about 11 inches. From the boat, my biggest smallie is a few ounces or so over two pounds. Way back in 1978, I took my youngest brother camping & fishing from my StarCraft in June on the res, and we caught lots of largemouth, no smallmouth, and no largemouth less than two pounds, none over three...so it behooves me to wonder if, due to the forage collapse, the size of bass has diminished. Any thoughts? I started fishing reservoir bass in 2011, so I don't know what it's been like during the decades in between.

[Andrushkin33]

Wont be a person to comment just can add from some experience.

Have had some success last fall on smallmouth in valley with numbers caught being pretty much consistent with any other large body of water that I fished.
Then again I don't usually expect to keep the numbers in tens and twenties so what do I know.

Now for the crappie part you definitely have me here. I have yet to see crappie come from valley and its interesting you got one. Kudos

Andre

[briansnat]

Are you sure that crappie wasn't a rock bass? They look similar. RV is loded with rock bass, but I never caught a crappie there

[huntcountypussbuck]

I did catch a nice size Black Crappie at RV some years ago real close to the fish & game boat ramp. Had R. Soldwedel identify it when he was still around.

[Bruce Litton]

We catch loads of the rock bass, no, this was a crappie, white crappie, I think. White or black, crappie.