North American Freshwater

You can easily keep a sunfish in a 30 gallon.

I've got a 20 gallon I keep them in.

I've got a juvenile channel cat in a 20 and when he gets bigger he will go into the 75 and then into the lake.

You can keep juvenile wild caught specimens until they get too big and then you just release them where you caught them.
 
yeah largemouth/small mouth are pretty diverse - Largemouth can be caught from Callifornia to Maine, they grow larger in the warmer waters - down south and out west especially out west in the dryer climates they can get huge - a lot of the national records have been recorded out west - 20 pounders get hauled in , in CA with some sort of reuglarity - in the colder waters they don't grow nearly as large - a big bass up here in MASS would be 10 lbs I normally catch them anywhere between 3 to 7 lbs though - we have some lunkers in the mid teens swimming around but for bigger fish we usually go saltwater fishing for stripers - it all depends on the region you live in - yes bass will live in shallow ponds - in fact the largemouth can usually be caught in shallower water - this is where most of their prey live - minnows, small sunfish, frogs, baby ducklings - they like to lurk in the shallow in areas where there is cover -things like lilly pads, or fallen trees, branches in the water, weeds - i'll tell you there is nothing more explosive or awesome looking than seeing a largemouth rip to the surface between a bunch of lilly pads to ambush a frog -sometimes i'll bounce a plastic frog on top of the lilly pads, then wham! the water explodes and you the bass's head rip through the pads and splash... simply AWESOME - i love this fish -
smallmouth bass pound for pound are actually a much stronger fish - their jaw muscles are stronger because of their structure of their mouth - they will not be found in the same habitat as the largemouth normally - let me rephrase that - they may live in the same lake or region but where the largemouth will lurk in the shallower , muddy, weed filled waters, the smallies will usually hold out in deeper waters, they typically like a little bit cooler water and rocky structures, they are not as fond of weeds etc - they prey on crayfish regularly and since you usually find crayfish hiding in or under rocks that is where you will find your smalles - i normally catch them in 15 to 20 feet of water but have caught them as shallow as 10 feet or as deep as 40 feet - they are incredible - i have had them hit a crankbait the INSTANT it has landed on the water from my cast - it's just amazing - this is because they are sitting under the water and see the bait land and they go right after it - they will jump and thrash out of the water several times when trying to reel one in - i've had them manage to spit the plugs right back at me! Largemouth will usually give you one good initial thrashing then tug under the water - smallies are so unpredictible - just a great fish -
but yes we are talking about the same species -
 
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Same species, but you still may be talking about different fish. There is the Florida Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus), the Northern Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides salmoides), and you can find hybrids of the two subspecies. The Florida Largemouth tends to grow faster in favorable conditions than the Northern variety, which is why they are the ones that you find stocked out west (like California).
 
Gambusia said:
You can keep juvenile wild caught specimens until they get too big and then you just release them where you caught them.
Click to expand...

Wrong. It depends on where you live. In Wyoming, that would be illegal in every way (transporting live fish twice, violation of size limits, keeping a native fish in an aquarium without a Chapter X permit, and illegal stocking).

Keeping native fish in an aquarium comes with a variety of issues not seen with tropicals, and should be done ONLY after consulting with your local authorities. If you are not a fisheries biologist employed by the state to manage the fisheries, you have no right to decide what goes in the waters. Sorry, but that's just common sense.

Also, check here: http://www.nanfa.org/
 
But if you catch a channel cat out of a lake and then put it back in that lake, how is that wrong?

I realize you have to comply with all laws but I don't see how that is wrong?

Unless you are talking about exotics the state fish agency wants removed.

For example flathead catfish get into Lake A and the fishery folks make it illegal to release them if caught- all have to be removed.

But if one catches a regular old bluegill out of your local park pond, keep it for a couple months, then release it back into the park pond from which it came, how is that illegal?
 
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I see what you mean but technically your re-stocking the pond, if it's illegal then it's illegal, although that would be a point you could probably argue at a hearing, but it's prob illegal because who knows what your fish was exposed to in an aquarium whcih they woudln't want parasites or disease spreading to the native ponds (they don't know if you kept them with non-natives etc) and also how can the lawmakers determine if the fish actually came from the pond you are relseasing the fish back into - it's just a basic thing i guess
 
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Whatever happened to good ole USA, if your putting back the same fish that was taken from the same pond\lake, Its a bogus law and should be protested, how, by doing exactly that. I understand on non-native species and screwing up eco systems, but thats a pathetic law, waste of lawmaker time. Again I am not disagreeing with Non-natives, but cmon, think logically here, If you caught a minnow from the pond down the street, raised it for few years, and then put it back exactly where you found it, cmon............... if anything, your ensuring the full life of 1 fish that is local. I see that as a good deed, not an illegal activity.
 
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I see what your saying, but what about the irresponsible idiot who say keeps a native in a tank with a non-native and the native catches some disease or parasite that's not native to our waters but carries it latently - then this guy releases the native back into our waters - guess what the native is now bringing with it? - a non-native disease or parasite - they are just trying to protect our native waters i can repsect that
 
i think NA species (esp bass) belong in a pong with at least 1000 gallons as well as a currant source like a waterfall.....wish i had the moolah to hook up something like that!!!!
 
Very few individuals have the ability to determine if the fish was exposed to any sort of virus, parasite, or disease. Period. Without a complete pathology (which kills the fish), there's no way to ensure that you are not introducing an exotic (parasites are considered such). Live release of any animal taken via legal fishing gear is fine--as long as that fish doesn't sit in your live well, or leave the area it was captured. Argue all you want--what it comes down to is that this is an illegal practice, and deciding that you have the right to make that choice is bogus, and irresponsible. Encouraging someone on this board to break those laws is a violation of the TOS you agreed to when you joined.
 
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