Sunday, May 17, 2009

Largemouth Bass Relative Weight Chart

Relative Weight Charts are often easily misunderstood, but are a key component to understanding your fish population. My good friend Bob Lusk editor of Pond Boss Magazine simply states "a fish so long should weigh so much....more specifically, 'relative weight' is figured as a ratio of what a fish actually weighs compared to its length, further compared to what it should weigh, if it were a normal fast growing fish of the same length."

What this means is that in order for a fish to grow any longer, it has to be at or above 100%. Trophy sized fish will spend most of their lives with relative weights at or well above 100%. Regular sized fish will typically only be over 100% for a few short months during the year, and stunted skinny fish will rarely reach the 100% mark.

For example, a 15 inch largemouth bass must weigh 1 lb 13 oz in order to reach 15 inches. If that 15 inche LMB weighs less than 1 lb 13 oz, that means that fish actually has lost weight, and will not ever make it to 16 inches long unless it reaches and surpasses 1 lb 13 oz! Many lakes and ponds have abundant forage for bass for only a few short months and the bass will grow during those times. The rest of the year, the bass simply will not grow any longer unless they are at or above 100%.

I keep track of the relative weights of all my fish several times per year to make sure they are well fed and actively growing at all times!

Largemouth Bass Relative Weight Chart:

Length: Standard Weight
10 -----10 oz
11 -----11 oz
12 -----12 oz
12.5 ---15 oz
13 -----18 oz (1 lb 2 oz)
13.5 ---20 oz
14 -----23 oz (1 lb 7 oz)
14.5 ---26 oz
15 -----29 oz (1 lb 13 oz)
15.5 ---32 oz
16 -----36 oz (2 lb 4 oz)
16.5 ---40 oz
17 -----45 oz (2 lb 13 oz)
17.5 ---48 oz
18 -----52 oz (3 lb 4 oz)
18.5 ---57 oz
19 -----62 oz (3 lb 14 oz)
19.5 ---67 oz
20 -----72 oz (4 lb 8 oz)
20.5 ---78 oz
21 -----85 oz (5 lb 5 oz)
21.5 ---92 oz
22 -----99 oz (6 lb 3 oz)
23 -----114 oz (7 lb 2 oz)
24 -----131 oz (8 lb 3 oz)

2 comments:

  1. Your chart needs to be extended, Bass Master Magazine routinely posts 10-14 lb. LMB.

    I just caught a 12# LMB in a local pond in Georgia.

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  2. Just caught a 21.5" LMB in local pond, Coppell, TX, on super salty lizard, water Mellon seed, Zoom, Carrolina rig, 1/4 oz bullet weight, 3-red glass 1/4"'dia. With Facets, 1-O, wide gap, offset Kazimaci Hook, 15# mono clear line, casting towards bank and retrieving at 1revolution per second!

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