Jul 30 2008
Habitual Hibernation
Well, the trip to the Cape was postponed a couple of weeks due to conflicting plans calling me to the mountain regions of Northern New Hampshire. Fortunately, prior to my leaving for this chilly climate, I was able to stumble across a wonderful topic to discuss, the hibernatory habits of freshwater bass.
As you may have noticed, in the early months of fishing season, such as in April, and early May, the streams will be flowing with a variety of trout. Furthermore, while the trout are running, bass seem to remain unseen, and effectively remain out of site. However, when the water levels drop, and the temperature rises, it seems as though spontaneous generation occurs, and bass rule the water of New England streams. Baffled by this strange occurrence, my uncle begged to ask the question, “Where do the bass for the winter;” a question that spurred a very long discussion, and many assumptions on the topic, resulting in a quest to find the truth behind this marvel of nature.
One of the most common responses to the question, was that the bass find their way to the downstream sides of dams, sitting in the warm runoff water. Although this seemed plausible, it still did not explain where the bass relocated during the winter freeze, when ponds are partially drained, and the water ceases to flow over dams. After a long phone conversation with a local, weathered fisherman, the mystery was solved, or so we believe.
The conclusion that was agreed upon, was that bass, like frogs, store enough energy to survive the winter without needed to eat. Furthermore, these bass lay deep in the mud, allowing their bodies to come to the point of almost a coma-state, laying in wait until the warm water returns to revive their lifeless bodies.
Remember, this is just the thoughts of searching men, and, if anyone should have any further insight into the topic, please write me and fill me in!
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