Bass as Pets. 2024

lars320 reply :

I have been browsing around for quite some time, but I have not been able to find a specific answer. I am seeing a lot of questions about people keeping Large/Small mouth bass as pets and I would like to know if it is. I live in the State of Illinois always and I see people keeping bass as pets on Youtube. I am trying to get a fish tank going in my room and I want to put bass in it as a pet. If anybody knows anything or anyplace that can answer my question, please feel free to do so.

Thanks, Lance.

Darren. reply :

Welcome aboard, Lance!

Can't really help you with keeping bass as Pets. To me, they're

quarry to catch and release .

TBAG reply :

It's not April 1st is it?

OCdockskipper reply :

i would love to answer you, but I can't find a question in your post. It is just a bunch of statements pushed together like leftovers from Christmas dinner.

kenmitch reply :

It's illegal to transport live fish as well as the water they live in. Page 7 covers it.

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/publications/documents/00000839.pdf

soflabasser reply :

Check the laws in your state first before getting a bass as a pet. The information I am providing below is only for those in states where you are allowed to raise bass as pets...

You will need at least a 150 gallon aquarium to raise a single bass and the bass will eventually outgrow this aquarium. You must keep the water parameters in good levels. Keep the ammonia, nitrites, etc low and have a good filtration system. Keep the bass well fed but do not overfeed. Make sure you keep the water temperature stable. Consider making a pond of at least 500 gallons or more once the bass gets too big for the aquarium. If this sounds like too much work then it probably would be better to raise a Siamese fighting fish in a 1-5 gallon aquarium since they are some of the easiest fish to take care of.

Bluebasser86 reply :

Lots of legal issues if you take wild fish but you might be able to find them at a pet store. They eat a lot and are tough to keep alive.

Glaucus reply :

I'm from Illinois. I know of a lot of people who take fish as pets. No issues. What the letter of the law says is different. But it's like the law from a southern state that it's technically illegal to walk down a sidewalk eating an ice cream come on a Sunday. But it isn't enforced and nobody cares. I'm not going to tell you to do it, but I'm going to tell you that I've never known anyone to get in trouble for it, and I've never met anyone in any position of authority who would even care. Some laws are just stupid. Like collecting rain water is or used to be illegal. Nobody cares.

greentrout reply :

Get a Lab...loyal and obedient friend...

good fishing....

Glaucus reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 10:04 AM, greentrout said:

Get a Lab...loyal and obedient friend...

good fishing....

If you watch Bamabass, you'll want a pet bass.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 10:57 AM, Glaucus said:

If you watch Bamabass, you'll want a pet bass.

Seem a couple of his videos where he fishes for pet bass in private ponds. They can be entertaining but I prefer watching videos of bass being caught from public waters.

Glaucus reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 12:21 PM, soflabasser said:

Seem a couple of his videos where he fishes for pet bass in private ponds. They can be entertaining but I prefer watching videos of bass being caught from public waters.

His bass and crappie came from a river. I believe his catfish did too. Dunno about the main bluegill. The new gills came from a river too. Not sure what you're talking about.

Most of his fishing for straight up videos is in private ponds though.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 12:36 PM, Glaucus said:

His bass and crappie came from a river. I believe his catfish did too. Dunno about the main bluegill. The new gills came from a river too. Not sure what you're talking about.

Most of his fishing for straight up videos is in private ponds though.

The videos I saw where of him fishing private well managed ponds loaded with big bass. It reminded me of the videos I saw of Bill Dance fishing private ponds. Both guys are good fishermen but I rather see them fish public water. It is entertaining to watch for a couple minutes when I was a kid but not something I enjoy watching as an adult. I prefer catching my bass in public waters so I tend to prefer seeing videos of people catching big bass in public waters. As far as I am concerned a private water bass is a pet bass. Also do not like seeing overhyped Youtube videos with more talking than catching but I understand that is what brings the most money for these Youtubers.

B-Dozer reply :

Instead of a leash, use a stringer ????

Glaucus reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 12:53 PM, soflabasser said:

The videos I saw where of him fishing private well managed ponds loaded with big bass. It reminded me of the videos I saw of Bill Dance fishing private ponds. Both guys are good fishermen but I rather see them fish public water. It is entertaining to watch for a couple minutes when I was a kid but not something I enjoy watching as an adult. I prefer catching my bass in public waters so I tend to prefer seeing videos of people catching big bass in public waters. As far as I am concerned a private water bass is a pet bass. Also do not like seeing overhyped Youtube videos with more talking than catching but I understand that is what brings the most money for these Youtubers.

The best YouTube fisherman ever is ndyakangler. He absolutely slays giant smallmouth kayaking down rivers. He's mellow, only talks fishing while he fishes, and isn't over dramatic about anything. My daughter (2yo) falls to sleep watching him. It's her nightly ritual. She has to watch him catch the fishies.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 1:20 PM, Glaucus said:

The best YouTube fisherman ever is ndyakangler. He absolutely slays giant smallmouth kayaking down rivers. He's mellow, only talks fishing while he fishes, and isn't over dramatic about anything. My daughter (2yo) falls to sleep watching him. It's her nightly ritual. She has to watch him catch the fishies.

I would not call him the best YouTube fisherman since there are many Youtubers that catch bigger fish and more species of fish than he does. I do enjoy watching some of his videos of the big smallmouth bass he catches and like how he keeps fishing more realistic by being himself. His videos can be relaxing so I can see why she falls asleep. Beats watching a fishing channel with dubstep music or whatever terrible music they play in the clubs these days.

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 1:20 PM, Glaucus said:

The best YouTube fisherman ever is ndyakangler. He absolutely slays giant smallmouth kayaking down rivers. He's mellow, only talks fishing while he fishes, and isn't over dramatic about anything. My daughter (2yo) falls to sleep watching him. It's her nightly ritual. She has to watch him catch the fishies.

I love watching him catching those big smallmouth in those little rivers, but man I wish someone would set the guys drag for him, drives me crazy how badly it slips all the time. I don't know how many times I was sure he was going to get hooked by a flopping fish too. I wish our rivers had smallmouth, pike, and muskie, instead of catfish, drum, and gar.

WVU-SCPA reply :

One summer when I was around 11 or 12 I decided a good projects was to setup a 70 gallon aquarium for smallies. Built a big rock formation, filled it up with many trips up and down stairs with pots, and headed down to the creek with a rod, spinner, and milk jug with the top cut off. I was able to admire those 3 5-8" smallmouth bass for about 2 hours until my mother came home. Then it was back down to the creek with the fish and many trips up and down the stairs with water filled pots again.

In reality, I broke 3 PA laws that day and there was a good chance those bass wouldn't have survived very long.

I would recommend starting a tank with an established pet trade species to learns the ins and outs of fish keeping. The saltwater species legally available are much better then a 12" bass IMO.

N Florida Mike reply :

I had what amounted to a pet bass at my dock. I caught him 5-6 times because he was so aggressive. Named him lucky. He was around 4 pounds. Then he just left, and as far as I know, I havent caught him again. Guess he got tired of getting hooked.

scaleface reply :

I had a largemouth bass in an aquarium . He ate all the darters and minnows . I put him in there when it was not much bigger than a minnow and he still was able to eat the other fish . Their tails would be sticking out of his mouth . LOL I had it for about a year then released it , too try and have a better community . Green sunfish and bluegills were even more viscous . I actually had two small sturgeons and the bluegills sucked the eyeballs off their heads . Drum were good pets and ate commercial food . Every time i introduced another fish , they would have parasites and I had to treat the tank . I had a channel cat ,a bullhead and a crawfish at one time . It actually was a lot of fun . Crappie didnt do well . I would seine specimens from streams and creeks .

Glaucus reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 9:55 PM, scaleface said:

I actually had two small sturgeons and the bluegills sucked the eyeballs off their heads .

the reel ess reply :

Bama Bass is the best pet bass channel on YouTube. And he also fishes for and catches some monster bass. Hands down, my favorite YT channel.

On 12/27/2018 at 9:55 PM, scaleface said:

I had a largemouth bass in an aquarium . He ate all the darters and minnows . I put him in there when it was not much bigger than a minnow and he still was able to eat the other fish . Their tails would be sticking out of his mouth . LOL I had it for about a year then released it , too try and have a better community . Green sunfish and bluegills were even more viscous . I actually had two small sturgeons and the bluegills sucked the eyeballs off their heads . Drum were good pets and ate commercial food . Every time i introduced another fish , they would have parasites and I had to treat the tank . I had a channel cat ,a bullhead and a crawfish at one time . It actually was a lot of fun . Crappie didnt do well . I would seine specimens from streams and creeks .

Bluegill are pure savages. Bama Bass has one on his channel named Sheriff. It's a stone cold killer. It would eat the bass if its mouth was bigger.

OCdockskipper reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 12:53 PM, soflabasser said:

...As far as I am concerned a private water bass is a pet bass...

Sounds like someone is irritated that they dont have access to some private waters...

Glaucus reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 11:48 PM, the reel ess said:

Bama Bass is the best pet bass channel on YouTube. And he also fishes for and catches some monster bass. Hands down, my favorite YT channel.

Bluegill are pure savages. Bama Bass has one on his channel named Sheriff. It's a stone cold killer. It would eat the bass if its mouth was bigger.

Sheriff is one impressive bluegill.

Their smallest bass Moby is a different kind of bass, a different kind of savage. He would eat the family if he could. Bama says he's never seen a more aggressive fish. Future DD easily.

Hawkeye21 reply :

I had looked into keeping bass before and read that it's very difficult. The one guy said that it's hard to keep up with feeding them since they're not like goldfish that can be fed with basic fish food. I don't think it's worth the time and money unless you had a pond that you could stock bait fish in with it.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/27/2018 at 11:49 PM, OCdockskipper said:

dont have access to some private waters

You are incorrect. I have permission to fish plenty of private lakes but I rarely fish them anymore since there is not much of a challenge to catch the bass in these places. Caught one of my double digit bass from a private lake along with a 22 pound channel catfish, +8 pound peacock bass, +2 pound bluegills, +2 pound redear sunfish, and other fish. It is a nice place to take kids who are learning how to fish but not somewhere I consider a challenge. Anyone can catch +8 pounder from a managed private lake but not anyone can catch a double digit from a pressured public lake.

On 12/28/2018 at 12:37 AM, Hawkeye21 said:

I had looked into keeping bass before and read that it's very difficult. The one guy said that it's hard to keep up with feeding them since they're not like goldfish that can be fed with basic fish food. I don't think it's worth the time and money unless you had a pond that you could stock bait fish in with it.

It is much easier to raise a smaller species of fish than raise a bass. A regular sized largemouth bass weighs 1-4 pounds and that is too large for most home aquariums. I find cichlids to be more interesting fish to raise and you can raise cichlids in a 150 gallon aquarium or less.

Glaucus reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 1:45 AM, soflabasser said:

You are incorrect. I have permission to fish plenty of private lakes but I rarely fish them anymore since there is not much of a challenge to catch the bass in these places. Caught one of my double digit bass from a private lake along with a 22 pound channel catfish, +8 pound peacock bass, +2 pound bluegills, +2 pound redear sunfish, and other fish. It is a nice place to take kids who are learning how to fish but not somewhere I consider a challenge. Anyone can catch +8 pounder from a managed private lake but not anyone can catch a double digit from a pressured public lake.

Some people fish for fun. Put me on a lake where I can easily catch big bass all day, I'm going to have fun. Catching is the whole point.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 1:50 AM, Glaucus said:

Some people fish for fun. Put me on a lake where I can easily catch big bass all day, I'm going to have fun. Catching is the whole point.

You need to visit Florida since big bass are almost everywhere down here. I catch plenty of big bass from public waters, including this past weekend. It was nice catching big fish in private ponds as a kid but I have outgrown that. I now focus on catching big bass from public water, multi species fishing, and other hobbies that I have. You put in your time on the water, learn from your fishing trips (not just go fishing and expect miracles), and the results will show.

Glaucus reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 1:54 AM, soflabasser said:

You need to visit Florida since big bass are almost everywhere down here. I catch plenty of big bass from public waters, including this past weekend. It was nice catching big fish in private ponds as a kid but I have outgrown that. I now focus on catching big bass from public water, multi species fishing, and other hobbies that I have. You put in your time on the water, learn from your fishing trips (not just go fishing and expect miracles), and the results will show.

I don't get to fish very many private waters here in Illinois. I'm a public pond hopper and river rat.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 2:03 AM, Glaucus said:

I don't get to fish very many private waters here in Illinois. I'm a public pond hopper and river rat.

River smallmouth bass fishing is much more fun than catching bass in a private lake, at least for me. You have muskies in some of your rivers and that is another fun fish to catch.

OCdockskipper reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 1:45 AM, soflabasser said:

...I have permission to fish plenty of private lakes but I rarely fish them...

Wow, you just pegged my BS detector.

I understand how some private lakes are avoided because the logistics are difficult, the other anglers are jerks or the cover is something you don't enjoy fishing. However, when the goal is to catch fish and you say you avoid a place because you catch too many fish, well "ding, ding, ding".

If your goal is a challenge, why fish in Florida? It is easier to catch DD bass in Florida than most any other state other than maybe Texas. You want a challenge, go fish in Indiana.????

Glaucus reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 2:53 AM, OCdockskipper said:

Wow, you just pegged my BS detector.

I understand how some private lakes are avoided because the logistics are difficult, the other anglers are jerks or the cover is something you don't enjoy fishing. However, when the goal is to catch fish and you say you avoid a place because you catch too many fish, well "ding, ding, ding".

If your goal is a challenge, why fish in Florida? It is easier to catch DD bass in Florida than most any other state other than maybe Texas. You want a challenge, go fish in Indiana.????

Yeah I'm really not seeing his logic all things considered. People foam at the mouth for a chance to fish an awesome private lake. Like you said about changing states then because of the challenge, we can even go as far as to say well then change gear and baits. Go back to a wooden pole and worms. More challenging than taking a good, sensitive rod and a tried and true lure.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 2:53 AM, OCdockskipper said:

If your goal is a challenge, why fish in Florida? It is easier to catch DD bass in Florida than most any other state other than maybe Texas. You want a challenge, go fish in Indiana.????

Don't you live in Southern California, the capital of giant bass? What is your PB largemouth bass and how many years have you fished for? I live in Florida so that is where I do so most of my bass fishing. I agree Florida is one the best places to catch a double digit bass and I know how fortunate I am to live here. Indiana is not a state I plan on visiting but I am sure there is decent fishing there. You can keep fishing for private water bass if you want but I have no need for it when there are so many public bodies of water with big bass down here.

On 12/28/2018 at 3:09 AM, Glaucus said:

Like you said about changing states then because of the challenge

I have bass fished in 5 states so far and plan on fishing more states. Caught several species of black bass in my travels and Florida is still my favorite by far. Going back to the original subject now. It would be best to do your research about raising bass in a home aquarium and I would advise against it. Better to raise smaller, easier to take care species than trying to raise a bass that can potentially get over 5 pounds which will require a aquarium most people cannot have in a home.

Glaucus reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 3:10 AM, soflabasser said:

Don't you live in Southern California, the capital of giant bass? What is your PB largemouth bass and how many years have you fished for? I live in Florida so that is where I do so most of my bass fishing. I agree Florida is one the best places to catch a double digit bass and I know how fortunate I am to live here. Indiana is not a state I plan on visiting but I am sure there is decent fishing there. You can keep fishing for private water bass if you want but I have no need for it when there are so many public bodies of water with big bass down here.

I have bass fished in 5 states so far and plan on fishing more states. Florida has been my favorite by far.

To each his own. I'm not going to say you're BSing because I'm not you and I don't know you. It's perfectly plausible that someone fishes purely for the challenge. I think most of us fish for the fun and the whole concept: catching fish, and catching big fish. Then there's the guys who fish for the money. Then there's the guys who fish for all of those reasons combined. Personally from my perspective, nothing sounds bad about being on private water and catching big bass with ease. I did have the time of my life wading and kayaking rivers for Smallies this past season with my wife and good friends. We caught a ton of fish and made a lot of memories. That's the whole point to me, so private water sounds like a blast. I have fished private water, but few and far between and where I live, there isn't much of a difference. But to get on private water in a big bass state sounds like a dream.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 3:19 AM, Glaucus said:

To each his own. I'm not going to say you're BSing because I'm not you and I don't know you. It's perfectly plausible that someone fishes purely for the challenge. I think most of us fish for the fun and the whole concept: catching fish, and catching big fish. Then there's the guys who fish for the money. Then there's the guys who fish for all of those reasons combined. Personally from my perspective, nothing sounds bad about being on private water and catching big bass with ease. I did have the time of my life wading and kayaking rivers for Smallies this past season with my wife and good friends. We caught a ton of fish and made a lot of memories. That's the whole point to me, so private water sounds like a blast. I have fished private water, but few and far between and where I live, there isn't much of a difference. But to get on private water in a big bass state sounds like a dream.

You can believe whatever you want, it is the internet after all where anyone can type words on a keyboard. I am a man of my word and have albums full of big bass so I do not need approval from somebody online, especially someone I will not invite fishing with me. With that said, I like catching big bass from public waters and that is my preference. If you want to fish a well managed private pond filled with trophy bass go for it as long as you have permission from the owner and are not breaking any laws.

Glaucus reply :

Matter of fact, I take that back. There was one place this season that was private that was head and shoulders above anywhere else I've fished in my area. My buddy got us on a big private pond a few times over the summer. It had big LMB and big SMB in it. Crystal clear water. It never gets fished. We got bit on almost every cast no matter if we threw a spinnerbait, chatterbait, crankbait, worm, Senko, topwater, you name it. That was a lot of fun.

On 12/28/2018 at 3:22 AM, soflabasser said:

You can believe whatever you want, it is the internet after all where anyone can type words on a keyboard. I am a man of my word and have albums full of big bass so I do not need approval from somebody online, especially someone I will not invite fishing with me. With that said, I like catching big bass from public waters and that is my preference. If you want to fish a well managed private pond filled with trophy bass go for it as long as you have permission from the owner and are not breaking any laws.

I think you read my post wrong or you had an improper idea of the tone of it.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 3:24 AM, Glaucus said:

Matter of fact, I take that back. There was one place this season that was private that was head and shoulders above anywhere else I've fished in my area. My buddy got us on a big private pond a few times over the summer. It had big LMB and big SMB in it. Crystal clear water. It never gets fished. We got bit on almost every cast no matter if we threw a spinnerbait, chatterbait, crankbait, worm, Senko, topwater, you name it. That was a lot of fun.

If you got permission to fish it go for it. That is not the type of fishing I like but what matters is you enjoy yourself. As for me I will continue catching big bass from public waters since it is what I enjoy when it comes to bass fishing. I will also not hire a guide for largemouth bass and prefer catching my own fish since I find it more rewarding.

NHBull reply :

I think I just saw a commercial where for $ 9.95/month you can adopt an endangered Small-mouth. They will send you a picture of the adopted fish along with monthly updates as to the size. ????

inrll reply :

If you want to keep a small bass in an aquarium then go for it. I did it as a kid along with bluegill and they were always very hardy. You just have to make a trip to the pet store and pick up a dozen or so goldfish every week. You can also supplement them with worms you find under rocks or when it rains, as well as bugs. You could also buy minnow trap and drop it in a pond or lake and feed it those. The point is it's not as complicated as people on here are making it seem. At least not any more than any other freshwater fish. Feed it, but not too much and change out at least half the water once a week.

Having said all that, is it illegal to keep an undersized bass? Yes.

J Francho reply :

Check your local laws. You'd be better off keeping a sunfish, though. They can actually be housed in aquariums that aren't unreasonably huge. I had some in a 75 gal. They're messy, so invest in a nice water exchanger. You'll be doing 20-40% water changes once a week.

soflabasser reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 4:57 AM, J Francho said:

Check your local laws. You'd be better off keeping a sunfish, though. They can actually be housed in aquariums that aren't unreasonably huge. I had some in a 75 gal. They're messy, so invest in a nice water exchanger. You'll be doing 20-40% water changes once a week.

Glad to see you post on this subject @J Francho. I know you have many years of experience raising fish in aquariums and it would be wise for the OP to listen to you. It is much easier to raise sunfish such as bluegills, redears, warmouths, etc in a home aquarium than raise a largemouth bass which can potentially grow over 5 pounds. Too many people are watching Youtube videos of bass in small aquariums and they are not doing the needed research to understand how much space a fully grown bass will need. Bass grow for a lifetime and this is something that needs to be taken into consideration when wanting a bass as a pet. Bass can live for several years if properly taken care of and the ones that die under a year in a aquarium where not taken care of well.

OCdockskipper reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 3:10 AM, soflabasser said:

Don't you live in Southern California, the capital of giant bass? What is your PB largemouth bass and how many years have you fished for?...

I don't believe So Cal is the capital of giant bass anymore since the DFG stopped stocking bite sized rainbow trout in lakes where they quickly became meals for DD Florida strain largemouth. We still have the climate to grow the largest bass (like Dottie) but the key forage is now gone. BTW, those trout plants used to occur mainly in public lakes.

The lake I live on is small (85 acres) and has Northern largemouth, not Florida strain. I have caught three 8's & two 7's out of it, I don't know if there are bigger bass in it. The forage is bluegill & crawfish, no trout or shiners. You can catch good numbers on it if you understand the lake, but it is no means a bass factory. The private part is cool because it limits boat traffic in a county of 3 million people.

There is a nearby private lake with Florida strain that popped out a 19lb a decade ago (Lake Mission Viejo). I only fished it twice, it wasn't much fun. It was more gridlocked than our freeways and there was zero etiquette by the other anglers. I prefer being the only boat fishing on the lake.

OCdockskipper reply :

Back to the topic...

I have a bass & bluegill that live in my koi pond. They started as a 12" bass and adult bluegill, the bass is now over 18" and the bluegill has kept pace in order to stay too big to eat. I believe the bass is a male so he most likely won't get any larger.

Feeding & upkeep is not much more than if the koi lived alone. I feed the bass 10 large goldfish twice a week and the bluegill gets giant mealworms. The bluegill occasionally poaches a goldfish or two as well the koi pellets. The bass gets extra treats whenever my kids catch a grasshopper or other critter.

The bass is definitely king of the pond, although at the peak of summer, he gets a little sluggish and the warm water koi invade his space. He likes to lounge under the lilly pads while the Bluegill is a bit more shy and will hide under rocks.

scaleface reply :

On 12/28/2018 at 6:59 AM, OCdockskipper said:

Back to the topic...

I have a bass & bluegill that live in my koi pond. They started as a 12" bass and adult bluegill, the bass is now over 18" and the bluegill has kept pace in order to stay too big to eat. I believe the bass is a male so he most likely won't get any larger.

Feeding & upkeep is not much more than if the koi lived alone. I feed the bass 10 large goldfish twice a week and the bluegill gets giant mealworms. The bluegill occasionally poaches a goldfish or two as well the koi pellets. The bass gets extra treats whenever my kids catch a grasshopper or other critter.

The bass is definitely king of the pond, although at the peak of summer, he gets a little sluggish and the warm water koi invade his space. He likes to lounge under the lilly pads while the Bluegill is a bit more shy and will hide under rocks.

I would enjoy that .

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