Fish Age and Size

[butcher]

I spent some time researching a few popular fish species on the PA Fish Commission website over the last few days and found some very interesting statistics on some of my favorite fish.  The full reports on each can be found on the website as follows: http://fishandboat.com/fish_species.htm  Although I know it takes a number of years for fish to reach a trophy size, I was still somewhat surprised to see just how long that is.  In general, I found that it takes most species of fish a minimum of 15 years to reach what many fishermen would consider to be trophy-sized.  For anyone who may be interested, I summarized some of the statistics below:

Bass (Largemouth)
15” (5.6 years)
20” (10.6 years)
22.5+” (>16.1 years)

Bass (Smallmouth)
15” (6.4 years)
20” (11.9 years)
22.5+” (>16.6 years)

Bluegill
8” (5.5 years)
9” (7.9 years)
10+” (>15.1 years)

Crappie
8” (3.4 years)
10” (5.2 years)
12” (8.0 years)
14.5+” (>18.8 years)

Perch (Yellow)
8” (4.0 years)
10” (6.3 years)
12” (10 years)
13.5+” (>16.7 years)

Pickerel
15” (4.1 years)
20” (6.9 years)
22” (8.6 years)
24” (11.4 years)
26+” (>17.7 years)

Walleye
16” (3.5 years)
20” (5.5 years)
24” (8.7 years)
28.5+” (>18.5 years)

When I examined the data for these seven species, I found a few interesting items:

•   Relatively speaking, walleye and pickerel tend to reach large sizes most quickly.
•   Bluegills grew at the slowest rate of any of the species I sampled.
•   Regardless of the species, it takes most fish at least 15 years to reach trophy size
•   Statistically speaking, it takes a LONG time for fish to grow the last few inches that separate big fish from trophies:
o   LM Bass - 5.5 years to grow from 20” to 22.5+”
o   SM Bass - 4.7 years to grow from 20” to 22.5+”
o   Bluegill - 7.2 years to grow from 9” to 10+” (WOW!!!)
o   Crappie – 10.8 years to grow from 12” to 14.5+” (WOW AGAIN!!!)
o   Yellow Perch - 6.7 years to grow from 12” to 13.5+”
o   Pickerel - 6.3 years to grow from 24” to 26+”
o   Walleye - 9.8 years to grow from 24” to 28.5+”

This is definitely going to affect the way I approach my fishing in the future.  Although I regularly practice catch and release fishing, I do keep some fish from time to time for the table.  I’ll continue to do so but I think I may release a few more of those larger panfish I catch in favor of some smaller ones.  Also, this gives me a better perspective on how long it will take a body of water to show meaningful results from state-sponsored stockings. 

[bikingviking]

I wish every fisherman realized this. I hate seeing guys take home a limit of 13+" crappies  or 9+" gills. Then a couple years later they complain about the fishing....

[eriksat1]

Keep in mind the size / age can vary greatly traveling to the north or south of where these figures came from.

[fowl_language]

Interesting, thanks for posting!  I'm pretty sure it can depend on the region too, we have age 6 perch out here that push 17" in some lakes and age 6 perch that don't go over 10" in others.

[levi]

thanks for the information

[derek_buck]

Wow I never realized how old those trophy fish are.  If I every do catch a trophy I will probably have a replica made instead of getting the fish mounted. 

[Gills-only]

Very informative post, Thankx!!

[Bucktail30]

Very interesting

[BlueDuck]

Lots more to it then a chart.  Feed, temperature, size of the lake...

[wirenut45]

pplease excuse my ignorance, but, those trophies aren,t gonna live forever, so i can,t come down too hard on a guy that keeps , rather than releases them. they have done thier job of passing on thier genes to several gens. of offspring. time to go home ,n, feed a mans family. wire

[Bucket Brigade]

Wirenut- I don't believe you are ignorant and I agree with you! Some people take only the big ones, some keep the medium fish. If you keep the medium fish, they won't replenish the lunkers taken.  So where does it end? I fish for two reasons 1) I put food on the table. 2) I enjoy fishing.

[Martian]

 very interesting indeed, I wished they would have posted pike , but cool none the less , thanks

[Gills-only]

20# pike IMO over 20 yrs old!!

[butcher]

I agree that that genetics of specific fish and environmental factors such as available forage, habitat, temperature, etc. certainly affect the growth rate of fish however, the statistical data in the various reports I read were compiled from many thousands of fish taken across the state of PA by fisheries biologists so I think the data is reasonably reliable – at least for PA.  The samplings came from across the state of PA from all types of waterways (Lake Erie, the Delaware River, the Susquehanna River as well as many hundreds of smaller lakes and ponds – as little as 50 acres).  During their studies, the biologists capture a fish, record the length and weight of each fish and then take a scale sample from each to determine the age.  Basically, a fish can be aged in a manner similar to a tree.  The fish scale contains growth rings and by counting the number of rings, the biologist can determine the age of the fish. 

The numbers they reported in their study are averages of many fish.  As an example, the average age of an 8” bluegill was 5.5 years – some were younger, some were older.  Again, because of the sampling sizes and variety of habitats, I think the information is scientifically accurate.  I’ve heard time and time again from biologists that the number one factor in producing any trophy animal (fish, deer, bear, elk, etc.) is age.  Their reasoning is that even if all other factors are favorable (good genetics, good habitat, good forage, etc.), a creature will not reach a trophy size unless it lives long enough to attain that size.  To put it in perspective, a deer that has the potential to grow a 200+ inch rack will never do so if he doesn’t live past being a fawn. 

I also agree that a fish is not going to live forever. If you look at the individual charts on the biologists’ reports, you’ll see a line graph for each with age and length that curves to the right.  Statistically speaking, that curvature is the upper end of a fish’s life expectancy.  For perch, that number is 16.7 years.  Is it possible for a perch to live beyond 16.7 years?  Sure, but these are probably rare – just as it is rare to find a human being over 100 years old.  I have no problem with people keeping fish of any size as long as they are within the confines of the law.  I simply posted this information because I learned a lot from it and thought others may do so as well.  One of my favorite parts of the IS forum is that I get to learn new things about ice fishing and about the fish themselves so I am happy to share when I can.

For PA fishermen (or anyone who is interested in seeing some cool data about fish in general), definitely check out the PA Fish Commission website.  They regularly post biologists’ reports for specific species, specific bodies of water and even specific species in specific waterways.  These reports have helped me to identify bodies of water that are likely to be more productive than others.  It’s a great resource. 

[butcher]

Martian & Gills-Only:  Ask and ye shall receive!  Here's the link for the pike report: http://fishandboat.com/pafish/pike/00pike_overview.htm

According to the PA biologists report, a 20# pike averaged 12.9 years old and 43" in length.  The oldest average age reported was 15.7 years (49 inches, 31 lbs...)

[Gills-only]

Martian & Gills-Only:  Ask and ye shall receive!  Here's the link for the pike report: http://fishandboat.com/pafish/pike/00pike_overview.htm

According to the PA biologists report, a 20# pike averaged 12.9 years old and 43" in length.  The oldest average age reported was 15.7 years (49 inches, 31 lbs...)

          Guess I was way off, thankx for the info, I know the larger pike don't eat near what the 3-6#ers do!!

[butcher]

          Guess I was way off, thankx for the info, I know the larger pike don't eat near what the 3-6#ers do!!

That's probably because the 20-pounders are eating the 3-6 pounders!!!   

[Gills-only]

In Canada a few yrs ago, found a dead pike about 25" long, that attempted to swallow another pike that was about 15" long , and chocked to death I'm guessing, floating in the lake!!

[butcher]

I've heard that Esox species (Muskies, Pike, Pickerel) are capable of eating fish that are 2/3 their size.  Apparently the numbers were fudged a bit or the pike didn't take into account some possible rounding errors...   

One quick thought for you Gills - PA has a relatively limited pike fishery and is considerably warmer than Michigan (where you live).  It's entirely possible (and likely) that pike grow at different rates in PA than they do in MI so your guess may be correct for your area.  If you are so inclined, you can probably check with your state's fish department to see what data they have on pike.  I'd be willing to bet you can find studies online that would provide that information for your area. 

[Gills-only]

I've heard that Esox species (Muskies, Pike, Pickerel) are capable of eating fish that are 2/3 their size.  Apparently the numbers were fudged a bit or the pike didn't take into account some possible rounding errors...   

One quick thought for you Gills - PA has a relatively limited pike fishery and is considerably warmer than Michigan (where you live).  It's entirely possible (and likely) that pike grow at different rates in PA than they do in MI so your guess may be correct for your area.  If you are so inclined, you can probably check with your state's fish department to see what data they have on pike.  I'd be willing to bet you can find studies online that would provide that information for your area.

             Could check  maybe I'm just lazy, was good reading though, as I fish very little for pike now that I'm older!!  Used to get after them in my younger days though!!

[captain54]

Great info. I've been preaching this stuff to my buddies about taking the wrong class Panfish home for years.Now we are seeing the outcome. I do a lot of research on Panfish,no matter how big a lake is Blue Gills live there entire life in 10 acres of water.

[ID_IceRookie]

+1 to the folks who mentioned that conditions vary from one place to another, affecting growth.

There is a reservoir near me that has had 3 state record perch in the last 2 years. The lake had very few perch a decade ago until the fish and game dept (nearly) exterminated the pike minnows and planted a bunch of perch in 2004-2006. Assuming the planters were the jumbos that broke the records, they are 8-10 years old (They could have been offspring as well). Of course they were introduced into a system with little competition and lots of food.

[toydevil48]

Very interesting thanks for the info

[butcher]

I do a lot of research on Panfish,no matter how big a lake is Blue Gills live there entire life in 10 acres of water.

Wow!  Thank you very much for sharing Captain.  I had assumed that gills made seasonal migrations like most other fish but I had no idea their range was so limited.  This will definitely help me target gills more effectively in the future.