Kentucky 
Ever wondered how long it takes for a largemouth bass in Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley to reach keeper length?
Adam Martin, sportfish biologist for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Resources, has answers.
In an average of data between the two lakes, Martin said it takes 4 ½ to 5 years to reach the keeper length of 15 inches. But the same data also shows that keeper length could be reached as early as four years, or as late as seven years.
Martin noted that there is typically a ton of variation in age in those larger sizes, and it’s difficult to discern by the naked eye.
What a fisher can almost guarantee, however, is that if it’s a longer fish — 15 inches or more — it’s going to be a female. Martin said that’s because females need the longer bodies to hold eggs, and this assists population survival and reproduction in these local waters.
How long does it take to reach the trophy weight of five pounds? Martin said by age 1, a largemouth bass in west Kentucky hits the scale at a pound. By the time they are at keeper length, they weigh roughly two pounds.
It takes almost 9-to-10 years for a largemouth bass to reach the coveted 5-to-6 pound weight.
For other lakes outside of Barkley and Kentucky, Martin said other factors would impact the habitat — and this would likely simulate different data for largemouth bass.
Questions can be submitted, and more information found, on Western Kentucky Fisheries through Facebook.
