Growth rates among various fish species has been widely researched by biologists. The results are always widely varying, depending on exactly where the study was conducted. Such studies are not easy and in most cases require that the fish be killed. The most accurate (and only) way to age most fish is by removing the otolith. That is a small, free-floating bone in the fish’s head. It is the free-floating organ that tells the fish when it is upright, or when it is upside down. The otolith adds a growth ring during every growing season. Biologists must remove it (which requires killing the fish), slice it in half and count the rings, just like aging a tree.

A recent Facebook discussion inspired this article when a friend posted a chart created in Missouri showing the growth rates for smallmouth bass. In Chattanooga area waters, the minimum legal length limit for a smallmouth bass is 18 inches. Most people were shocked to see that in Missouri, it takes at least 8-10 years for a smallmouth to reach that length. I wasn’t so sure that applied our water however.