We investigated the effect of parental body length on the swim-up date and length of larval largemouth bassMicropterus salmoidesin experimental ponds, and the effect of swim-up date on larval length, growth, and survival in three reservoirs. Swim-up date was estimated from counts of daily growth rings in otoliths. Larvae spawned by larger adults had significantly more daily rings on the same sampling date than larvae of smaller parents, indicating that larger adults spawned earlier. Length of larvae at swim-up was independent of parental length, indicating that larger adults did not produce larger larvae. Positive correlations between larval age and total length indicated that initial length advantages resulting from earlier swim-up dates persisted. Fish that swam up earlier in the year grew faster. Differential survival in relation to time of swim-up could not be detected by midsummer, but differential growth rates might lead to differential survival late in the year. Our results suggest that protecting the larger adult largemouth bass may advance the average time of spawning in a population, thus increasing the length attained by young at the end of their first year and possibly their recruitment to age l .