Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations White Bass Fishing With a Pitch Fork

Earlier today, I was checking one of the creeks that crosses my property just North East of Dallas, TX. Low and behold, instead of the normal 2-3 foot long carp swimming upstream from Lake Ray Hubbard, there were quite a few 2-5lb White Bass trying to get past a small obstacle in the creek.

I didn't have a pole with me, and I wasn't brave enough to put my bare hands into the murky water to catch them, so I used a Pitch Fork to toss them up on the bank! They were rather irked at this, but I tossed them into a small pond on the back of my property that I don't manage (it only fills when the creek overflows, so it's used only for livestock watering).

My question is, what would be the implications of putting a few of the bigger (3-5lb) White Bass into my main pond (which has LMB,BG,HSB, with a few CC)? Based on the size of the White Bass, it would be the biggest fish in the pond, so it would be the top predator. I just wouldn't want it to get out of control and cause more issues than it's worth. If I don't put them in my main pond, I'm going to have a little fish fry!

The rain event that caused the Bass to swim up to my property, also caused some flooding over to my main pond. This creek and my pond joined up via a 600ft long, 30ft wide, and 2" deep 'bridge' for a few hours during the flooding. My neighbors who have lived next to my property for 25 years have never seen it flood like that before. So, I may have more of these White Bass already in my main pond and I just don't know it yet.

Are you sure those aren't wipers seems kind of big for straight white bass? If so, the wipers won't breed very well. The experts will be along shortly however.

I don't know anything about white bass but I gotta tell ya Jeremy picturing you tossing fish with a Pitch Fork made my crack up.

Sort of gives a whole new meaning to the name Pitch Fork.

They might be HSB's, since Ray Hubbard is known for those as well. It was getting dark and I couldn't see them all that well.

I'm going to go back out there this evening and see if there are any more stuck that I can 'rescue'. Since I already have HSB's in my main pond, if they turn out to be HSB's, I'll just toss a few in my main pond. I was going to purchase a few more (much smaller) HSB's from Overton next weekend anyway, so it'll just save me a few bucks.

I could be dead wrong, but would the side stripes be a good way to ID the HSB? I mean if the stripes are "jumbled" or not straight, could that be an HSB?

Good point, Sunil. IIRC

Bunch of straight lines running uninterrupted from stem-to-stern: Striper

Like one uninterrupted line s-to-s, buncha broken lines: HSB

Buncha broken lines: White Bass

Maybe this will help.

From top to bottom. White Bass, Striped Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass

Sorry for the delay! I was out of the country for a few weeks on an unexpected trip.

I caught a few more of them this weekend (I now know where to get them pretty reliably every time it rains). Based on the pictures above, they are are Stripped Bass. I decided against putting them in my main pond, but I'm putting them into my back pond that I don't manage as a temporary kids fishing hole with some monster fish in it.

Thanks for all the replies.

JeremyH - As long as you have plenty of forage in there, that should end up being a fun little "monster fish" pond to wet a line in.

I'm jealous.

Shouldn't this be in the "Redneck" section?