Hi Dan,
Welcome to the forum! Too bad you found us because of a problem. The good news is all of us here will help you in any way we can. The great news is you have one of the best lake managers around these days in your back yard if needed. It would be money very well spent if you called Nate Herman of
HB Pond Management .
You said yor pond is healthy and "very clear". Very clear water means sterile or infertile water to us and also means you do not have a good base for the food chain. If your bass are skinny with big heads, they are starving and/or stunted and should be removed. Most likely you are way overpopulated with bass or the forage base (bluegill) is nearly gone.
There will be several ways for you to get your pond back to what you want it to be, but none will be quick and all will take work.
The first thing I would do is change your catch and release rule to remove all bass under 15 inches that are not as fat as a football.
There will be many more suggestions forthcoming. In the meantime, can you post some pictures and tell us what forage fish you have in the water? Do you have a good plant base in parts of the pond?
On a personal note, who supplied your Hybrid Crappie?
