Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations LMB to mange GSF

Have a 14 acre dam in western South Dakota. Back in the day used to be great bass dam. Winter killed years ago. Filled back up a few springs ago. I put a 40 LMB bass in it to see if they could survive the winter. It did.

Question is there is an abundance of GSF. Every cast you see hundreds of them chasing your bait. Recently stocked adult bluegills. How many bass should i put in this dam to get rid of the GSF?

To me that's a catch 22.. If that many GSF exist, then recruitment of YOY LMB will be hindered. Nest robbing will be non-stop. It will turn around but maybe take awhile. 100 advanced or adult fish will spawn, eventually you will get some recruits slip through the slaughter and grow to turn the table but I see this at 14 acres being extremely hands-on management wise. This could be a really good place to utilize some HSB as they will grow without reproduction and capable of consuming any size of GSF-eventually, and you have control of numbers by put and take.
The LMB recruits slipping through-more all the time-will work on the new GSF recruits while the HSB are working on the larger GSF.
I think eventually you would see this turn back into a good LMB fishery if managed right.

Remember in your planning, GSF only spawn annually. But, without a predator they can over run a pond. But so can any other sun fish.