I live in a neighberhood with a stocked 10+acre pond. It is stocked with WC, BG, and some LMB and CC. We have a homeowners assoc. and the rules move back and forth between catch and release and keep what you catch. Of course no one releases anything worth eating anyway, and ignore the no live bait rule also. We have a meeting coming up and I have been reading everything I can on ponds here. The pond is getting fished out of anything of decent size after 5 years of nonstop fishing pressure, unless you paddle out to the middle like me. Can the populations come back, still lots of small WC? Will undesireable or small fish take over? Would stocking and/or feeding help? The predators are being taken home for dinner and all that is left are small BG. I am going to suggest a committee now that the hoa has enough money and members to do something, but need some info on why.

Jeff,

My HOA and/or pond committee consists of one voting member....me. Obviously this does not help your situation but the statement...."The pond is getting fished out of anything of decent size after 5 years of nonstop fishing pressure....." would seem like a good argument to establish a pond committee. Has the HOA ever given thought to seeking out the advice of a consultant?

Search the board here and I'm sure you can find more ammo to back you up.

Russ

Perhaps the fact that a lake with good fishing should raise property values, while a lake that is full of stunted WC will lower them, might be an incentive. It's an argument you could make.

The HOA is finaly spending a little money now that the neighborhood is just about built out. It will be a tough fight since I already tried to get them to consult an arborist on our declining pecan trees along the greenbelt. First we start losing huge 48" diameter pecans, now we lose the good fish out of the pond, and next will be the aquatic plants. Cattails have already expanded their area to 3 times what it was a few years ago and floating veg extends 20' out along most of the shore.