I'm in central Texas and wondering if there will be any more spawning from the bluegill for the year. I'm assuming they've shutdown with the temps dropping. What do ya'll think? I'm thinking if they have, then I might need to get some more baitfish in the water to feed the bass through the winter really well.
BG are likely through spawning for the year in your location. But as temps drop LMB will eat less. Almost impossible to give any meaningful advice without knowing the population dynamics at the pond. What is your situation?
I'm still learning this BOW. We've got a lot of bass around 12" that are aggressive on lures that we've been culling out. The lake is usually around 5 acres and as big as 7.5 but down to 2 acres now. I'm not sure how that effects the forage reproduction or the bass growth. I'm thinking it's had a negative impact because there are not a whole lot of places for the forage fish to hide and get big. We've got a decent amount of bluegill eating when the fish feeder is on (it's broken now) but I'm thinking there should be many, many more. I'm sorry this is a little vague, but with the water level so off this year it's hard to predict what the impact has been. I just want to do whatever I can to make sure the bass are able to grow as good as possible.
A draw down (you have an involuntary one) is an effective way to concentrate forage fish for predators to feed on. Good for the LMB's condition. You may have to add adult BG when the water goes back up. Having that feeder working is important.
I'm in central Texas and wondering if there will be any more spawning from the bluegill for the year. I'm assuming they've shutdown with the temps dropping. What do ya'll think? I'm thinking if they have, then I might need to get some more baitfish in the water to feed the bass through the winter really well.
You should get some kind of recognition for having any water left, much less fish.
Good job!
When water temps drop below 72F don't expect to have any BG spawning. If you have larger LMB (15"-20") for any essential benefit from supplimental stocked forage the forage items should be in the larger size group 5"-8". For larger forage, consider adding trout when the water temps drop to the 60-64F area. Too small of forage for larger LMB results in the bass expending more energy catching the small items than any realized weight gain.