Good news/ Bad news - 10/27/16 05:57 PM
Overton folks electroshocked my BOW and stocked 200 lb of small TP to help feed the bass. They delivered goods news & bad news.
Good news: pH up to a decent 6.5. Alkalinity & hardness around 50, a good number as well. My decision to double liming finally paid off, I can fertilize next spring!
Bad news: Where do I begin? My large BG are doing just fine, but no really small ones were captured. Inference: They are spawning -- we can see the beds -- but the babies don't have enough phyto & zooplankton to eat. Also, not much cover. Few make it.
Worse: The LSL Bass are undersized for the most part, having grown only an inch or two since stocking at 3 - 4 inches about 3 1/2 months ago. Problem is food. Not many baby BG to eat, and virtually no FHM.
Apparently it was a mistake to stock 150 lb of adult TP earlier this year, because they ate the 105 lb of FHM stocked last November before the bass could benefit. Thus, the bass had neither minnows nor small BG nor small TP to eat. The only bass that have really grown are doing so by eating other bass, which the fishery biologist proved by squeezing a 4 - 5 incher out of the stomach of a 8 incher.
Sigh. Small TP stocked, now will have to put a lot of FHM to get bass in better shape for winter. Will fertilize, put in more cover, and stock only small TP next year.
Sad, but hopefully others can learn from my mistakes!
Good news: pH up to a decent 6.5. Alkalinity & hardness around 50, a good number as well. My decision to double liming finally paid off, I can fertilize next spring!
Bad news: Where do I begin? My large BG are doing just fine, but no really small ones were captured. Inference: They are spawning -- we can see the beds -- but the babies don't have enough phyto & zooplankton to eat. Also, not much cover. Few make it.
Worse: The LSL Bass are undersized for the most part, having grown only an inch or two since stocking at 3 - 4 inches about 3 1/2 months ago. Problem is food. Not many baby BG to eat, and virtually no FHM.
Apparently it was a mistake to stock 150 lb of adult TP earlier this year, because they ate the 105 lb of FHM stocked last November before the bass could benefit. Thus, the bass had neither minnows nor small BG nor small TP to eat. The only bass that have really grown are doing so by eating other bass, which the fishery biologist proved by squeezing a 4 - 5 incher out of the stomach of a 8 incher.
Sigh. Small TP stocked, now will have to put a lot of FHM to get bass in better shape for winter. Will fertilize, put in more cover, and stock only small TP next year.
Sad, but hopefully others can learn from my mistakes!