Pond Boss
Posted By: HOSTY BASS PONDS - 04/06/04 02:12 AM
Would like to get some responses from you guys that have started from scratch with your ponds and have really good average catch size of 2 to 3 pounds,please note the size of your ponds.
Posted By: Cecil Baird1 Re: BASS PONDS - 04/06/04 11:53 AM
My bass right now average 2 to 3 pounds. The pond is only .62 acres however I feed my bass pellets (feed trained) and I aerate and mix with 2 to three diffusers. I am feeding somewhere from 50 to 60 up to 100 largemouth and smallmouth bass, and plan on adding 300 more feed trained bass within the next month or so. I also have at least 40 1 1/2 pound female only yellow perch in the pond. I'm not sure how many of them feed on the pellets as I have fish on the outskirts of my bass that feed but it's difficult to see what they are.

I raise my fish to sell to other taxidermists and taxidermy schools (see my web page).
Posted By: Buzz Tatom Re: BASS PONDS - 04/06/04 07:31 PM
We have 2 lakes. The old one(7 acres) which was a start over for us now averages 2-3 lb bass. The population got drastically reduced one year during drought but was over populated with skinny fish before the drought. We take no credit besides fertilizing and continuing to take 12" out. Our new lake(11 acres-5 years old) we average less than a pound after taking out more than 400 bass less than 12" last year. We have already taken a 100 less than 12" this year but they are getting noticeably thicker. Managed the same way but 2 different results. I think this is the year the new lake hopefully starts showing vast improvement. It has been a lot of work taking out that many fish. This playing mother nature is a funny business.
Posted By: Meadowlark Re: BASS PONDS - 04/06/04 08:50 PM
Three acres, three years old from scratch and catching 2 to 3 lb. bass, but not very many of them. Have had a significant poaching problem from humans, birds and otters that we are trying to overcome.
Posted By: Sunil Re: BASS PONDS - 04/06/04 11:08 PM
Hey Hosty, this is off-topic, but what ever happened with your damn? It seems that you got things under control.
Posted By: HOSTY Re: BASS PONDS - 04/07/04 02:28 AM
Sunil, dam hasnt got any worse since it slipped in jan. still waiting on contractor to come home,but it will probably be awhile till it drys up enough to fix it,i have a feeling it is going to get ugly with him.
Posted By: lee Re: BASS PONDS - 04/07/04 12:33 PM
pond 4 1/2 acres,3 years old.started with minnows,bream and redears.added feeder after 12 months.waited 5 months to put bass in pond.end result,you can catch a bream every 10 seconds,bass very hard to catch.largest bass about 3 lbs. 4 oz.,most are about 12-14 inches.hope other people are having better luck with bass than me.
Posted By: HOSTY Re: BASS PONDS - 04/08/04 12:04 AM
Lee,what was the numbers of fish per acre that you stocked? and what time of year did they go in.
Posted By: Norm Kopecky Re: BASS PONDS - 04/08/04 02:43 AM
We have a 4 acre lake started in 2000 and we will just finish it this spring. Lots of 2-3 lb. LMB and SMB and all are very fat. The bass are over stocked to produce large panfish. Still, everything is growing very well except for the crappie, yellow perch, walleyes and goldeyes. These species are all thin. Catfish, white bass, wipers, rock bass, pumkinseeds, freshwater drum, shorthead redhorse and sterile grass carp are in excellent condition.
Posted By: lee Re: BASS PONDS - 04/08/04 01:26 PM
hosty,long story.i started with about 2 1/2 acres.in october i added 3 pounds of minnows,2000 bream and 1000 redear.3 months later i added aprox. 1 acre of water to the pond for a total of 3 1/2 acres,in may i added 150 florida bass,150 reg. bass and 50 f1 bass.about 6 months later i added another 1/2 acre to pond,but i did not add any fish when i broke the levee.approx. 10 months later idded about 3/4 acre to pond again,this time i added a few bream from big pond to new section,waited about 3 months then added 75 f1 bass.filled new section slow,then took levee out about 3 months after i added the bass.pond is 4 3/4 acres now.getting ready to add another new section in about 2-3 weeks,this section will be about 1 acre.then i will be finished.
Posted By: HOSTY Re: BASS PONDS - 04/08/04 03:43 PM
Lee, sounds like you were high on your fish numbers from the begining that is probably the problem.
Posted By: lee Re: BASS PONDS - 04/08/04 04:17 PM
hosty,not sure what the problem is,i do know this.i have enough bream for everybody in the state of louisiana.i thought the stocking was correct.if you look at the early post i put 3000 bream(2000 & 1000 redear) in a 3 1/2 pond then by the time the bass got there i put 100 bass per acre.but who knows,something is wrong dur to i have so mant bream and the bass fishing is bad.the bass we due catch are sightly larger in weight than bob's book say they should be.allmost to the point of giving up.
Posted By: Sunil Re: BASS PONDS - 04/08/04 09:12 PM
Hosty, is your pond filled up now?

Thanks
Sunil
Posted By: HOSTY Re: BASS PONDS - 04/09/04 02:03 AM
Lee,the bass numbers were low and way to many bream.you probably should have put in around 700 b/g with 20% being redear.And 300 bass. lee talk with bill cody and greg grimes about this.
Posted By: HOSTY Re: BASS PONDS - 04/09/04 02:05 AM
Sunil,it is 3/4 full im holding it there till it is fixed.
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