I've referenced this website over the years but just got around to asking an account. We have been managing a 20 acre pond in SC. Big bass are caught yearly, but we are just beginning to notice a good increase in the 3 pounders this year. It has always been a great bream pond with true one pound bluegill and shellcracker pretty commonly caught when targeted. We've been trying to take out sub-3 pound bass over the last 10 years but I've hit them especially hard this year. This is the biggest I've caught out of the pond from a few weeks ago.

Nice!

Welcome to PBF.

Welcome to the site. It's obvious you've been lurkin for awhile as you have the Condello picture enhancement down. Very nice Bass!

Welcome ! Nice location. Nice LMB - looks a little thin for this time of year. It could eat a few of those 10 in LMB .

Yep, huge head on her. "Tallest" bass I've caught that I can remember. The pond could use some additional forage and fewer small bass.

Wizard, are you tracking the weight ratio on your bass? It's a super tool.

I wonder if that is an older fish in decline?

I'm not, but I need to. I've released 10 or so 4+ pounders recently that I could have gotten some good info from. Plus all the smaller ones we keep. I need to dive in and do some reading on here and start keeping track of a lot more with the pond. It's actually a fishing club, but half of the other 12 members are older and don't fish much or keep any fish. My immediate family is the biggest user of the pond so we could keep up with some data anyway. Doubt the other members would bother.

There are some good threads talking about wr's, and how to use them to reach your goals. I cull everything under 95%. I use a cheap digital scale from the kitchen department of Big Box Store. For me it makes sense not to cull a smaller fish with good growth. It may be my next lunker! I also tag a few fish every year to get some data on movement and indivual growth. It all goes onto a yearly spread sheet.

Good luck transforming the pond into what you know it can be. Have fun and enjoy your "work".

IMHO sage advice CMM is providing here. If you find that you have no fish less than 95%, I would still harvest a few from the size class under your biggest and best to preserve the food supply while keeping the cream of the crop for breeding.

Not a pro...just my 1 cent

Great point Bill D! I'll follow that advise when I get to the enviable point of having none under 95%! It's slow going for me. Lol. I guess I just have to fish more, darn it all.