Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Adding Bluegill

I feel like that I need to add some 4-6" BG to my lake but I also feel like that I am just a little bass heavy right now. So would adding the BG be just a very expensive snack or is it money well spent.

In ponds with an established bass population, many pond owners have realized positive results when they stocked additional bluegill — if the bluegill measured 5-6 inches or better.

These advanced fish are rather pricey, as you know, and upon initial entry, some will become an expensive bass for your larger bass. But a healthy 6-inch bluegill weighing a half-pound is more likely tthan his younger cousins to elude predators long enough to spawn.

While adding bluegill, you might also consider introducing another prey species — redear, threadfin shad, crawfish — while reducing your number of sub-adult bass.

Just some thoughts from the peanut gallery.

Mark McDonald
consulting editor
Pond Boss