Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Dang fish are like pets!

I went legal stocking fishery fish years ago when the new pond was completed. Since then I've added other species of fish from local waters. Many spawns later, I see many small bass and sunfish and have caught and released bass, sunfish and crappie. Perch are a bass favorite and few stay around long enough to grow to an old age.

I like throwing bits of bread daily to 20 or more sunnies that swim to me from different parts of the pond once they see me standing on the dock. A few 2 lb bass will swim near to see what all the commotion is about as sunfish go berserk on the surface for bits of starch.

When I walk along the shoreline, a school of sunfish follows me waiting for bread. I also see large schools of sunfish near the surface almost as if they are sunning themselves.

The lures I use would most definitely catch fish but do I want to? As is, after fishing on another lake, I bring home a cooler of yellow perch that bass are just waiting to annihilate once they hit the water. These fish are like pets that I don't want to hurt, though occasionally I will cast a new lure shapes to see what bites. The barb is depressed so fish come off the hook easier.

Never thought of fish as pets, but in my eyes, fish are beautiful in coloration and very quick swimmers when it comes to attacking bits bread (or lures) and swimming away at the same moment. I even recognize some of the old timers due to scars from having been attacked.

Sam, consider some nutrition that is meant for fish. Optimal or Purina

I am of the same opinion as Dave Davidson1. You are doing your fish a huge disservice by feeding them bread. They can't metabolize the food like they could with a great fish food like Optimal Fish Food. You can order a bag from them and have it delivered right to your door.

Harvest is an important part of pond management, and if you don't harvest fish from your pond, it will become overcrowded with fish and at some point in time Mother Nature will harvest the fish for you by a low O2 event and it won't be pretty.

Not worried for the following reasons:
1. blue heron come by almost daily
2. LM bass and crappie prey on smaller fish - sunnies and perch in particular. Both species have grown nicely in the last 5 years.
3. The pond is 8' deep at one end and averages 6-7' with bottom vegetation and pads. More than enough O2 along with the usual suspended algae production.

Sunfish that feed on bread (near 20 at a time), range in size from 2" - 6" and the large ones attack lures which I prevent hook-ups by bending the jig's hook point close to the soft plastic body. They're like pets along with the 12" crappie that have been slamming lures since Feb.

I think nature has a way of culling to prevent overpopulation. In fact, I still need to add some yellow perch and pumpkinseed sunnies - the former bass like to eat / the latter because they are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish.

Have you named any of them?

In 23 years of pond ownership, I have named 8 fish. One BGxRES, "Edgar", one YP, "Quasimodo", one CC, "Leela", and our original five GC, "Jimmy", "Rosalyn", "Amy", Billy", and "Miss Lillian".

I had an uncle that used to invite us to quail hunt at his farm. He had a wonderful "patchwork" layout of land usage that sometimes held up to a dozen coveys.

He had one covey that lived in the windbreak just north of his house. Those were his pets, and no one was allowed to hunt them.

I think he hand fed them, just like lots of Pond Boss people do with their fish!

We have a WE with a blind left eye, it was that way when it went in pond at 4", we call it "Blinky".

A friend names his cattle. When born he has a good idea if they will be "eaters" or one that he keeps - he breeds longhorns. His "eaters" are all named after food. hamburger, ribs, etc., etc. If one that he plans on keeping turns mean, then it gets sold. Most recently a momma knocked him down and he barely made it to the other side of the fence before she really got to pushing on him. 2 days later it was gone. They found another momma that would take the calf.

Typically I don't name the fish in the pond, I'd run out of names. LOL

My 2 white tilapia last year were Bread and Fred, haha.

One of the YP in my pond has a tear in the middle of her dorsal fin.

I call her Spliddy.

Leela only had one eye, hence her name (from Futurama).

We name all our cattle. I tell people who question this practice that I don't trust beef I don't know on a first name basis. Right now, we are eating Daryl.

Bahahah, we are currently eating Oreo, last year's pig!