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If conditions are good under the ice BG and even the occassional bass bite well under the ice, if you fish properly. I suggest that you take a picture of one of your newly added BG or a new one from the location where you are fishing and provide it for us. We can verify if they are pure stain BG, which may affect how you manage the fishery. Since you are in north country, I suggest that when out angling for BG that you add a few LMB (4"-8") long yet this year - maybe 8-10 fish. They will spawn next spring (May2011) and the hatching LMB will provide some control of a large BG spawn that you will have in 2011. Adding a few fingerling LMB (20-30) this fall would also be a good idea. Those bass will survive on the commonly available invertebrates in a new pond with just a few BG (72) present. IMO you have enough BG in your new 0.35ac pond; stop adding them for this year. Start angling for a few small LMB. No big ones (10+").

In the north for a balanced bass-BG fishery and for good harvestable BG, IMO you don't want your BG to get too far ahead of your LMB. To produce good BG fishing/harvest you want numerous small bass (8"-14") and few BG.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 08/03/10 10:24 AM.

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I'm working now, but will get a picture when I can. Along those lines, my kids are begging to fish our pond now. Is that taboo? If so, how long should I wait?

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Originally Posted By: Jordan
Along those lines, my kids are begging to fish our pond now. Is that taboo? If so, how long should I wait?


If your kids are begging you to fish, I think you should oblige. wink

As long as you toss the caught BG back, I think you're fine. But you want a healthy population, so handle with wet hands, only briefly out of the water, and maybe even pinch the barbs on your hooks.

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Definately pinch down the barbs on the hooks. Use single hooks, not treble hooks. Try to fish without using live bait. The BG tend to swallow the live bait quicker than artificial bait, and even using a barbless hook might cause mortality getting one out.


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With 72 adult BG in the new pond he can afford to loose a few (6-10) to hooking mortality and still have plenty for spawning next spring. It is also likely that he will have a BG spawn in August this year. Watch for fry in shallow water during early - mid Sept. Begin searching for fingerling LMB you may need them this fall or next spring.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 08/03/10 09:58 PM.

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Hit yet another lake tonight with the kids. Was told it was a bluegill haven. State record BG came from it...

Underwhelmed by the results, but still caught another 19... but they didn't fare too well in the cooler. Not sure how many will pull through the night. We'll see tomorrow...

Also caught one young LMB and threw him in for fun.

By the way, I caught a few pregnant ladies, so I might just have a hatch sooner than August. We'll see.

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Didn't see any floaters today (although we DO have a lot of waterfowl around here that might be gulping 'em down before I ever see 'em).

Took out some bread to try to trigger a response. Tore it up and cast it out, some floating and some sinking. I got ZERO reaction. Admittedly, my visibility is only 12" or so... but I circled the entire pond throwing deep and shallow, and didn't catch any signs of life.

Yet when I caught these guys, they'd almost instantly bite anything we threw in the water! Is this something I need to be concerned with?

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Originally Posted By: Jordan
Yet when I caught these guys, they'd almost instantly bite anything we threw in the water! Is this something I need to be concerned with?


I would guess no Jordan, that they're likely still acclimating themselves to their new home, but wait for someone who's stocked transported BG to concur. I know farm raised fish generally aren't shy out of the gate, but maybe that's not the case with wild fish.

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Took the boys out fishing this afternoon. Found our first floater.

Didn't catch a single fish, but were able to eyeball multiple groupings wandering around the shallows. Very skittish and not apparently eating, but behavior seems alright.

I parted out a hotdog for them as a peace offering. grin

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Turbid water and lots of invertebrate food in a new pond are reasons for the new BG to be shy bitters. With water visibility only 12" it will be hard for BG to see the bait. Got to see it to bite it. You using live bait or artificials?. You will discover that BG will tend to become hook smart in a smaller pond with intensive angling. After getting caught a few times, some of the wiser ones will refuse to bite even live bait with a line attached even with most of hook imbeded in the bait.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 08/04/10 08:59 PM.

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I was putting the bait right amidst the visible fish. Worm and hotdog. Nothin'. Cast a 1" beetle spin, yellow w/ black stripes, at least hoping to garner some little followers. Never saw a thing.

But that's okay. I'm hopeful they're just settling in.

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I think they are hood shy for now, and with all the available natural food in their new home they are even harder to convince.


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Originally Posted By: Bill Cody
After getting caught a few times, some of the wiser ones will refuse to bite even live bait with a line attached even with most of hook imbeded in the bait.


Originally Posted By: esshup
I think they are hood [JHAP edit: probably meant hook] shy for now, and with all the available natural food in their new home they are even harder to convince.


I forgot to mention it previously but JWHAP and I had an interesting experience while fishing on our pond in June. DIED taught me (or actually reminded me of a method that both he and Bruce had taught me previously and that I had promptly forgot, I hate it when that happens) of a method of jigging for BG, nothing new or earth shattering to you fresh water fishing veterans but to a complete fishing idiot it was helpful.

Anyhoo, JWHAP and I were in our boat using this jigging method catching BG like crazy. As fast as we could lower the jig in the water (one of those small jig heads with the red eye and with a piece of Berkley worm attached to it) we would hook a BG. We were having a blast and suddenly the boat was surrounded by BG. The water was clear enough so that we could watch the entire process happen. Lower the jig, several BG rocket in, one would strike and the fight would be on. Bring the BG into the boat (barbs have been removed from the hook) release the BG, check the worm, and begin the process again.

This fishing frenzy lasted for a good 45 minutes.

Then the fishing slowed way down.

The BG had become wise to the situation. They now would slow approach the jig and either nibble delicately at it or ignore it all together.

The "hook smart process" happened all within plain view.

I realize that this is no great revelation to anyone (hey, this is a JHAP post, were you actually expecting enlightenment? a cure for world hunger? a solution for world peace? a fix to stop your toilet from running? get real here, do you even read my posts?) but it was fun to actually witness the entire process.

That's it, carry on.


JHAP
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Went out after work today and started tying on every different lure I had to see what might trigger a strike.

Caught my first fish on my own water (and only fish of the day - an about-to-pop female, 5") with a 1" countdown rapala.

Got half-hearted strikes on white jigs, fake grasshopper, and an orange grub. But none of them actually took the hook.

Interestingly, I have a big trash can that blew into the pond in a storm - mostly submerged - and that's proving to be the habitat of choice.

I'm actually glad the water level is down, because I can prep some structure on dry ground, anchor it in, and then fill the pond back up. It'll be fun.

Speaking of structure, I have females about to lay eggs. But the bottom is just clay. This isn't going to prohibit them, is it?

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BG prefer small gravel or sand, but they'll spawn on anything (I think). Well, hard large rocky bottom might give them problems.


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So I came home from work and my wife tells me she swears she saw "little, tiny, baby fish swimming around". I might already have a second generation in there.

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