Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Should I continue pitching the green sunfish

Spent some more time fishing the lake this past week or two. Have been catching a LOT of green sunfish from maybe 3 inches long to almost filleting size. I've been removing all but the smallest to eliminate competition. I've tossed the smallest ones back in thinking of them as food for the bass. I've been catching maybe 10 - 15 green sunfish for each bass. I'm still planning to drain the lake down to levels so can do some work very soon. I'm thinking I should remove as many of the larger green sunfish and the bullheads as I can so more food and etc. available to the desired species. Is this correct?

The bass (stocked in June 05) seem to be doing well. One of about 12" chased a hooked green sunfish right up to the boat and almost out of the water. The GSF was too big for it to eat, but it was right there ready to try.

I have only caught two bluegill. The bluegills (stocked in October 04) were only in the 4 - 5" range. I thought they would be bigger than that...

I haven't caught any redear.

I also caught a channel cat (stocked in October 04) on a lure. Two pictures of it are attached. It's stomache looked on the verge of bursting, yet it still hit my lure.

Yea, I would pitch them, all sizes at that. I would even think about driving a wooden stake through their black little hearts to make sure they were permanently pitched.

Ditto what Bobad said on removing all GSF, especially since you've got BG that are already replacing them as (improved) forage.

I can't remember how big your BG were when stocked; I bet there's a real good chance the 4"-5" BG you caught were 2005 YOY. At least that's an encouraging way to think of the situation.

Thanks! I will continue pitching. Good coon food or I guess I should hang a wire basket off the back or somewhere and let the flies indirectly turn them back into fish food...

Theo: Ironically, I wasn't able to be present when any of my fish were stocked, but they were the size provided through the state's Dept of Natural Resources. I think maybe 2-3 inches... If you're right and I hope you are, then I should start catching some bigger ones. It seems they would have had all the food they could possibly have wanted since October 2004 so I would have hoped the originals would be bigger than 4-5". Not a lot of sign of beds when the lake was drained the first time, but obviously the GSF spawned. The bluegills might have too.

Rangersedge, I'm not down on green sunfish as much as others. I personally think that bullheads are harder to manage. Unless you have a very small population of green sunfish and bullheads, you would have to take out a tremendous amount of fish to make any difference. One years spawn and they will all be back.

How big is your pond and what do you want from it?

Unless you plan on killing everything, think about how you will manage your lake. My advise, add lots more large bluegill and red-ears. Over populate your LMB and over time, they will eat the young green sunfish and bullheads.

Like Norm, I don't really consider them much of a problem. They only spawn once per year and just might take some of the predator pressure off your YOY bluegill.

Others disagree with me on this.

DD,

Maybe not as many disagree as one might think. My biggest problem with GSF is the lack of size. If they would grow out to routinely reach weights above a pound, then they would be a great small pond sport fish. They are very aggressive to artificials often taking lures much larger than themselves. Their body shape is more suited to the predators liking. As a result and coupled with lower spawning rates, the GSF can be controlled with adequate predation, at least in Southern ponds.

I respect everyone's opinion on this, but I personally consider green sunfish to be a significant pest.

Since I (obviously) consider bluegill to be a desirable because of their potential for excellent size, palatability, etc. every item a green sunfish eats is now unavailable to a bluegill, or even a YOY largemouth. Green sunfish compete with largemouth directly in situations where they, themselves are unvailable for the LMB to eat.

I know it's spitting in the wind sometimes to remove green sunfish, but I do it anyway.

The best way to deal with green sunfish ultimately is to have an environment where they are unsafe from LMB and other predators. Anglers can only have so much effect unfortunately.

I would especially take them out in this case as the goal is to move to a BG/RES forage base. The less GSF you have the less chance of having HBG or GSF x RES crosses. Both crosses have low reproductive ability and thus less forage potential for the predators. The GSF with lower fecundity (than BG) and the crosses with little forage producing value but high food consumption are both at odds with the goal of moving toward a BG/RES forage base. They are using your carrying capacity contrary to your plan. A different situation may call for a different answer. You may want to try trapping. That would give you a way to take out GSF and asses your BG/RES situation at the same time.