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Joined: May 2011
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yaajer Offline OP
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Hello,

Just wanted to say thanks and a great job for such a wonderful and informative site! I just recently came across 10 acre pond in Wisconsin, and I'm looking for some information to best help manage it. I'm doing lots of searching and reading on this awesome site, but I'm hoping some of you can help me out as I attempt to identify the fishery health on this pond. The pond is 8ft deep, roughly 1/3 of the pond is about that depth, with the other 1/3 being depth of 3/4ft, and the remaining 1/3 are transistion depths between 4-7ft. It's quite early here in Wisconsin, so I may be getting an inaccurate fishing readings. Surface water temperature is about 48-53 degrees.

What I have been catching so far. From shore, I have been catching tons of small 2-4 inch blue gills. I've probably caught about 40 to 50 in about 4 hours total of trying to fish for BG. Absolutely NO BG larger than 5-6". I have been fishing only in a channel arm that is 3ft deep and looks like it could be used for bedding and spawning from both BG and LMB. In the same channel arm, I've caught 4 small LMB between 6-8". I was not aware at the time (last week), and didn't check, but the LMB did not have sunken bellies or anything. They did seem to be skinny, possibly due to the winter? Also, I have recently caught a couple larger LMB, about 12-13" away from this channel arm. They also were skinny, but did not have sunken bellies. I wish I would have took some photos and will be starting a log of what I'm catching from today on.

The pond is Eutrophic, and old. It was stocked with 450 LMB in 1996, 97, and 98. No records of bream stocking could be identified. Additionally, I've also caught a couple decent sized shiners, about 6-7" long and very healthy looking. There are also carp (regular carp) and channel cats in this pond. The pond is also very muddy, clarity seems to be about 8-10".

I'd like to manage the lake towards a trophy bass hole, versus quality bream/BG. I haven't caught any quality large LMB (3-4+ lbs). Though, this could be due to the colder weather we've been having that seem to be pushing back spawing, as well as pre-spawn behavior. The larger two LMB I caught were in the last couple days as the weather has been warming up, so it could be an inidcation they are migrating shallower to stage.

My question is:
What does this fishery seem to resemble with the very, very small fishing sample size provided? Lots and lots of small bluegills, 2-4" (about 40-50), 4 smaller LMB (6-8"), 2 medium LMB (12-13"), 2 Shiners (6"), and about 6-8 Carp sightings in about 12 to 18 hours of fishing the last week and a half or so?

It looks like I have 1 of 2 scenerios maybe?

1) Too many LMB and they are eating all the 5+ inch Gills, leaving only those like I've been catching 2-4" (abundant) and very few large 8+ inches BG that I haven't been able to catch yet?

or

2) There are too many BG and they have become stunted at 2" to 4". They are competing with and eating the eggs/fry of the LMB, which are also stunted at 12-13"?

Lastly, I know the Carp and shiner's are bad, but I will have a crossbow with me this summer as I do some culling out of that pond. I've already also removed the two shiners I caught.

Thanks so much for your thoughts and answers. I'm continuing to search and learn on this site!

Last edited by yaajer; 05/03/11 10:25 AM.
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Welcome to Pond Boss!

Your analysis seems correct, however, shiners (if we're talking about the Golden Shiner) are not bad to have in the pond.

I would start to remove all LMB caught that are under 14" in length. This is subjective though.

At some point, it would not hurt to stock some adult bluegill and LMB to mix up the gene pool.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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A 10 acre pond in Wisconsin! Awesome. I grew up there and that would have been a treat for sure! If it were me and it's just me talking I would make that bad boy a Northern Pike / Walleye pond!! NP like shallow waters and you have just enough depth for them to go a little deeper in the winter. Plus NP stand the cold better I think then bass do. Of course that's up to you not me. If you have not been out in the pond via boat yet it will be hard to figure out for sure what really is in that pond? I would think right now in that cold of water your bigger bass will still be kind of deep over in that 8 foot of water. You may have some bigger ones out there you just haven't found them yet. Have fun bud that sounds awesome. I could see myself in a small flat bottom boat slinging a buzz bait in that 3 to 4 foot of water and having a blast with bass or NP. Have fun this summer!!!


The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
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yaajer Offline OP
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Thanks guys! So, which analysis seems correct? Over supply of LMB and cull out the smaller ones? Or too many BGs and cull out so they and introduce additional LMB?

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yaajer Offline OP
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RC51: I was out on last Friday just quickly getting some depth markings..but I can't wait either! I was thinking some NP, but there's isn't much grass and spawning might be hard for them. I might introduce some though.

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Yeah you have a lack of weeds because of the muddy water. If you could somehow get it a little more clear you could have an awesome pond for NP. Not sure if you could introduce a type of weed that may grow in muddier water or not?? NP love those reeds type weeds that stick up out of the water. They will hang to other cover but they do like their weeds. As far as your other question I don't know I am not good enough at all of this to give you a good answer. Maybe someone else might chime in and give you some better advise. Where is your pond in Wisconsin? I used to live in a little town called Eagle River and my folks had a cabin in Rhinelander. Hey good luck and get us some pictures of this pond I would love to see. Keep us posted as to what you find out.


The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!

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