Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Shy Fish

I stocked my one acre pond back in November with 50 bass, 100 channels, 100 hybrid bluegill, and 5lbs. of fatheads. I aslo added about 30 5-6" bluegill from a friends pond that were used to feeding off the same pellets I use. I have been feeding only about 2-3 times a week because thats about as often as I can get out to the property because of distance from home. I even put a 21' section of well pipe off the bank to bang on to help train them as I was told. To this day I still have not seen any feeding. They fatheads have obviously spawned already because they are everywhere as well as perch and bass. I still have not seen one catfish. If anyone could give some advice it would be appreciated.

Redfinger

To start with your stocking is way off. Hybrid Bream are mostly male and do not produce much forage for bass. If you can put 200 more bluegills in. If not your pond can only support 10-15 bass.

If you can not be at the pond every day get a feeder. My guess is your fish are not use to the feed and you are coming a couple time a week and scareing the crap out of them by banging on the
pipe.

I collect arrowheads to, have about 75.

Thanks for the info. I realized my mistake about the hybrids the day after I stocked them after talking to Mark McDonald and Bob Lusk, but I think I have plenty of forage. I see giant crawdads frequently and have so many different kind of frogs and tadpoles that you can't look anywhere and not see one. Maybe that is what the catfish are eating. As far as the pipe, I have been to several ponds in my area where this seems to work very well. Maybe if I did it with more frequency. Where did you collect your arrowheads? I have about 90 perfects and over 200 almosts all from central and west Texas.

While you now have plenty Of frogs, tadpoles ect. they are at best supplimental forage and will probably by cleaned out soon by the growing bass. If you do nothing you will have an unbalanced pond.

Banging on the pipe will only work once the fish are trained to take feed daily. If you hand feed every day the fish will find you when you show up.

All of my arrowheads are from the Creek Indians of Middle Georgia, some I have found on my farm.

tadpoles are about 98 % water so they are not much help as far as additional forage goes. they will be all but gone as soon as bass get large enough. In the past two days I have seen bluegill moving up onto beds, so I doubt your 30 BG have had an opportunity to spawn this year. i would not worry if catfish are not eating yet. I see that often. try feeding at dawn or dusk sometimes that helps, quit banging on the metal drum until you get your fish to feed. you are probably just scaring the *!*# out of them.

I think the hybrid BG is more hype than anything. I just shocked a pond yesterday and caught 20 BG and shellcracker in the 12 inch range. all of these fish were much larger than any hybrid BG I have personally seen. I agree with Bill, 200 more 3-6 bluegill wont hurt your pond at all.

I have a 1 acre pond that was stocked with 75 bass 1000 hybrid bluegill and 300 shellcrackers and 150 channelcat . i've read so many post denouncing the stocking of hybrid bluegill and i understand the male dominance of these fish but my bass are doing very well pond has been stocked for 3 yrs , i've tagged 30 fish and 70% of these fish are above 3lbs, maybe it's because the bass are feeding on their own offspring resulting in limiting there competition. i've only caught 1 bass in the past 2yrs under 10"

I think it all comes down to the level of work that is put into managing your pond/lake. If done properly and you don't mind buying hybrids every few years it can work. The problem develops when they are not fished correctly and records are not kept of what is caught. :rolleyes:

What often happens is nothing or close to nothing is done and the pond owner expects things to remain great. If this is the case, over time most hybrids will degenerate into green sunfish. The homestead I moved into 2 years ago, had this exact problem. Of course the pond was built and stocked with bass hybrids about 26 years prior to me taking it over. My first order of business was to drain, rotenone, and begin the restocking. Now I just have to wait another year and a half before being able to fish it.

Rev,

dont know where you are but here in Georgia we get bass growth to 3 pounds in 2 years in newly stocked lakes. usually new ponds are good for fishing for at least 5 years, then the managment practices of the owner will show true. over the years as those hybrids spawn you will see more and more green sunfish. the green sunfish will compete with bass for food and will eat bass fry in the spring.

shan I'm in NW Tenn and 1 to 1 1/2 pound a year is average or better on growth rate up here and on the hybrids yea you definitly have to cull some of their offspring so you can to keep you're original brood stock from competing same goes for bass, my goal anyway so far good results