Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations SMB Pond Update

Our little 3/4 acre pond is starting to show some SMB promise -

I fall stocked SMB (about 40) in Fall 2008. Most were 2-3" long when I stocked -though some were a year class older and 4-6". Here's a couple I've caught recently. The larger ones were probably the older year class - and one of those ( the picture of the fish on the ground) was egg laden.

Most of the SMB I see are the size of the one in the palm of my hand - about 8". Hoping for a little spawning tis year - but expecting it really next year.

The pond is BG - FH minnows - SMB, a few YP and anout 25 Brown trout and a couple brook trout. I've put some browns and FH in ever since it held water - and some of the brown trout are 14-16" now.










FH

Great report, F-H!

So the larger SMB was a female; I wonder if there are any males large enough to try and spawn.

Sir, Is that nice doe in pic #5 actually tethered down?

Thanks Bob O -

No the Deer is actually young buck on my Pond Cam - the pics posted kind of small so its tough to see the nubs!! I don't tie them down till hunting season gets a little closer.

Yes - I think I have a couple older males (10-12") - so we'll see.
I also put in ONE male LMB that looks to be about 14" now. I'm hoping he gets a SMB/LMB cross going on (its a pond experiment!).

This is Him last Sept (2009) I saw him cruising the shallows yesterday too.



FH

FH -- you probably know this, but your LMB X SMB would look just like a spotted bass. You can turn into a southern boy at that point??

It sounds like you are developing a great smallmouth bass fisheries! Congratulations! I'd be worried though that largemouth could be eating your smallmouth bass. He's definitely big enough to eat them. I'd replace him or her with a smaller largemouth more in line with the size of your smallmouths. JMO of course.

How's your spawning substrate for your smallies? I say that because I had egg bound females die in one of my ponds because of the lack of good spawning substrate. In all fairness though it's possible temp fluctuations may have been a factor too.

My smallmouth producer says smallmouth spawns are very unpredictable for him. He says it's bust or boom. Says if a severe cold front comes in after a spawn he can end up with few or no fish.

Thanks guys -

The LMB was the same size as the SMB when I put him in - I'd say about 4". He's growing faster than the SMB - Most of whom are 8-10". The LMB is so visable - I see him cruising almost any time I walk the pond edge. They are ALL keying in on the tadpoles and frogs right now. I don't see the SMB as often - but I can catch then easily now - last year I only caught a couple.



I suspect the LMB (I call him Larry) uses the BG's as forage better than the SMB have been able to -

I need to get some gravel & Rock Piles in. I've got a clay bottom - with lots of crusher-run type gravel mixed in - probably good for bass spawning - but I have very few rock piles for the SMB fry.


FH

Hopefully. But then again he may prefer the smallmouth that are of a narrower profile that he can swallow easier.

It seems some of the Yellow Perch I released last summer have had a successful Spawn - I was able to get a couple in my minnow trap.



Thought I'd see if I could catch a trout with one - but got a high-flying SMB to take. He's about 7-8" but no doubt a fan of young perch!



I see these SMB under a ft long from my stocking in fall 2008 - they are eating well crusing the pond edge.

I fertilized the pond - and have got some color - I have about 24" visability right now - down from about 48". Still I cannot duplicate that awesome blue-green bloom from the 1st year of the pond being full

(this pic is from 2008 when it was filling up!)


I did get enough to get rid of a lot of that filamentous algae I was seeing more and more of.



FH

Very cool FH. I'll bet in a couple of years you're gonna have some monster SMB!

Very nice! I love the coloration of that SMB... Those little YP make great aquarium guests til they outgrow their welcome.

I noticed that a large LMB was swimming around under the feeding smaller fish. It was very selective to only go after small YP, rather than go after the more abundant RB and PS young. I guess they prefer the slender profile over the sunfish body shape?

Here's a SMB update - 7-27-10

I thought this fish looked a little long and thin. Couls be the SMB are having a tough time feeding on BG, YP and FH minnows with the current algae bloom. Or maybe I just caught a runt. I'd seen several of the SMB working a group of minnows around a weed patch and tossed over a rapala. While small - he was fire up - like the all seem to be.



On another exciting note - I saw a school of alt least a dozen Bass YoY probably about 2-3" long in the shallows working together like a school of fish on invertebrates or small minnows. I didn't throw out a net - but I'm assuming they were SMB - but could be..... Meanmouth if my lone LMB got lucky.

We'll see soon enough.

FH

I think that SMB looks just fine. The fatheads may be dwindling in numbers, so perhaps that SMB is not getting as much food.

Do your SMB take to pellets? (sorry if you've mentioned it before)

Something to think about would be to determine the average size of your smallmouth bass and start taking out the underachievers who are wasting precious resources. In a 3/4 acre pond you don't have enough food to grow all of the smallmouths to a preferable size, especially once they start having babies and adding even more mouths to feed. The biggest and best smallmouths will suffer if you try to share their resources with the underachievers.

n8ly is just too brutal.

If you must cull some SMB, then find someone who will take them and give them the love that they deserve.

My smb know nothing of pellets. I bought a bag and set up a feeder last year but had poor results. I live 20 miles from the pond and at best I visit weekly. I'll keep track of the SMB and cull BG, YP and SMB accodingly to acheive maximum SMB growth without feeding. Thats my plan - and if & when it gets out of hand - I'll supplement some LMB - and maybe some other lone - top end predators.

FH

I've been very very happy to see many SMB YoY. No doubt there was a good spawn - and I'm now seeing pods of 12-24 smb anywhere from 2-4". They are very active and easy to ID as SMB even from a distance. They are growing faster than the BG and YP you. Im seeing less and less FHM - There were TONS in the spring - but they seem to be missing - either they are on the deeper structure or the schools are being preyed upon heavily.





I'm seeing lots of 6-7" BG that are too skinny. I put the feeder up - and will start a BG Fish-fry afternoons this fall during bowseason! Hoping to fatten the up over the next month ot two. Cannot wait!

I can't figure out how to embed the feeding video - here is the link.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v443/f...gill8-20-10.mp4


Haven't seen any of my trout since spring - if they made it through this summer - they'll be fine forever!

F-H,

I know pics are deceiving but that pond of yours sure looks bigger than 3/4 acres!

I should measure it - I've only ever estimated the area really. I'm sure its not over an acre - but it could be close.

Sounds like your SMB are doing great FH, have you stocked GSH or considered stocking 100's of thousands of fry to get a good forage base.

I haven't considered GSH because I put in BG. In hindsight - I probably wold have gone YP/SMB/FHM and some put & take trout. Then I could have considered supplementing with GSH fry or something else if needed. As it is right now, my SMB will have to learn how to like BG -and if they don't I'll either have to seine to keep their population lower, eat ALOT of BG - or eventually put in lome LMB to control them for me. I want to keep it a SMB pond as long as possible - And I'll keep you all updated as time goes by.

F-H,

Another option is to keep a high density of smallmouth to control the small bluegills. I have a very high density of smallmouth I'm growing out for BPS' and they are hammering the small bluegill in the pond. That along with lot of large yellow perch I'm hoping they will keep them under control. However mine are pellet trained and if they overeat the forage hopefully they will fall back on pellets.

Don't assume your smallies aren't pellet trained. If given a choice they will munch on fatheads vs. pellets until the easy prey is gone.

Sorry if you're already mentioned it, and I didn't catch it, but where did your smallmouth come from -- Hicklings in New York? If so, they are pellet trained. If your supplier doesn't raise them directly they may have still come from Hicklings as he produces a lot of smallmouth bass.

In Baird's case how many SMB/ac does it take to "hammer" small BG in a pond? CB1, at this point how big are the SMB and how big are the small BG? Any other small fish in the pond besides BG and YP?