Many of you have helped with this pond project over the last couple of years and all is going VERY well.
Fall of 2014 - One acre pond built.
14 ft in the deepest, one side is full of downed Poplar trees I pushed in for cover, man made structure in many other areas. At least 4 springs feeding it.
Spring of 2015 added FHM and GSH by fall it was loaded with both.
Fall of 2015 added aeration system and 50 2-3inch BCP and 50 4-6in BG
In summer of 2016 stocked 10 GC by permit and 8 bass from local lakes all over 3 pounds. Tagged, recorded weight, and took pictures for record.
This year, lots of FTM and tons of GSH up to 6 inches or so. Also tons of 2 inch BG. I have seen two of the bass I think on a bed. They were looking good and healthy. Grass carp are getting big but are not keeping up with all the green stuff, thinking I need a few more. No sign of the Crappie but they are probably hiding in the Poplars and hard to even attempt fishing there.
According to my calculations and info learned here, I should be able to sustain about 100 pounds of bass. My thinking is to continue to catch, tag, and release 3 pound or better bass into the pond until I reach 80 or so pounds.
Is this flawed thinking? If I put LMB in at 3 pounds or better with tons of forage, they should have no problem continuing to grow and give us some nice 5+ pounders which are BIG bass around these parts. If I put in smaller LMB they will grow fast but eat more of the forage to get to the larger size both taking longer and eating more to get there. OR NOT? Is this miss-guided logic? Thinking is to let the other lakes feed them until they are larger then "top them off" in my pond?
My older tiny pond stunted their growth when I attempted this but it was small, no bait fish for forage, and too many fish for it to sustain so I am thinking this pond is big enough to work this way?
The goal is for my grandson (now 4 years old and LOVES to fish) to catch sunnies (and right now the shiners) and by the time he is a little bit older and into bass fishing he has the potential of catching a real nice one.