Critterhunter,
Grow bluegill. Thinning bass is crucial, now focus on bluegill production. A little bit of floating fish food goes a long way. Even if you only fed two pounds of commercial pellets daily for 150 days, you still gain measurable benefits. 300 pounds of feed costs $90, but grows 150 pounds of bluegill.
Also, remember this..if you can increase survival rates of newly hatched bluegill, your food chain will benefit tremendously.
Here's the catch, though. To get survival rates up, a pond needs a measurable plankton bloom during the spawn. Enriching water with nutrients north of the Mason-Dixon line can cause problem during winter months when ponds are frozen, especially when ice is covered with snow.
So, to keep you off thin ice, read as much as you can on this site. You will get plenty of answers.
