This is my first post, and I want to say what a great site this is. I have already learned so much about freshwater ecosystems here.
Anyway, last month I purchased 20 acres near La Grange in Texas and on it lies a small 0.3 acre pond. The pond is roughly 4-5 feet deep in most areas and 8 feet deep in the middle. There is cover in the form of bushes and downed trees and some sandy shallow spots near one side of the shore. There are also thousands of minnows on the shallow banks.
I fished it for the first time this weekend using free bait (nearby grasshoppers & catapillars) and came up with a few dozen very small fish. I had to switch to a very small panfish hook to land anything. All were in the 1"-3" range. I am pretty sure they are green sunfish. I base that on there elongated warmouth body shape, largish mouth, brownish color, and blue/turquiose streaks on their mouth. Based on my experience and confirmed with what I have read here and elsewhere I would say that this pond is overpopulated and stunted.
I do not know the history of the pond, and I live nearly 2 hours away which makes it a bit difficult to take daily observations.
My goals are simple, big perch. I want big bluegill, pumpinseed and red ear sunfish. I would be happy with 6-8" perch but would really love to have 9-11" present. Once attained I intend to harvest maybe a hundred a year for consumption. I would prefer bass over catfish for a predator, but do not intend to actively fish for either. I also would prefer not to drain or rotodone the pond, if at all possible my preference would be to take a longer approach and keep the system natural and alive.
Looking for advice on turning this pond around. I would like to formulate a 2-3 year gameplan to start working towards my goals.
Thanks.
