Personally I dont eat freshwater fish other than crappie. My dad doesnt like Bass fishing and still goes old school with a Browning bream buster and a live cricket. I only fish for bass. So if the bass eat all the bluegill and become lunkers its fine with me. I dont have kids or see any in the forseable future, and I know they love catching some bluegill, so I dont really need tons of bluegills. Also Im sure I can always stock more later if necessary. My dad can get over it if my bass eat every big bluegill since he also prefers eating crappie. So as far as bluegills are concerned they are just there as food.
Also I assume the fish will naturally segregate themselves? Where do I want my Crappie? Like I mentioned my uncle has 2 ponds but only one has Crappie and in my uncle's pond they are all located around some hay bales sunk in deeper water. Only a few have moved from that location and if thats whtat you are after you have to fish the hay bales.
The bass are scattered but 100% of the ones I caught out of his ponds were always under overhanging cover, either some fallen trees that fell into the pond or tree branches, working plastics either a lizard or worm. I actually throw them up onto the bank at an angle and then work it back towards the boat threw deeper water so they go right under any cover. Usually they get inhaled a few seconds after sliding into the water. I have never caught a bass in open water in either of his ponds. I have tried slow rolling a spinner bait, jigs, and crank baits but never caught anything so I assume hes got no structure in the middle of his pond to hold fish other than those crappie.
Oh yea I guess the way I like to fish will probably affect how I want to construct all my fish holding devices. I mainly fish with plastic baits. Love those 6" and 7.5" Culprit worms and Lizards and have used those 90% of the time I have ever freshwater fished going back to when I was in middle school. I also like walking a zera spook or working a rebel pop-r that make a lot of surface ruckus cause seeing a nice bass explode on one those is so much fun. Even had bass follow them all the way up to the boat before striking. Never really bothered much with spinnerbaits or buzzbaits. I have tried tons of them but never caught a single bass off of either EVER. If I do dig some deep holes and fill them with rocks and crayfish I assume working a jig around that spot will be the best way to catch a big bass. I will also live bait every now and then but its so easy it almost feels like cheating.
And we just broke the trackhoe. Guess my stumps were too strong:
