100 fish in a 5 acre pond puts a lot of water area to try and catch one. Then also consider that both they and the CNBG have spawned but likely the CNBG have spawned multiple times compared to the RES with larger spawns. All of the sudden that original ratio of fish has just gotten to be a much larger ratio. Add in the fact that the RES are a little more persnickety on what they bite and it is no wonder you are having trouble catching them. They probably have to fight 25 CNBG off just to beat them to the hook.

I put 175 RES and 100 CNBG in a 1/10th acre sediment pond with no predators. I should have put 25 CNBG and they still would have outspawned the RES. I get RES fingerlings in my traps in about a 1 to 25 ratio.

I also have a 1/20th acre forage pond that I stocked only RES bercause I had a similar situation as you and did not stock as many RES as I wanted in my main pond. So have been raising fingerlings in this pond and moving them over to my main pond to increase the number of RES. I have RES reproduction in that pond but if there would have been BG instead of the RES I think I could have walked on the BG fingerlings they would be so thick. Not the RES. The pond does not seem to be overly crowded with them when I check with a cast net.

I would either do like ewest says and add some adults or do like I do and get you a small pond specifically to raise some in.

One thing about fishing in a RES only pond, they may still be hard to catch but at least you don't have to keep the BG off the hook for one to bite it.

Last edited by snrub; 10/11/16 07:35 PM.
John

I subscribe to Pond Boss Magazine