Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Restoring a bluegill pond

As you add the larger bass watch the BG density and as their numbers decrease and growth of remaining BG increases toward the larger one pictured above. At that point many of the smaller BG should be low density and catch rates of the noticeably decreased. Then go in and harvest a good number of those larger bass to allow the remaining BG to resume growth. You want a few larger bass but too many will eat too many 4"-5" BG and not leave enough BG to produce a good crop of large BG. It is definitely a balancing act. Watch your catch rates and as things improve and the size structure shifts more larger BG will show up in your catch records. As that happens remove many of the large bass and start protecting mostly smaller bass 9"-13" who will be eating 2"-3" BG to keep the numbers of them thinned and remaining ones growing. It is rather difficult to have both big BG and good numbers of large bass because too many large bass will be cropping too many of the BG at 5"-7". You want those 5"-7" BG to grow into the 8"-9" category as the older ones die and are harvested. I think it is proven that 25%-36% of the biggest oldest BG (9"+) naturally die each year if they are not harvested.
Read through the Harvesting BG in the archives for more information about natural mortality of old BG.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=273316#Post273316

A web search of mortality of adult BG may provide more information.