Awesome info Bill.

I spoke with the owner about harvest rates last week and mentioned that it was going to be a big job to keep the pond numbers in check once we get to that point. I didn't know the exact numbers but it makes sense that the more you feed, the higher the lake capacity, the higher the harvest required. 200+ pounds of bass in the under 14" range is a lot of fish! There will be a decent size group of good anglers to help with this so I think we are up to the challenge. We are already thinking ahead about how to manage the recording of fish removed and we haven't stocked it yet. We are waiting on warmer weather to get the electrofishing done and get the right stocking plan laid out. And also working on the structure - of which there is none at the moment.

That brings up another point I think Bill made in another thread - importance of structure. I know this is a big deal but how does it play into the feeding/fertility/fish size ratio? Right now the pond seems to have an over abundance of 2"-3" GSF. I'm assuming low carrying capacity due to clear water and very little vegetation growth. We have caught a few big GSF but no real presence of predators. Would adding feed to this senario without adding structure or predators only result in more small GSF? Clearly that will not be our path but just for info sake.

Shrub,
We definitely do not have the funds to feed to the tune of a ton a week. We are also not trying to keep up with the King Fisher Society either! We will discuss feeding with the experts when they come out for the evaluation. I doubt we will be able to put in enough CNBG to stock 66 acres at one pop so I suspect feeding some amount could help boost spawning/growth to get our forage numbers up. I'm expecting to work out a multi year stocking plan and it will be interesting to see what is said about reaching our goals with or without feeding. Of course as soon as I get those results and recommendations, you guys will be informed.

Also interested in Bill's last question.

To feed or not to feed....that is the question!