I have a 7 year old 1 acre pond. It is pretty established with LM bass, bluegill, flathead minnows and habitat. I have caught a few bass around 2.5 and 3 lbs but would like to see them continue to grow bigger.

The dozer contractor that dug my pond has a 20 year old 1.1 acre pond that has produced a 14 and two 8 lb bass. His 14 pounder is mounted on his living room wall. He tell me the secret to having large bass is establishing it with a good crayfish population and having good water clarity with aeration.

I have fished his pond a few years ago and caught about half dozen bass between 2-3 lbs. During late summer, on the pond banks, you can see crayfish shell littered on the shore where the water has reseeded. I have picked up a couple large rocks on the water edge and they are full of crawfish. Although his pond has bluegill, they are not as plentiful as my pond.

A few months ago, I bought some crayfish traps off Amazon and trapped 200-300 med/large crayfish from a nearby creek. I have also used a 8 foot bait/cast net and caught several hundred 4-6 inch shiners with a few dozen 8-10 inches long.

Although I will probably continue to stock my pond with both crayfish and shiners, I am curious which bait will be the most beneficial to growing large bass in a small pond. Also, curious which one will continue to reproduce and populate.

I hear shiners can be difficult to populate if the pond is already established. I am curious if this is the same case with crayfish. Any suggestions or thought would be appreciated. Thanks, Jack in N. Alabama.