Quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Condello:

I guess I should ask--are you feeding? \:\)
Yes, we feed. This is our third season with this pond, and we've been feeding since we bought this property.

This year the bluegill started coming up for food about the 2nd week of April. Monday thru Thursday, we hand feed every evening just after the sun goes behind the mountain (about an hour before "real" sunset). Since about the middle of May, we've been feeding about 1/2 pound each time. On most Fridays through Sunday, we also put out another half-pound around 7:00 AM. This is a half-acre pond.

We now have about four LMB joining the evening feeding frenzy. One is about 11 inches, and the other three are 8-9 inches. They are really a lot of fun to watch, because they act like the pellets are dragon flies above the water. One or two of the smaller ones likes to dance on his tail.

Getting most of the big catfish out, starting the "Condello Monster Blugill Plan," dropping in a bunch of white pine around the shoreline, and seriously thinning the stunted bass, has resulted in huge numbers of forage bluegill and bass -- which I worry about a little bit. But, the formerly stunted and skinny bass have turned into fat eating machines that sure look healthy. It is a lot of fun to watch them in the evenings, as they just about beach themselves while chasing the forage. No trophy bass, but lots of really great looking 9 to 14 inchers, and one 18 incher who will become dinner next time he gets on a line.

The pond had a lot of crappie, and a fair number of RES the first year we had the pond. We kept every crappie, and some of the RES. Somehow, all the RES and crappie completely disappeared. I am wondering what happened to them.


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