Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations growing big bass

I am buying a ranch located in central Tx. that has 20 plus lakes on it. The lagrest being 30 acres and several 5-10 acres lakes. My goal is to have the state record with the next 5 years. There are already 10 plus pounder in these lakes but I what to take them to the next level. What are yalls suggestion.

Spend 23.00 and buy Bob's book "Raising Trophy Bass"!

http://www.pondboss.com/books.html

Bob

I have already done that. Just wanted more imput from other pond manager. What has and has not worked.

Seems like the biggest bass out here in the west eat rainbow trout when they are stocked during the winter months. Try stocking some when the water is cold enough in your area.

Big Buck,

Rainbows are a good suggestion...I would do that. Stock them at 8 to 10 inches. Gizzard shad is another that would be high on my list and would provide year around forage. They can grow to a size that really appeals to large bass. Third would be to stock Tilapia each spring when the water temps are reliably above 60 degrees.

Last, hire me as your pond manager..I'm looking for a retirement job...only you couldn't trust me to not be fishing in your ponds.

well we signed the contracts. i am looking forward to learning more about growing trophy bass. i really appreciate all the input from this web site. as for the job we will have to see about that. but everyone is invited to come fish and hunt for nominal fee.

how much land are you buying with all these lakes?

I am in central Texas and the biggest benefits for me have been tilapia. Gizzards would be second. Around my parts the tilapia won't die off if it doesn't get cold for long periods.

4000 acres in the somerville area. what do tilapia eat and how long do they live.

Tilapia primarily eat vegetation..including filamentous algae, the curse of most pond owners.

In the Sommerville area they will die each year..they began dieing at water temps of 55 degrees and all die by the time 50 degrees is reached. This is not a bad thing...as it may first appear. It allows you to control their numbers, provides tremendous forage for large bass (the large bass gourge themselves on the dieing Tilapia in the fall), and avoids one of the potential downsides to Tiplaia which has been reported to eat fish eggs including bass in Mexico where they survive year around.

Several publications available including last months Pond Boss article on Tilapia. They are a great fish, worth every penny they cost.

Big Buck...are you sure you're not jerkin our chain ? I know that area well, a ranch that size is high $$$ and has a name...which one did you buy ? If ligit, what's a reasonable price to hunt and fish ! That is killer area for both !

Big Buck...right now is prime time to fertilize those ponds. You can buy the fertilizer and get lots of good help from Ken Hale at Boatcycle in Henderson, Texas.

Eastland,

I'm thinking you may be right...smells like a troll. Land in that area is easily $2000 per acre and that's a cool $8 million...not to mention that 4000 contiguous acres these days in that area is almost unheard of.

We have either been honered by someone with lots of money who thinks highly of us or we have been trolled and I fell for the bait....but just in case, I'd still like fishing rights there.

I think I know who Big Buck is, and so I would invite him to give us more information if information is, in fact, what he is seeking.

Will Texas allow you to enter a potential state record from a private pond that is not grown "naturally?"

Only reason I ask is my state record yellow perch was not allowed for those reasons in my state.

Meadowlark,
Just a note, many tilapia are mouth brooders and that may be where they get the egg eating rap. They usually switch to vegetation as they mature.

Cecil, I think I recall, perhaps imperfectly, that fish caught from private fisheries are shown with an asterik.

Texas actually keeps 2 sets of records.

Dave,

Don't know about Texas. If that's the case good for you guys!

meadowlark

We are buying the Sawdust Ranch.
I was wrong about the sizes of the lakes.
The largest is 9 acres but there are 33 of them.
They have been catching few double digit fish. My goal is to increase that and have the state record.

Cool! I really wish you the best and nothing but success in reaching your goal. I hope you will tell us your story as you journey along toward that goal. I know I will find it interesting as will others on the Forum.

Texas keeps all sorts of different records. A private lake from my understanding of their rules would be that it would be allowed. The do list the body of water it was caught and method.