Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Unclear about Walleye & ponds

Ponds that become over run with LMB have been neglected. As you mention ponds that have LMB and receive little or no fishing that includes a least some bass harvest can easily become overpopulated with smallish bass. If one pays attention to what is going on in the pond and performs an annual harvest of at least a few LMB there should be no overpopulation problems. LMB are not as prolific as bgill, greensunfish or crappie. Plus they are carnivores and do eat a fair number of their own kind especially if the smaller bass are common or slightly over common. The advent of catch and release has caused too many pondowners with LMB to think they need to release all bass and not harvest any. This is not the case. If a pond is managed properly those fish including LMB that are annualy recruiting new individuals into the fishery should have some harvest of some of the individuals depending on the goal for the fishery. Without a resonable amount of harvest the pond based on its fertility (or pellet feeding) does not reach its full production potential. In many cases, 5 to 20 bass per acre per year is not a lot of fish to remove annually to keep the population on the correct path toward a goal.