Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations when to start the harvest

I have a 1 acre pond stocked w/2000 cnbg and res, 50 cc, 2000 fhm, 500 gsh in April 08. Stocked 90 f1 and flmb in July 08. Bream are now between 7-8", cc in the 2-3lb range. Havent seen any lmb to date. Should I start taking bream out in 09? Have already started taking the cc out.

500 Grass Carp ?

500 gs

I'm still confused over the Gs.


FISH
BG = bluegill
HBG = hybrid bluegill
CGC = common (German) carp
GC = grass carp
RES = redear sunfish
GSF = green sunfish
GSH = golden shiner
FHM = fathead minnow
FHC = flathead catfish
CC = channel catfish
BC = blue catfish
LMB = largemouth bass
SMB = smallmouth bass
HSB = hybrid striped bass
YP = yellow perch
WB = white bass

Bing

sorry for the cofusion. gsh.

I would be unable to resist taking some BG out this year if I were in your position. I might be able to restrain myself until after the initial spawns occurred.

What are your management goals for the pond? It will make a little difference on which BG we would encourage you to leave or remove.

Should I target any size or sex? My goal is a well balanced pond with larger bass. Pond is fertilized and fish are well fed.

If you are managing for big BG, concentrate on removing a higher % of small males and small to middlin' females.

The basis for small male harvest is that large, mature male BG suppress early maturation in smaller males, who then concentrate on growing big before next year rather than spending energy on spawning. Think of the bully on the beach kicking sand in the 90 pound weakling's eyes, who then bulks up via Charles Atlas so he can win his girl back.

You remove more females simply to reduce the total number of eggs available in the pond, to in turn reduce BG fry numbers (and hopefully total YOY numbers). Fewer mouths eating your pond's BG food supply means more for each BG to eat, hence bigger BG. But since the biggest females have the right genes to grow big, leave them be.

WRT managing for big bass, we get into supposition. I have hypothesized that, doing much the opposite of big BG harvest practices, one would want to leave as many females in as possible. Also, perhaps harvesting those big males could be beneficial, by enabling more small males to mature and start families at an early age. I present this SWAG at BG size/sex harvest practices for big bass management, once again in the hopes that someone who knows more about big bass management than me (there are thousands of you out there) will give better advice.

Either way, whether you want big bass or big BG (or in between), since this is the first full year for your stocker BG to reproduce, I would not hit them hard until after their initial spawn. Let the full range of genetic diversity in them have a chance to reproduce before you take many of them out.

P.S. Just saw you added your "balanced pond with larger bass" management goal, Calvin. In that light, I'd say don't mess with the BG until they're off the spawning beds the first time. Meanwhile, let's force those big bass managers to tell us what sex & size of BG to harvest. I'll start a thread here.

If you are feeding the bluegill, what keeps the smaller ones from not growing? If there is an unlimited supply of fish food.
My bream did spawn lots last spawning season, which seemed to be most of spring and summer. When the water got hotter they got deeper with there beds.