Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations WHERE ARE MY BASS?

I'm not sure if my bass survived? I released atleast about 75 bass in my pond in increments since last year 2009 mostly during fall and spring time 2010. I followed all the instruction about aeration and acclimation and all the fish that was released were swimming away. I did not see any floaters at all. I tried fishing for them but no luck. The pond is about 2.5 acres. The fish size ranges for 1-3 lbs. There is a lot of forage (sunfish, golden shiner and bullheads)Do you think they survived?

From what you described, I would think they survived. Only thing I can think of, just from the hip here, is possibly it's because 75 in a 2.5 acre pond isn't very many, so maybe they're just difficult to find right now. I'll twist your arm here and insist you go fishing some more.

I agree with Omaha, that is rather thin numbers for a pond that size. You could easily hold 3X maybe even 4X that many. What I would do is bring two poles, one ultra lite with a size #12 or #14 baithook, put on a tiny bit of worm, grub or power bait, and fish for your forage fish. Whatever I caught I would use for bait for the LMB. Clip a bit of the tail, nose hook with a good sized live bait hook. At least you should use what they have been eating for sometime. Unless you have a bad poaching problem those LMB are there, big, fat and hard to catch with adequate forage.

If you don't catch any by fishing then I would do a seine survey and look for LMB yoy.