JB, Great post...thanks!
In 10 acres of water with stunted, overpopulated bass, the numbers of LMB you mentioned are about what would be removed for a single acre. Larger bodies of water (BOW) are great, but take a LOT of work to control. Removing 1000 or more LMB in the 10-14" range would be needed, but we have to start the process regardless.
Clarity reduction from muddying the water would be a VERY bad thing IMO. Given your low, acidic PH, adding several tons of Ag Lime would be a far better solution in hopes of creating more fertile water and planktonic algae bloom to reduce sunlight penetration...this is also the base of the food chain. Muddy water wold reduce the light penetration, but also KILLS the base of your food chain...not good, as you end up with even more starving, stunting fish of all sizes.
I think massive LMB removal (1500-2000 10-14" fish) and a moderate to heavy Ag Lime application (2-8 ton per acre) would be your fastest, best, easiest and longest lasting correction for reaching your goals.
Get your soil tests to know how much lime is needed and be sure to tell the testers it is for water and no for soil ammending..Ag Lime poses no danger of being over applied as the PH will never exceed 8.2 and the water can only absorb a limited amount of Calcium and Magnesium before becoming saturated. Over-applying Ag Lime simply reduces the frequency of applications needed in the future.
In short, you have fertility in the bottom soils of your pond, but not in the water column itself...the available nutrient are bound up in the soils...I would hold off on more GC and wait to see what a Lime application brings in the way of rooted plant control first...assuming you can create an algae bloom that is.
I'd bet ewest could offer some great advice from his experiences with Mississippi waters!
