Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Show off your catch More Bass

Very Nice.....!!

Are those fish from Indiana? If yes - good job and someone is doing somethig correct. Do you know what types of forage fish are in this pond - small lake?

Yes we have got about 27 fish over 4 pounds since March and have lost another 10 I would guess 5 to 10 pounds...biggest so far is 10.50...the lake is 100 acres former gravel pit...the thing is it hasn't been stocked for about 20 years and none of the bass are ever culled from it..I would bet less then 10 bass have came out in 5 years...I'm not sure what all forage fish are in it I know it has a lot of shad..blue gill..(some huge ones but I don't fish for them)..crappie...I even saw a bass eat a baby duck....the lake isn't managed at all I would like this spring to have a study done and see if we can bump the size up some..but only about 4 of us fish or care so I would have to pay for it out of pocket..

You may have a real hard time growing bass much bigger than that in Indiana. Sometimes things just work out and you get a natural balance, sounds like this lake has it!

I'll bet they might be able to bump the size a bit if they stocked 8"-10" RBT in the fall. Greg Grimes? Where are you? Get in here and tell us about your success doing that.

I talked to Greg about doing a test on the F1 tiger bass and seeing how they did in central Indiana I thought more forage fish might help to...I also thought that maybe you reach a point where it can't get any bigger...Yesterday the bass were in about 1 to 2 feet of water just off the rocks and we got 14 in 2 hours in 98 degree heat (on square bill crankbaits)..I would think that would say something about the oxygen level but I'm far from a expert...

Nice results. I am not sure I would change much. RT might help. I would start keeping a few LMB that don't look quite as good as the better ones.

What is the maximum depth of the lake and any idea of an average depth?

You keeping all you catch?

We have a few spots in the open water that are 35 to 40 feet and most spots are 10 to 17 feet. We have a bay to the north east that is 2.5 to 4 feet in spots and some flats..also have a 11 acre lake that connects...lake has a stream coming in and leaving so has moving water...also has a lot of underground springs i was told.

No i dont think more then 10 bass have been taken out in 5 years...we do have 30 to 50 pound catfish that have been caught on accident so my theory is they cull the smaler fish since we dont....i saw a 20 pound channel and i know 30 to 50 pound flatheads...

the next time you catch one fo those 50 lb flatheads, cut him open to ee whats in side?? The mouth on one of them is HUGE!! and they do like life bait. I am sure the smaller ones keep the fish in tap, but the bigger ones? I guess it would depend on how many huge fish you have?

pretty nice lake, I am jeallous.

I agree. If he is catching a 10.5lb er, culling some would be good. Getting rid of the flatheads, yep. I have seen them eat 8" panfish. Is this in the southern part of the state? I have seen some nice stuff down by Bedford.

no it is central Indiana just NE of Indianapolis.

Flatheads are keeping the small bass controlled and from being over populated esp since no one has been harvesting bass. Harvesting bass is occurring but not by humans. Currently the flathead's predation pressure is helping manage the bass and probably shad population. The shad would likely be gizzard shad - a good food source for large bass. If recruitment of bass becomes poor and lower CPUE of 14"-18" bass occurs then focus on removing some flathead catfish. Regular anglers on this lake should be maintaining catch records to monitor the current and future fishery balance. This is important for managing this quality fishery that could deteriorate if flatheads are reproducing.

the flatheads I know of that were caught were while bass fishing for the most part. Keeping records for all the fish does sound like something we need to it...we just keep them on the big ones but we will start keeping them on all the fish and see. Only 3 or 4 people period fish the lake...I'm going to have the water tested at texas A & M and look into the BT suggestion some.

The catch records could be something as simple as date, length and weight, or as complex as you want to make it. Weight should be measured at least down to 1/10 of a pound.

Do you know if the lake stratifies and at what depth? What is the water clarity?

I am not sure on the first question . I know today the water was 92 according to what the temp said...I got one fish at 2 feet and 2 fish in 4 to 5 feet in one hour....water clarity is pretty good most of the time...the lake has very few ducks etc on it that helps to keep the water clean also..

Bill I sent you a pm

Catching bass mostly shall is an indication that stratification is in place. Depth of thermocline will be dependant on water clarity and fetch (distance that the wind can blow across water to make waves) and height of waves. Amount of strean inflow and how far the current moves underwater could also affect thermocline. Underground springs could also have an influence.
Are trout able to live in the lake year round??

Bill

I sent you a longer pm but I will have to look into what it takes for rainbow trout to live year around.

Alan

Your water will be cold enough in the deeper layers but the big question is will there be enough dissolved oxygen in that cold water to keep trout alive in the hottest months. July, August, and September is when most deep cold water runs out of dissolved oxygen. Rain-out and decay of dead plankton sinking into the cold layer from the upper productive surface layer is what causes most of the oxygen loss in the coldest deep layer (hypolimnion).

I am going to send some water samples to texas a and m and get tested the water quality has never been tested.