Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Help Manage our New Pond

My father and I recently bought a pond near the Kansas City, Missouri area. I'm here looking for some guidance in managing the fish population. Any input is greatly appreciated. Attached below is a Google Earth image of the pond.

Pond Details:
-4 acre creek-fed pond
-11 feet deep in the middle, average estimated depth of 5 feet
-Known fish: LMB, CC, BG, GSF, and either BCP or WCP (not sure which one)
-Pond has lots of algae, but we will be taking care of that soon
-There is currently not a great deal of structure, although we are slowing adding more and more in the form of brush piles and rock piles
-Pond has a large watershed
-Muddy water after rain, slightly murky water normally

We plan to drain, dredge and expand the pond in the next 5 to 10 years or so. Our #1 goal right now and in the future is to grow lunker LMB. When we drain the pond someday, we will stock new fish with that goal in mind. In other words, there will be no GSF or Crappie, and possibly no CC. But for now, we'd like to take some steps to improve the current LMB population.

The current state of LBM fishing is pretty good. We started recording our fish caught a few months ago. We have caught around 50 fish, with four over 3lbs. They were 3, 3.4, 4.5, and 5.4 lbs. I have attached a spreadsheet which contains a graph of the LMB caught so far. (Note: unfortunately the four LMB over 3 lbs were not measured for length, but all four were pretty meaty fish).

My first question is, based on the data, what would be an appropriate number of pounds of bass to remove to maximize future growth of big bass? It seems to me like there are too many fish in the small to medium range. What do you all think? Also, what would be the ideal slot range?

Next, I was wondering about the removal of the GSF and Crappie. I know these species are not good in a pond this size. We purchased a seine net and plan to try to remove some of these fish. Is that a good idea? Do you think we will be able to remove enough fish to actually help? And after we remove them, will we have to add additional BG to offset the other fish removed?

Thanks for the input,

Collin

Anyone have any ideas?

Hi, and welcome to the forum. It is a great place to learn, but sometimes it's a bit slower than others.

Sure we can give opinions, but some(like mine) you have to take with a grain of salt. The pros really need to help you out with your situation, but I'll give a few idea......


I don't know if you want to remove any LMB until you get the crappie situation under control. They could help you remove a lot of small ones that you can't catch by line. I think I would concentrate on the crappie first.

Is a net a good idea?- well it is if it works. You won't know till you try. Never used one myself. It sounds like there are a lot of tricks in getting it to work right, some of which may be out of your control. Like obstacles in the pond's bottom. I would look into a fyke net. There has been a really good thread on this by MNFISH, just within the last week or so. He uses it to control his crappie pond.

I think you have a great opportunity to learn pond management and then you'll be able to apply it later on your re-done pond. You will have that much more knowledge in 5 years, you'll be so much better off because of it. So stick around, have some fun, learn a lot, and don't be afraid to ask away.

...Jim

I agree with targeting the crappie as a first priority. It's not easy but the Fyke net might help. Seining should give you an idea of what you are dealing with concerning GSF and crappie. Bass do a good job of avoiding seines.

I wouldn't worry about the GSF unless they are really a problem. A disclaimer is that I like GSF.

I would expand the bass journal to include other fish. How long have you been keeping the journal? Have you thought of using a journal based on date?

Date Qty Inches
3/30/2013 3 10
4/7/2013 6 10
4/7/2013 1 14
4/14/2013 2 10
4/21/2013 1 18+
4/28/2013 3 10
4/28/2013 2 12
4/28/2013 2 16
4/28/2013 1 17
5/5/2013 2 13
5/5/2013 2 10
5/5/2013 1 18+
5/5/2013 2 13
5/5/2013 1 18+
5/7/2013 2 5
5/7/2013 4 10
5/7/2013 5 13
5/7/2013 2 14
5/19/2013 3 13
5/19/2013 1 10
5/19/2013 1 18+

Here are the fish by date.

The Missouri Department of Conservation recommends a minimum of 5 fishing outings and at least 10 hours for accurate records, as per the Missouri Pond Handbook.

Relative weight charts are a much better indicator of the fishery health. A LMB can have enough food to reach a certain length, but once at that length they might not find enough food to eat, and will actually lose weight. When doing your charts, also include the weight of the fish. That will tell you if you need to remove "X" amount LMB of all sizes or just certain year (size) classes.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=160456#Post160456

If the LMB are under say 90% WR for a particular length, then those are the fish that need thinning.

FWIW, even post spawn, LMB at 17" or so in my pond are still 3# - 3.25#.