What other forage do you have in the pond for your smallies?
The other stuff in my pond includes a lot of of blood suckers or leaches for some reason? (the common black ones). Also have a healthy population of frogs and cray fish. The other fish species include yellow perch, and unfortunately native bluegill. In the first year the pond was dug and it filled with water (20' deep), I stocked golden shiner fry and they did very well at first, (up to about 1"). Have not seen them recently. The yellow perch are doing well and I have seen and captured several minnow size perch with nets, so I know they are spawning. I also added 12 rainbow trout as bonus fish with no expectation that they will ever spawn. A couple have been caught and released back to the pond.
The one acre pond is entirely clay bottom (some yellow but mostly blue). The 1/2 acre pond in the woods is completely muck bottom and is only 15' deep. The smaller muck bottom pond my be the source of the suckers and crayfish? It is shaded and the shallow water should be cooler.
Also my rule for fishing so far has been catch and release except for the BGs which I insist never be returned to the pond. We have extracted a lot of them but they continue to flurish. We have caught some big ones, but I worry that they my eat too much of the pond's natural food supply and stunt my bass population.
PS Last year we caught a 14" perch. This year I am looking forward to eating some of these fish.
