Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Relative weights for SMB

This is the start of the third season for my SMB. I stocked 100 smb that were 4-5" in a 1 acre pond that is connected to another 1/2 acre pond via a short canal. At the end of last fall we caught many 10 to 11" SMB in a fishing derby that I had for several of my xmass tree customer's kids. If the groath rate continues I expect the lengths to be 14 to 15" by the end of this year. These fish are not fed with pellets, but I do buy fathead minnows every spring. (I'm in Howell, MI)

So now I want to start catching them and making both length and weight measurements, i.e. relative weight measurements. However searching the net I don't find any state standards for the SMB for comparison. Anyone have a data source for this? A Michigan standard link would be Ideal.

Hang tight. I'm thinking that SDSU would have that info for smallies.

What other forage do you have in the pond for your smallies?

Beautiful picture, by the way!

I know this isn't for Mich specifically, but doesn't this from the archives give a starting point?

SMB chart

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.

I found this interesting report at the university site you referanced but it is more of a how to reference.

http://pubstorage.sdstate.edu/wfs/110-F.pdf

Here are links to the Wr charts I use: Relative Weight Charts. Chart 3 includes Smallmouth Bass.

There are more in the archives, but I had these bookmarked.

Ken

How many lbs. of fatheads are you adding every spring and how much did you pay for them?