Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Hay

Hi Steve

BG are very opportunistic and will spawn in any substrate and prolifically. I would not worry about the hay.

Since you are in the South and I'm assuming you have a fishery featuring LMB and BG, you would be better off spending you time/resources ensuring you have plenty of shallow, dense cover/structure for the BG to hide/escape predation and survive so they too can spawn. Dense brush piles or groups of cedar trees placed in 3-6' depths will help your BG population remain strong - and they are the backbone of your forage base which feeds your LMB.

General rule of thumb is 10-20% of pond area dedicated to structure like this. In a 1 acre pond 3-4 groups of 2-3 cedars tied together and sunk with cinder blocks will serve you well. Start sparcely - you can always add more as your fishery conditions dictate [skinny bass, low BG population means add more adult BG and shallow cover].

Hope this helps - I think you're ok saving the hay for other projects.