B.Morris - Don't fish your bass too hard until they get older. You will teach them to be hook smart and have a hard time catching them when you need or want to..

Most of the small bgill types in your pond are probably bgills.. Hybrids are 60-90% males thus their spawn is limited in number due to not many females. Hopefully your hybrids have ther higher male %. Once the fry get 1/2-3/4" long they are dispersed from the tight school and hang in loose groups. Trapping is a good option once they get 2-3" long so one can recognize bgill vs hybrid which can be tricky.

Do not start thinning bass until the first hatch has spawned. Which is usu. 3-4yrs (maybe 5 yrs in the north)after the initial bass stocking. By then the population should be represented by various sizes. Forage by then may be thin and bass are in danger of over eating the resource and growth often stalls. Which size class has slowed growth will depend on what sizes and types of forage are in the pond.

Catfish harvest. In my opinion when catfish are not fed each one takes the place of one bass. A wise old Ohio fish hatchery owner told me a five pound catfish eats more fish than a five pound bass. Another fish hatchery guy that worked for a state hatchery says that big cats are the "top dogs" in the pond. We proved that this summer only the catfish were only 18-20" long not five pounds. The big cats must be growing more at that weight needing more food. Catfish are night time predators similar to owls. Each catfish you take out will probably be replaced by a bass. Depends on which one you prefer this will determine on how many of each you harvest. BC

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