Couldn't think of a better subject header for this topic, but I thought it'd be interesting to hear stories about people we've all ran into while trying to manage a pond for fishing.
One particular "urban myth" I've had the most resistance with is the need to remove bass in order to correct a stunted population, along with building up the forage base.
The owner of the pond I'm taking care of took a lot of convincing but eventualy came around. I had to show him actual articles on the way to correct this problem in order for him to allow me to remove bass.
What really ticks me off is a buddy of mine that I hunt and fish with. When I told him I was removing roughly 25 pounds of bass per acre to try to fix the stunting problem he got very sarcastic and continues to prod me on this subject with phrases like "Yea, make sure you take them all out before they have a chance to grow". The fact that this pond is well over 20 years old and hasn't recently been stocked with "growing" bass doesn't seem to phase him. What's it going to take, another 20 years of "waiting"?
When he heard I was stocking "small" bluegills in the pond he remarked that it already had a "healthy" population of big ones and I was going to ruin it. Other thorns he's thrown my way are "Why are you going out there ice fishing, you've already taken out all the bass".
I've recently tried to educate him a bit on the subject by showing him some printed out material from various sources on the net. He refused to look at it and said "The best thing you could do for that pond is leave it alone". Kind'a the "ignorance is bliss" approach.
I must admit this has started getting under my skin. He's a good friend of mine that I like to hunt and fish with, but I'm getting just a bit sick of his sarcastic remarks.
The real thorn in my claw over this is the fact that he acts like I don't know what I'm talking about, but yet refuses to even consider reading the material that might open his eyes a bit. This is a shame because I had planned to take him out there to fish a bit and help me manage the fish population.
He's been out there with me the first year and keeps saying to my other fishing partners that the pond is a waste of time because it only has small bass in it. So, he does admit there is a problem but then offers no solution.
I'm keeping a photographic record of the fish I'm catching out there, along with measurements and weights written down. I'm sure he won't bother to want to read any of the data, but I know he'll look at pictures and I can't wait to hear his response in a year or two when those bass are nice keepers.
I already know what he'll say, "See, I told you the bass would grow in there if you just left them alone. Let's go out there and fish." Guess what my answer is going to be to that? He's also an avid catfisherman and I can't wait to show him pictures of the stockers that will be good sized eaters this summer. He isn't about to share in the fruits of my labor when he won't even appreciate what was done.
Anyway, sorry if this message was a bit long but I needed somewhere to vent. Just about everybody I know who fishes pretty much shares the same uninformed opinion this guy has, so I needed to talk to people who know what the truth is. :') Would enjoy reading similar stories from others.
