Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Sunfish manegment

So in 2 priveat ponds I fish the pumpkin seed numbers are outrageous and they are all under 5 inches what be the best way to nock there number down drastically

How big are the ponds? Are there any larger predators?

I'd stock predators. The kind and number would depend on your ponds. Maybe different predators in each pond for variety and to see what works best. Possibilities would include SMB, WE, Saugeye, NP, muskie, and HSB. LMB might work if your ponds aren't too cold. You need to provide more info so the forum can provide more specific answers.

One is 12 acres clear and very weedy the other is 8 acres stained rocky gravel bottom I am only 15 so I can't spend tons of money and I am only give permission to access Hesse ponds I don't own them I know there are LMBS in both but other than that some of the workers in the pit say there where a few pike and walley but every one of these sunfish that only get like 5 inches are going to be getting kept until there are more predators is any thing else about 20 feet deep in the deepest I don't know the contour of the bottom being when they hit clay they stopped digging thank you

How much have you fished it? Pits larger than a couple of acres can take a while to figure out and get on the big sunfish. This is especially true in deep clear water pits. Are you fishing from shore? If so find a way to get a boat, canoe or kayak on there and start drop shotting deep weedlines and mid depth weed flats after the first big spawn. Are pumpkinseeds the only sunfish in the bodies of water?

You can remove weeds, add predators, feed, and remove as many sunfish of each length class as you can. Due to the size of these ponds it will take a great deal of effort and time.

Pond one 8 acres
Species
Bluegill
Orange spot sunfish
Pumpkinseed
Pumpkin x bluegill hybird
Large mouth bass nothing see or caught over 8 inches
Forage
Cray fish frogs tadpoles minnows idk what minnow species
I keep yellow perch 7 inches and up
Bluegill and all sunfish 6 inches and up
No bass being kept
Habitat lots of humps and flats with little inlets close to shore bottom gravel and lots of leaf litter branches on bottom
With some work I am going to take the plans someone on here gave me to make a boat raft with a bow mount mortar

There are also rumours of brown trout pike and walleye

Pre and during perch spawn I caught 1 1/2 gallon freezer bags full of perch and like 6 bluegill I think there r some bigger bass which there has to be but when spawning there is so much predatation very few fry make to fingerling age and less pass that orange spot sunfish only get 5 inches and right now full of bass eggs so every one I catch of those is kept if. If enough I eat them if not the are garden fertilizer

Besides like 5 family members of the ponds I do most to all of the fishing

Pond 2 8 acres
Species
Bluegill
Pumpkinseed
Orange spot sunfish
Yellow perch
Bluegill x pumpkinseed hybird
Largemouth bass
This pond sunfish are the dominant species in an hour I could easily catch 150 to 200 bluegills and sunfish in the size range of 4 to 8 being common and catching quite a few 9 plus sunfish again all sunfish 5 plus r kept perch only five big enough to keep but those where 7 to 9 inches I have been seeing more bass here at to about 12 inches but only catching four to five inches total of seen and catch of 10 bass the pond is deep with lots of huge weed matts in mid summer it will be like icefishing find a hole drop in and there r Evan crayfish in there being a pit under the weeds in lots of rocks I keep 5 inch bluegills to increase the amount of fish removed and have killing orange spots I could probly to the owner about getting some hybird stripers I think would be the best choice I want lots of big eater sized panfish and perch and to be able to catch some 16 inch bass I am only fifteen so how much money I spend is very little oh and this is in Wisconsin thanks for every body's I put and help

I have been fish for about 2 days a week average for the last 3 months but it ain't hard to tell there is major problems