Bill,

Thank you VERY much for your extensive post. I will have several weeks of reading and research to do just from your post along before then digging further into the Pond Boss archives and ensuring that I have familiarized myself as much as possible with all of the information necessary for me to accomplish my goals.

The good news is that I don`t plan to stock any predator fish until this fall, so I have ample time to not only read and digest all of the necessary information, but also to determine a specific plan of action based upon that research.

I feel the need to express again how incredible the information you provided was. Especially the fact that you provided specific links to resources as well as titles and publication dates of other 3rd party sources to make it easier for me to find and read/watch/listen to. I (and others) truly do appreciate it!

I have mixed feelings about a Female population on LMB pond. I 100% understand that it makes it significantly easier to achieve the goal of true trophy sized predator fish. I also like the idea of mixing in HSB as well (although I did not realize they would not reproduce until reading your post). However, while I want to grow very large bass, my overall goal is personal enjoyment and harvesting of fish on a regular basis. I realize that this strategy would simply switch me to focusing on harvesting Pan fish (BG or YP), however my primary focus was on the harvesting of the predator fish from a personal enjoyment standpoint. My initial thought is that I would rather catch more slightly smaller LMB on a regular basis than 10-12lbs once a year. However, I am also not the guy who would be satisfied with 4-6lbs Bass only in the pond either as you mentioned in your post many pond owners settle for out of ease. Again, I realize this is a delicate balance to hit.

However, I also like the idea of doing a 50% mix (or something similar) of HSB to LMB as opposed to all LMB. I think the diversity in fishing would be very nice. Assuming that I decided to go with a mixed sex LMB population, could I still do a mix of HSB as well? If so, would the percentage of HSB to LMB be different?

I think it would be remiss for me to specifically mention that while my situation is not one where "money is of no consequence" I also don't mind spending several thousand dollars per year (as outlined in your post) in order to achieve my goals and to provide myself and my family with adequate levels of enjoyment. This was part of my train of thought when I decided to spend several thousand dollars on Mossback Fish Habitats as opposed to simply sinking trees and brush (a much cheaper option). I figured in the long run, it should pay off to better achieve what I am looking for. I will need to do some additional research on the articles you provided to be sure, however I believe that I have sufficient habitat as I did build "fish cities" as opposed to simply putting in a few fish attractors here and there. Mossback has a chart where they outline ideal placement of each item to essentially create a base city and then a highway to and from said city for the fish with structure at multiple points along the highway. I followed this chart when designing my pond structure. With that said, I will review the information you provided to ensure I don't need to make changes. I also dont mind the idea of supplemental stocking of forage fish in the future as necessary.

It is funny that you mention I should immediately stock Northern Crayfish. Over the past several weeks I have read quite a few posts that talk about the benefits of stocking Crayfish. I was at my pond earlier this week and noticed one in the water and took pictures. I am unsure where it came from as I did not stock it, but it provided a moment of happiness for me to see it. Of course it was just this one, but I wondered if there were more. I will do some research and see if there is a local supplier that I can utilize to stock Northern Crayfish specifically as it sounds like I need to do so immediately if I want them to create a population base. I do like the idea of diversity in the forage base, similar to in the predator population.

Image of the one I saw in my pond:

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]


Along those same lines, you mentioned stocking Golden Shiners in your post. Is that something I also need to do immediately? Or could they be stocked in the fall with the bass? I assume the reason to stock GS is because they get larger than the FHM and therefore provide for a better forage base for the BG to grow them bigger to therefore grow bigger bass?

I did not stock any Tilapia at this point, but I did stock several sterile Grass Carp to try and control vegetation in the pond at the same time I stocked the BG and FHM in 2022. I will keep an eye on overall vegetation and Alge and look at also stocking Tilapia annually as necessary to control this.

In the event I choose to go with a mixed sex LMB population, you mentioned you recommend cutting off the tail of the fish and putting them back into the pond. I had read several threads suggesting this same process and that is what my plan to do is. However, most of those posts recommend cutting off not only the tail, but also the other fins as well. Is doing just the tail sufficient to make them easy pickings for the larger LMB?

Regarding the forage fish in a mixed sex LMB pond, I initially thought I would need to harvest the BG based upon size and RW to ensure I had the "correct sizes" in the pond. Of course, this was prior to me discovering this forum. However, based upon the sheer amount of forage fish necessary to feed a large LMB, it sounds like I would not need to actively harvest any of the BG and my primary focus would be on harvesting the LMB based upon RW. Is this correct?

I had already made the decision that the goal of my pond was not to grow only 12lb+ LMB that I would catch one per year. The biggest reason for the pond for me in the first place is my personal enjoyment. A huge part of that enjoyment is abnormally large LMB, but it doesn't need to be state record fish or anything along those lines either. I think if I could manage the pond to produce average LMB of around 8-10lbs with a couple bass larger than that present as well, I would be happy.

I will take the next several weeks to review all of the articles you have provided as well as to scour the Pond Boss forums to familiarize myself with the overall process of what it would take to achieve my goals. Either way, I wont be stocking any LMB until this fall. I figure that should give me ample time to determine if I want to go with a single sex or mixed sex fisheries. Then the next step would be properly vetting the LMB provider in either scenario to ensure I am getting jumpers.

I also did a bit of digging into Aerators and have decided it makes more sense for me to run a couple of hundred yards of electrical line underground and run a standard power aerator than trying to run a solar one. I will continue to look on the forums for one that will pull from the bottom and circulate as much water as possible.

Thank you again for the incredible wealth of information you have provided!