Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Managing for both trophy bass and bluegill

Just to add to the above posts, water quality, correct cover in the pond for the fish (both LMB and BG) and having the correct SIZE forage fish in the pond for the LMB will be your main things to watch for. Ponds need roughly 20% of the surface acreage in cover for the fish. Wintertime means cover in deep water, summer is shallow water. Without cover for the LMB to hide in and ambush their prey you will be growing marathon runners, and they don't weigh a lot.

Correct size forage fish mean fish that are 1/4 to 1/3 the body length of the LMB. FOR EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES. 4" lmb = 1" fish. 24" LMB = 6" fish.

If there is enough forage fish of the correct size in the pond the LMB will grow fast. I've had customers follow our recommendations and have had 3" LMB stocked in early April be 13" by early October.

Do your research on the fish food pellets. You want a feed that will NOT cause fatty livers, which leads to premature deaths. You want a feed that fish will metabolize, not a feed that they only metabolize part of it and the rest of the feed passes through the fish to feed underwater plants, phytoplankton and algae. Stocking feed trained LMB will help you. Maybe towards the middle of year 2 but definitely by year 3 look at the Sweeney Big Mouth Feeder or the feeder by Texas Avenger that can feed the handthrow pellets (1" dia pellets). You probably will need to get at least one of those feeders if not 3.

Good water quality means no stressors on the fish. No low O2 events, no big swings in pH, No boiling hot water during the summer. (think of shade for the pond). Having the correct alkalinity will help greatly.

An electroshock survey every other year will tell you a lot about the fishery without educating the fish to angling tactics.