That is a beautiful pond!

You probably need to do a water analysis to improve your fishery. Low pH and low alkalinity makes it difficult for the bottom of your food chain to thrive. Even if your "food hog" bream are flourishing, there may be other sizes that are not. A long term healthy bass population needs a healthy bream population in a range of sizes.

Low pH, low alkalinity thread in Pond Boss


As to your pine tree questions:

With a groundwater pond, I would not worry about the pine trees around the shore drinking too much water. The entire surrounding pine forest is "drinking" from your groundwater table.

However, I would worry about the needles ending up in the pond. All of that organic matter going into the pond every year will alter your water chemistry AND add to the collection of muck on the bottom of your pond - and will eventually rob you of some of your depth in your shallow pond.

If your pond is low on structure, I like the pine trees that you have felled into the pond. A one time addition of pine needles from a felled tree is insignificant compared to the annual needle fall of all of the trees surrounding your pond.

If it was my pond, I would keep felling (onto dry land) the pine trees at the edge of the pond to reduce the needle accumulation. Do NOT ruin the beauty of your pond, so perhaps take a chunk out and see if you like that new view? If so, might it be healthier and look better take out another chunk?

Good luck on fattening up your skinny bass!