Pat, ML, and Dave :

Pat your results are not unusual except for the alka. reading. Do not take their report or all of our discussions here as negative, they are positive information to use to help get you where you want to go. All of the matters you noted are fixable over time with info and work. Do not worry about it to much.

Dave and ML you are right and a good point that reducing bass 10-14in. will reduce pressure on intermediate 3-6in. BG and over time will result in improvement. While bass have to come out because there are to many for the forage base that presents a conundrum { a question within a question or riddle based on conjecture}.

If bass have to come out but you are having a catchability problem {hard time catching them} then won't taking out by hook {you are taking out a large part of the catchable ones} make the catchability problem worse. The % of catchable bass left in the pond will go down. Sense catchability is ,in my opinion, a proven genetically transfered trait you are curing one problem but making the second problem worse and worse over time --thus a conundrum.

If Pat had known of this conundrum prior to the survey then when the survry first started to confirm the situation he could have directed that all or most bass {depending on amount and sample size and time} be keep and taken out. Electrofishing is obviously not effected by catchability by hook and reduces the conundrum effect. It removes bass without reducing catchability.

Pat here are the questions I would ask :

Are you sure about the alka. could that have been a typo or did they give me ph {6.8 near equilibrum} rather than alka.?

Did you include in your assesment and report the new 20% of the pond {with fish} added? If not in my opinion you do not have an accurate report for your current situation to work from.

If SE stocked your pond then what type of bass were stocked Fla/northerns/F1 or some combonation? What do their records show are the types, sizes and amounts of fish stocked and when?

Pat the large number of 10-14 in. bass below RW along with the electrofish survey results are very strong proof that there are not enough of the right size 3-6 in. BG to move the bass to the 2-5 lb. range. Dave is right on the money on those points. Good luck and keep us posted. ewest