Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Lake 8 TigerBass Update from South Mississppi

Temps are warming up here at my pond in Tylertown, Ms. Now that hunting season is over and the weather is getting right for the best time of the year for catching some good fish, I got to spend some time fishing at the Lake 8 pond this weekend and action was pretty good. Lots and lots of small baitfish hanging out in the shallows around every brush pile I have. The Tiger Bass I stocked were between 1-2 inches when stocked on July 3rd 2024, so they have been in the pond for about 20 months now.

I did see several "schools" of bass in groups of 5-7 bass cruising the banks trying to ambush the smaller baitfish, most of these bass were 1-2 pounds, maybe a couple bigger. These were fairly easy to catch if I did not spook them. But I did catch several notable ones.

I caught one 4lbs 4 oz that was right at 18 inches, giving it a 127.8% relative weight. She had a good belly on her and I would assume she probably had eggs. That was the biggest I caught this weekend.

I caught another that weighed 3lbs 2oz and measured 17.5 inches giving it a 103.1% relative weight. This was one I tagged. First caught on 11/9/2024 measuring in at 10.75 inches. I caught her again on 9/4/2025, she was 2lb 11oz and 16 inches.

The 3rd largest I caught this weekend weighed in at 2lb 9oz 16.5 inches, 102.5% relative weight. This one was tagged also on 3/29/2025, 12.5 inches and 1 pound and caught again on 10/3/2025 weighing 2lb 7oz and measuring 15.5 inches.

Overall I am very pleased with the growth rates thus far and hope the next few months I see some better growth and I am thinking there should be a 5 pounder in my future soon.

I did however see some smaller bass roaming the banks, from 5-12 inches. These are obviously from a first year spawn last year and I will be trying to catch as many of these as possible and remove them.

I'll let you guys in on any updates in the future. I am starting to have quite the database put together.

You've done such a good job updating everyone.

Also, it's easy to really see dividends when things are done right from the very beginning of the pond stocking process. Nice work!

Congratulations!!!

Thanks a lot for the informative update. Don't over fish them or you will create too many hook smart bass. Focus on catching the smaller younger ones. Try small live bait. It might catch smaller ones.

I was also going to suggest live bait - but saw a wiser member already suggested that!

Tiny bits of worm should work on the small bass, but are also going to attract all of your BG.

Has anyone tried a tiny bit of worm (or other small-sized live bait) on a large hook, such that BG don't get caught but small bass do? (I assume the BG will rob the worms like crazy, but you should be able to differentiate BG from bass just by watching the action of the bobber.)




We actually get this question frequently on Pond Boss:

What is the best method to cull small bass, but exclude the larger bass AND the forage fish?

Anyone have good advice to add to this thread?

In my experience, 1/16 oz crappie jigs with a curly tailed grub trailer is dynamite for these bass. You can cast it on an ultralight setup or you can long line troll behind a boat just like crappie anglers do. Bass from 6-12 inches absolutely love this small profile. It's also a really fun way to fish with kids because the boat is always moving and the action can get very fast if the little bass are over abundant.

"What is the best method to cull small bass, but exclude the larger bass AND the forage fish?"

Electro fishing. That way you choose the ones to remove and don't remove just fish that are catchable.

Excellent point.

Unfortunately electroshocking a pond doesn't affect all the fish, and if the water doesn't have 6'-8' visibility you cannot see all the fish that are stunned. Last year in a customers pond, (electroshocked every other year) was the 3rd time we electroshocked the pond. We shocked 2 triploid grass carp that we never saw in the other two shocking sessions. One was a hair over 50 pounds, the other one was 35-37 pounds.

Typically that pond had anywhere from 15"-30" of visibility, and the owner tried to time the application of Cutrine Plus liquid so the pond was clearer when we shocked it.

BUT, even with that said I believe it is the best tool to use to get a good representation of the fish that are in the pond, and it is a great tool to use to help adjust fish populations too. An electrocshocking team can take out a LOT of unwanted fish in a few hours vs. angling. The only way that would work better would be to seine the pond, but typically ponds can't be seined due to their shape or underwater fish habitat.