Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Green sunfish problem?

I recently got land with an existing 1 acre bowl shaped pond that is 11 feet deep in the middle. The pond seems to only have green sunfish and stunted large mouth bass. I caught 14 bass this past Saturday(1st time I fished it) with the largest being 1 1/2 ponds. I caught 30 green sunfish. My thinking is to put 50, 1 lbs channel catfish and 300 3 to 5" bluegill. I was also thinking I would remove every green sunfish caught out of the pond. I plan to pellet feed the channels and bluegills. I want to get the bass healthy. Am I on the right track or is there a better way of doing this?

3 to 5 inch bluegill are going to be a quick snack given the current predators in the pond and the addition of 1 LB channel catfish.

Have you determined where the green sunfish are coming from?

What are your goals for the pond? Channel catfish and largemouth bass are going to compete for the same food resources until the catfish outgrow the largemouth bass.

I'm not sure how to determine where the green sunfish came from. I want the pond to be a fun way to put meat in the freezer. The channel catfish will be pellet fed. Will they still compete woven the bass?

You can manage around the GSF by reducing LMB numbers, removing larger GSF and adding adult BG over time. This plus pellet feeding can over time (and about 100 adult BG) improve the situation. However, a one-acre pond can only produce a limited amount of meat for the freezer. I would skip (or severely limit) the CC until you have the rest under control.

Is there a stream that can flow into the pond, perhaps only in flood stage? If not, a bucket biologist or contaminated live bait are likely GSF sources.

You're getting some good advice and I'm sure others will chime in.

I had the same issue in my 2 acre pond just over a year ago and per Bob Lusk's advice I stocked the BG at the rate/size you listed, I've got a great population of BG now. I also removed all the GSF I caught last year, I've only caught 3 this year. My LMB are up to 4 pounds and I've caught several that are 10-14 inches so they are also thinning the GSF out.

Another word of caution on the CC, be prepared to sein or shock them out. They will become very used to eating pellets and hard to catch. I've caught thousands of them in my lifetime so know how to fish for them and I've only been able to catch 4 from my pond. See them every night when feeding. They are over 10 pounds now. Thought about trying products like Stubby Steves but I'm sure I would catch many more LMB and BG than CC. I put several pellets of the food I feed in a plastic tube made for stink bait, never caught one. I'm getting an electrofishing survey done in mid April to be able to cull them.

Try fishing dead bait as dead GSF and-or BG for CC. Sometimes chumming and or baiting the CC in an area with cut bait or fish guts (offal) works to make the CC less hook shy, get them eating in one area and then completely imbed the hook in the dead bait 0ffal. When CC become hook shy one has to become very creative in ways to catch them.

Thanks Bill.

I'll try that, I don't want to hijack Mark's thread but if they even see someone with a fishing pole they disappear when feeding pellets. I'm going to use my drone to verify that, they may just not be feeding on top.

We made the mistake of throwing 2 of them back, I think they talk to each other LOL

I've fished at night several times and never caught one. Caught several YBH though.

"...but if they (CC) even see someone with a fishing pole they disappear when feeding pellets."

I had the same problem with removing the last few LMB from a small pond. To get the last few out I had to bait them and actually lay down (flat) on the ground to catch those last few smart ones.

You sometimes have to be smarter and more creative than the fish. Completely imbedding the entire hook in the bait and allowing them to swallow it may help catch some. I've made softened pellets. You have use pellets with at least 40% protein to get them to soften properly . Mold soft pellets to dog turd sized pieces and bait the CC with these large pellets for several days. Mold or form soft pellets completely around the hook. Catch one or two CC,,, then bait them for several days until they return to eat welfare pellets. Catch a couple more. Rechum for a several days. Catch 1 or 2 more etc.

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If it is fish pole visuality lay on the ground and lay down the fish pole so none of it sticks our over the water. Outsmart them. You could even use a bank line with a hook on the business end of the line. Let them swallow it and pull them in by the line - no pole.

I have been having a hard time catching my CC myself, I have too much cover around the feeder area and I have hooked a number of them without being able to land them and they have become super smart.

My go to now is throw a jug with a hook and weight out in that area over night with a live BG or small BC on it, and get to catch a few at a time, one was close to 8 lbs I caught last yr.

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to try that.

I was going to suggest a trotline if you live close to the pond and can check it the next day.

Dont want to hijack this thread but here is a CC option.

Set out net as shown below and feed in front of it until all are eating there. Then pull the net from shore (close the loop) and remove the CC.

Thanks ewest for that post. I was going to suggest a similar option.

Definitely time to get those 10# CC pellet hogs out of the pond.

Yes they will compete with the bass for live food once they reach around 3#. If you stock the CC, don't release ANY back into the pond because they will become VERY hook shy quickly and teach the other CC in the pond. The bass you caught were probably around 15" - 16". If so, then if you were to put any BG in there they should be 6" or bigger to minimize the LMB from eating them. If you are stocking 1# CC, they should be around 14" or so which is eating size.

I'd start chucking the GSF out of the pond when caught, because they will compete directly with the LMB for food. A GSF will eat the same sized food that a LMB up to around 7"-8" will eat.

You are on the right track, I'd just adjust the size of the BG that you are going to stock, and remember to harvest the CC when caught. If you like eating them, then stock 100 since you will be pellet feeding them. Just don't release ANY back into the pond once caught.

I would remove 20-30 pounds of LMB this year to eat, and then keep removing 20 pounds per year after that. If the LMB aren't putting on a pound of weight per year then I'd remove 30 pounds of LMB of all different sizes when you see them not adding the weight. Like Dave Davidson said, too many cows in a pasture will slow down their growth, LMB are no different. VERY few LMB will feed train themselves.

I would feed either Endurance Feed, Triton Feed or Purina Aquamax or Sportfish Feed. Don't feed the cheap feed store brand fish foods, you will not see the growth and while at first the cheap feed seems to be the cheapest to feed, in terms of pounds of fish grown vs. pounds of feed thrown, those feeds that I mentioned are actually cheaper to feed. You can feed the cheap catfish food which the catfish will grow on but the BG and any LMB that eat it won't. Or you can feed the stuff I mentioned, and the CC will grow faster, and the BG and LMLB will also grow.