Pond Boss Magazine
https://www.pondboss.com/images/userfiles/image/20130301193901_6_150by50orangewhyshouldsubscribejpeg.jpg
Advertisment
Newest Members
Shotgun01, Dan H, Stipker, LunkerHunt23, Jeanjules
18,451 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums36
Topics40,899
Posts557,059
Members18,451
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
Top Posters
esshup 28,407
ewest 21,474
Cecil Baird1 20,043
Bill Cody 15,110
Who's Online Now
19 members (FishinRod, Justin W, Augie, bstone261, jpsdad, emactxag, Ron crismon, Dave Davidson1, Saratznj, Donatello, Layne, Freg, Sunil, tws3, rjackson, jludwig, Shorthose, DenaTroyer, Theo Gallus), 694 guests, and 160 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Thread Like Summary
anthropic, jpsdad, Steve_, Vortex 4
Total Likes: 6
Original Post (Thread Starter)
by tim k
tim k
I brought this subject up a few years ago but am curious what folk's thoughts are. I also just had a thread about the quality and type of feed that is used for our fish and how much difference it makes.

I have hunted a number of south Texas ranches over my years. On many of them there were the common stock tanks - anywhere from 2-30 plus acres. These ponds were not managed. No feeders. No culling. No stocking of bait fish, etc. Just ponds that nobody paid attention to but still produced huge bass.

Some of the largest black bass I have ever caught were in these ponds.

Attached are a few pics of bass caught out of some of these ponds - I caught a legit 10lb bass our of one of these ponds plus had days where we pulled in 10 plus bass between 5 and 10 lbs on a regular basis.

So the question is ...... how does this happen in water that is totally left on its own?
Attached Images
Liked Replies
by Bob Lusk
Bob Lusk
One big reason those south Texas ponds, lakes, and "tanks" grow huge fish is pretty simple. My very first pond management client was a hunting ranch northwest of Laredo in 1983. Learned some interesting lessons there. First off, they have a 365 day growing season for bluegills. Second, those ponds ebb and flow with water. A 30 acre lake today may be three acres in two years, then fill back up with a tropical storm coming across from Baja. When those water bodies drop in size, big fish grow huge, small fish are eaten, and the fishery adjusts to its environmental circumstances. As the water drops, fish eat each other. When the lake fills again, forage fish spawn like crazy. They've got more room, "new" habitat, and a fertile food chain enriched by mineral-laden soils. Perfect circumstances with a favorable climate.
3 members like this
by anthropic
anthropic
I'd be green with envy except that nowadays south Texans have to deal with border issues that I'd rather avoid. eek
1 member likes this
by anthropic
anthropic
A pity we didn't know then what we know now. Slot limits would have helped tremendously. Of course, the general public would not have supported such a course, as big bass were "keepers" that could be harvested without much concern so long as the small fish were released.
1 member likes this
by Steve_
Steve_
I follow a lot of Catfishing pages on Facebook, and most people don't have any issues with taking 30, 40, 50+ pound catfish from public waters, not realizing how long it takes for fish to get that size, and the potential negative impacts it may have. Their excuse is always: "It's not illegal, so there's nothing wrong with it" or my favorite, "why do you care what someone else does with the fish they catch?" I know Bass and Catfish are different, and I feel like *most* bass fishermen release their catches nowadays. Catfishermen are a different story.

Sorry, getting off topic here.
1 member likes this
Today's Birthdays
Bob Lusk, GaryK, GrizzFan, PhotographerDave
Recent Posts
Dewatering bags seeded to form berms?
by Justin W - 03/28/24 08:19 AM
Reducing fish biomass
by FishinRod - 03/28/24 08:18 AM
Happy Birthday Bob Lusk!!
by jpsdad - 03/28/24 08:04 AM
Relative weight charts in Excel ? Calculations?
by jpsdad - 03/28/24 07:40 AM
Brooder Shiners and Fry, What to do??
by Freg - 03/28/24 07:28 AM
New 2 acre pond stocking plan
by esshup - 03/27/24 06:05 PM
1 year after stocking question
by esshup - 03/27/24 06:02 PM
Questions and Feedback on SMB
by Donatello - 03/27/24 03:10 PM
Paper-shell crayfish and Japanese snails
by Bill Cody - 03/27/24 10:18 AM
2024 North Texas Optimal BG food Group Buy
by Dave Davidson1 - 03/27/24 08:15 AM
Freeze Danger? - Electric Diaphragm Pump
by esshup - 03/26/24 09:47 PM
Newly Uploaded Images
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
Eagles Over The Pond Yesterday
by Tbar, December 10
Deer at Theo's 2023
Deer at Theo's 2023
by Theo Gallus, November 13
Minnow identification
Minnow identification
by Mike Troyer, October 6
Sharing the Food
Sharing the Food
by FishinRod, September 9
Nice BGxRES
Nice BGxRES
by Theo Gallus, July 28
Snake Identification
Snake Identification
by Rangersedge, July 12

� 2014 POND BOSS INC. all rights reserved USA and Worldwide

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5