|
|
|
Forums36
Topics40,962
Posts557,975
Members18,503
| |
Most Online3,612
Jan 10th, 2023
|
|
|
8 members (highflyer, Theo Gallus, Sunil, catscratch, jludwig, sprkplug, canyoncreek, gehajake),
1,159
guests, and
350
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
|
| by Pamona J |
| Pamona J |
So my in-laws have multiple ponds on their place in MO near the Iowa border. One of them is a about half and acre with some plant cover and is probably about 8 foot deep in the middle. They had a fish kill years back. He threw a couple of bass they took off in the pond and we catch bass in the quarter to half pound range all day long (9 of us fished it at once and there was no slow down of the bites and catching). The only small fish in the pond are little LMB. I was wondering if y'all think the BG would stand a chance of establishing themselves in the pond to eventually get the bass bigger. I would be stocking larger BG would be the only option but with the sheer number of bass in the pond but I am worried if the YOY of the BG would just get hammered to nothing before they got big enough to survive and continue the cycle.
I have removed 15 bass between harvesting them and moving a few to the next pond up the pasture which is nothing but frogs of all sizes.
|
|
|
|
|
| by Pamona J |
| Pamona J |
It is very likely that you could establish a population of BG in that pond. But it's worth considering whether its something that you are sure that you want to do. Right now you have an LMB "panfish" pond that provides lots of action. It contains many more LMB (both in number and in weight) than can be supported when BG are present. The reason is because the LMB have partially filled the BG niche in that pond. When BG begin reproducing and the numbers increase greatly, this will take a lot of forage away from these numerous small bass. The BG are better able to utilize the resources of their niche than LMB and so will outcompete them for it. If you are going establish a reproducing population BG, you need to eliminate most of the existing population of LMB. Check out 1997's pond journal which is similar to the question you are asking.
You do have other options. If you have the ability to identify the sex of BG you could add males only and their growth would be superb. You could easily grow them to over 10" and could grow some gigantic ones that would just amaze you. They would dwarf the LMB. So maybe 12 male BG/acre or so annually and I bet some would exceed 1.5 lbs within 3 or 4 years. With a ladder like that you could probably have a superb catch and release fishery for BG and be able to harvest LMB at 25 to 30 lbs per acre. If you accidently stocked a female it would take longer for the BG population to develop and BG fishing would still be good whilst giving the LMB population more time to adapt their presence.
I mention this because if you are interesting in feeding the existing population of numerous small LMB ... adding BG is not a very effective way to do that. You will be better off to nuke the pond and start with a good balanced stocking where the LMB numbers are controlled initially by the stocking. Just depends on what you want. Your situation is already in position to favor trophy BG but in a very unfavorable position to grow large LMB. Honestly think my goals have just changed. I like the thought of monster BG, I have my pond which is a hodge podge of species and I wouldn't be able to do that in it. Plus no way my wife would let me nuke that pond. She sends me to it for bass fillets when we are there.
|
| 1 member likes this |
|
|
|
| by ewest |
| ewest |
There are lots of ponds with nothing but LMB which Dave Willis has noted on the Forum before and has been discussed on several threads. In those ponds there are many small LMB and almost always a couple of large LMB that managed to jump the size bottleneck. The big LMB eat smaller LMB which eat the very small LMB which eat bugs, and other small food sources. Rarely are these healthy well-conditioned fish populations.
In order to establish BG populations in such ponds you need to remove LMB and stock advanced sized BG (5 inch +) in amounts (depending on pond productivity and LMB removal) of between 250 - 400 BG per acre. Be sure you have around 50/50 male/female BG stocked. Be sure to habituate the BG (see threads on this topic) to help insure initial survival.
|
| 1 member likes this |
|
|
|
|
|
