The last several times my lake has been fished this spring, only small (less than 2lbs, mostly 1lb) and large largemouth bass (9 to 12lbs) have been caught. I was wondering if anyone here might have ideas as to what might be going on. The lake is 20 acres and was stocked 7 years ago.
There could be a number of issues. I'll throw a wild guess without further information. The large bass are your originally stocked bass. You saw so much reproduction and recruitment by them that all bass born into the pond stunted and have never gotten past the 2 pound mark...
What other information would be helpful? In the past there has been the full spectrum of sizes with of course the largest ones getting larger each year. There seems to be plenty of forage fish available (minnows and blue gill), so I dont belive they are starving.
maybe the larger bass (original stocker females) are using smaller bass as their preferred prey.
Weigh and measure the bass you catch and run Wr weights on them...
I'm the wrong guy to ask why fish don't bite. However, fish do get hook shy. How heavy is the fishing pressure?
Both CJ and DD1 are right. RW's of your bass will say a lot! Even the smaller ones should give you a indication as to whats going on if your RW's are low.
You also need to remember small bass are much quicker getting to the food source and may just be beating the bigger bass to it.
DD1 says they can get hook shy. I believe this is true also! I know I have some decent bass in my pond but all I caught last year was 10 to 12 inchers. Try a bigger bait? Maybe something a 12 inch bass wouldn't eat. A big Jig and Pig? Or a large buzz bait. Maybe a half ounce spinner bait? See what happens. I have caught a couple nice 3 pound bass in my pond like 2 years ago or so and I have never seen them again. And I only have a 1 acre pond so you know they have seen my bait! They just get harder to catch every time you sink a hook in them!
RC
So far this year it has only been fished 4-5 times. In the past I have had people cull some fish using the 16 inch rule. However, I know I haven’t taken out the recommended amount. What about predators (otters and water turkeys) do they go after specific size fish? I have seen an otter in the past but none within the last year or so. I have never seen more than 1-3 water turkeys at a time.
Excuse my ignorance but what are RW’s and Wr weights and how are they calculated?
Water turkeys(crested cormorants) just might be your problem. Those things can be a nightmare. I want them nowhere near my ponds.
RW/WR are relative weights. There is a relative weight chart in the archives. A fish that weighs more than the chart is above WR, a fish that weighs less than the chart is below WR.
With a 20 ac lake that is 7 years old it might be time to get an electrofishing survey done. That will tell you a lot more than just a survey by fishing. It'll tell you where the fish are distributed in the pond, how the forage fish look, etc., etc. If a fish is hook shy, it doesn't matter to an e-shock boat. If the fish are within the current field, they'll get stunned and can be netted and put in the boat.
Yeah at 20 acres man those ponds/lakes look nice but I would not want to manage one I don't think! Once something that size gets out of balance it could take a lot to get it back in balance.
You don't have anyone fishing it without your permission do you? Keeping the fish?
I agree with Esshup if you can afford it I would have the electro survey done! That would tell you a LOT about your pond. 20 acres is a lot to take care of!! Good Luck and keep us posted.
RC