Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations predator fish

I have a 5yr old 2-3 acre pond that is 3-10 deep and has a good bass population. I stocked fingerling bass and bluegills from a hatchery at start up. (first bluegills, then bass later). Over time I added some really good sized breeder bluegill (8-10 in) and some larger bass.I also added some fathead minnows, and rosy red minnows for food. I catch all size bass now, from smaller than 1/2 lb to 8lb+. I see fingerling bass cuising the shallows.We catch some big bluegills some times but most are small. I have bluegill beds around the edge of the pond almost all the way around. Seems like too many. My question is should I add a few chain pickerel or some other type fish to eat the seemingly large amount of small blue gills that the bass dont seem to want to eat. That would also give my boys something different to fish for. I am just afraid of hurting the bass population. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks

Boy, Gator, my first thought is don't fix what ain't broke!

Unless larger bluegills are important to you, it sounds like you have one heck of a nice largemouth bass population. In the Midwest, we generally figure that we need to "crowd" the bass to produce larger bluegills. A higher density of largemouth bass will thin more small bluegills, and the surviving bluegills grow to larger sizes as a result. However, a higher density of largemouth bass almost always means fewer big bass. So, there is a trade-off. People managing for larger largemouth bass rather than bluegill often need to actually thin the smaller bass. As a result, there is less predation on bluegill and most are small. So, the bluegill are more of a prey species than a sport fish in that case.

In more southerly states, I know that pondowners can overcome this small bluegill program with a feeding program. However, in the northern states, we do not feed because it simply increases our risk for a winterkill.

I don't know much about chain pickerel. However, we do have northern pike up here, which is a larger relative of the pickerel. In almost all cases, the pike are not good in our ponds, as a few of them can eat you out of house and home! They especially are tough on yellow perch, where they compete with anglers for larger perch, and actually reduce both abundance and sizes of the perch. Perhaps the smaller chain pickerel does not cause these potential problems? If so, maybe someone with some experience with them can address this part of your question.

Dave Willis

Dear Northern Virginia:

Merry Christmas, all. Forget the chain pickerel. They dress like a fancy-Dan, but that's about the only nice thing I can say about a toothy member of the pike family in a small system.

It sounds as though your pond is fine shape with a good balance among the fish populations. Still want to introduce another predator species? Go with the hybrid striper.

Here's why:
* It's inexpensive and readily available to stock.
* It grows to 10 pounds.
* It takes commercial fish pellets.
* It occupies open water, away from your largemouth.
* Hybrids do not reproduce, so you have firm grip on their numbers.

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

Dear Northern Virginia:

Merry Christmas, all. Forget the chain pickerel. They dress like a fancy-Dan, but that's about the only nice thing I can say about a toothy member of the pike family in a small system.

It sounds as though your pond is fine shape with a good balance among the fish populations. Still want to introduce another predator species? Go with the hybrid striper.

Here's why:
* It's inexpensive and readily available to stock.
* It grows to 10 pounds.
* It takes commercial fish pellets.
* It occupies open water, away from your largemouth.
* Hybrids do not reproduce, so you have firm grip on their numbers.

Mark McDonald
Editor, Pond Boss

gator - Once established Chain pickeral will end up eating more bass than bgill due to the shape of the prey fish. Stick with LM bass as your main predator for your bgills and manage the bass populations with harvest or protection (catch and release) to achieve the desired results. Pickeral are toothy but don't necessarily eat what you want them to eat. They have different concepts from yours for the best things to eat.

David, Mark & Bill,
Thanks for the advice on the chain pickerel. I won't be putting any in my pond. I may think about the hybrid striper. I am very pleased with my pond, I just thought the bass would enhale the small blue gills better than they seem to have done thus far, and I want to stay on top of it.
Thanks,
Gator

gator - If you have what appears to be an excess of small bgill (may not really have an excess) this may indicate that you have too few bass of the optimum size to thin that particular size group of bgill. Large bass prefer not to eat 1-2" bgill. 4" to 8" bass are key predators of 1"-2" gill. They want more substance for their efforts unless small is their only choice. Measure the size of overabundant bgill and multiply that by 3 to 3.5. This is the length of bass that prefers this size of bgill. If you have and abundance of these bgill then the corresponding size of bass are in short supply. Manually thin this size of bgill or add more bass of the correct size to thin them for you.

I was reading a book called "Fisheries Managment" a little bit ago (I didn't finish it, it was still over my head), but they did cite a study that I think applies to this situation. They compared growth rates of three species of sunfish when living together and seperate. When living together each species utilized a diffrent part of the pond. When they lived alone they used the whole pond, and when the lived alone they grew much faster. Each species of fish has a fundamental and a realized niche. Right now the bass are exploiting thier fundamental niche, basicaly no competition. By adding a competeing species the bass have to live off of the realized niche, just like the sunfish living together, they grow slower.