Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Baitfish Shortage?

one of my acre big ponds have alot of 6lb bass and big catfish and crappie and perch and stuff in them....but i have alot of smaller bass and am wanting them to get bigger. i never really see any baifish around the pond....usually only small ditch minnows that are less than 1 inch long. i have tried putting other bigger minows in but seems like bass always eat them all up before they can start a population. like after a while they all disappear. is there any way to substain larger minnow population over time without the bass eating them all. any comments of suggestion i would really appreciate. i would like to get this problem fixed for good.

Big Steve - your standard fathead minnows just are not very predator smart and that is one of the reasons they tend to get wiped out easily. In the presence of a predator, like a bass, a bluegill will freeze and go motionless to avoid predation, a minnow will not freeze up making it a much easier target for a predator.

Bruce Condello told me of an interesting idea that might just work for you. His idea was to fence off a small area in the shallow end of his pond to keep the larger predators out and then set up pallets or other spawning structure for the fatheads, the fencing would be large enough to allow the fatheads to freely move in and out through the fence. In theory this might provide some protection for the fatheads to sustatin themselve while providing some food for the predators when the FH's wander outside the fence. The fence edge might also be a good spot to go fishing at.


Do you have any bluegill in your pond for forage? This might be a better option than trying to sustain a FH minnow population.

Shorty the fence is called a blocking net and that process has worked for me but I have not tried it with FH. The process is sometimes referred to as a sanctuary. As you noted it works better if the spawning site attractors are behind and away from the net. Having food available is also key.

Thanks ewest! This really was Bruce's idea with the FH's and providing a spawning sanctuary. I still have so much to learn from you guys!

...and speaking of food, nothing takes to pellets like fatheads. They will SWARM to it. It doesn't matter what size pellet either. You might get fifty to one hundred FHM hitting a single pellet. It they do this in the sanctuary, then when the larval fatheads escape they will do the same thing, and it won't take the largemouth long to figure out there's a bunch of fatheads looking up, dumbly pecking away at pellets.

ok thanks...you asked if i have bluegill in the pond. i know there are alot of large ones but i never catch any under about 6inches or bigger. also with the sancuary idea how would i guild it. like would i use like a mesh net like a sein or wat for the wall and how would i make it where it does not move or come up. after minnows substain population should i remove the net so the minnows will be all over the pond or leave it there? also about how big of area should it be and in how deep of water. also to start this how many minnows should i get inorder to make shore enouph stay in that area and dont wonder off and me have to get more again

Steve, I think it will be tough to establish a forage population in a one acre pond full of 6 lb. bass, small bass, big cats, and crappie. My PERSONAL belief is that you have too many hogs feeding at the trough. I have to wonder what they are feeding on other than small bass. Having no bluegills speaks volumes.

i built a sancurary about 40' long coming up to about foot from shore , in two ft of water. it was real easy. i bought green coated wire mesh at home depot , 2' x 24" x 50' , with holes 2" x 4" , pretty firm material. i placed it out at 2' , then cut the mesh to the grade coming to shore. it all sets about 3" under water. i put rocks and cinder blocks to hold it in place. then i put single heavy duty oak pallet with a large rock on top and one side cut flat dead pine trees with no needles between each pallet. the pines can stick out the water to atract bugs. baby gills and FHs love it. fun to just see all the fish and watch them. i always have FH in the pond. they like the blocks and rocks too. i want to add 2 more in other places.

thanks that will help me out alot...also someone said they wonder what they are eatin but i got this pond after it had been stocked and the guy told me that he had put the big bass in there and cats....but he said he stocked them like 2 years ago..so they did not just grow up in the pond. i know they are still there though becuase i caught 4 or 5 6lb+ bass last year and i reguarly catch 8lb+ catfish all the time. is it even possible if i put alot of baitfish in there for the bass to get any bigger or will they stay about the same

I'm trying something a little different, after digging the main pond I dug a small 50x50 or so pond near it. I'm going to put only forage fish in the small pond, and seine out some from time to time for the main pond. Both ponds were dug within the last month or so and they aren't full yet. But I have high hopes for this setup.

Big Steve, the advise for sanctuary is right on, but fatheads are dumber than dumb and will swim into a basses mouth. Get some golden shiners, they will estaablish behind the mesh, Get as small of mesh as possible. With the pallets, rocks, and some pvc or something else that easily grows algae, they will grow. As Bruce said, minnows tackle any size pellet. Alfalfa cubes that float and will come apart after a while, or 20% range cubes(large ground alfalfa pellets that sink) that you get at a feed store will supply lots of food.