Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Misjudged pond size-now what?

1 year old pond, NE Tx, stream and lots of runoff fed, in the woods. My builder thought the pond would be 1.5 acres so I have been operating with this assumption, including stocking with 2000 bluegill and 150 LMB (FL and F1 hybrids). Well, I got out and made some actual measurements today and came up with 0.88 acres. I have been fertilizing and feeding the bluegill. We catch 2 classes of small bass at this point: beautiful green fish that seem of decent weight and more gray colored, ridiculously fat fish (I have been thinking these are the pure FL?). I have a goal of growing as big of LMB as I can...although I am recognizing the valued of high catch rates for the kids. Should I start taking some bass out now? Try to guess which are males and harvest them? Harvest all but the fat ones to a certain point? Or wait until year three and start harvesting low RW fish?

I'm in the south also and I waited until the third year to start harvesting LMB. That was too late IMO because I ended up LMB crowded. If I was to do it again, I would start harvesting low RW fish during the second year OR stock half the LMB normally recommended. I think the issue will be even more pressing for you since you've overstocked LMB!