Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations How Big are they now?

End of June of 2002 I stocked a 4 to 5 acre pond with 100 3" fingerling Folrida strain largemouth and 400 fingerling Bluegill approx 1" long. I have been feeding them almost everyday and have noticed the Bluegill are getting quite large already. I decided to fish just to see how large the Bluegill really are and I caught 10 to 15 4" to 5" in size. If my Bluegill have grown that fast how large might the Bass be now? I have been unable to catch any Bass yet just Bluegill.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

Dave

Dave,
Fish grow according to how much food and space they have. 400 bluegill fingerlings in a 4-5 acre lake can grow quite fast, because they aren't finicky about their food. Bugs, plants, small things that fit into a bluegill mouth are what these aggressive panfish will eat.
Bass, on the other hand, are quite different. Top line predators, largemouth bass chase prey. With lots of prey, your bass are growing fast. With limited amounts of prey, expect average to below average growth.
You didn't mention whether you stocked fathead minnows, or the timing of your bass stocking compared to bluegill.
Your bass, stocked at 25 per acre, could feasibly be two pounds apiece right now. But, they are probably not that big, if your lake food chain wasn't established before bass were stocked. They may be 8-10" long. If I were a gambler, I would bet on 10-12".
Another thing, when a lake is understocked, as yours was, fish tend to respond by spawning heavily, once they reach maturity. So, don't be surprised to see thousands of baby bluegill this spring, or thousands of baby bass, too. But, once baby bluegill hit the scene, expect bass to feed heavily. The dynamics of your population bear watching, especially bass numbers over the next few years.

Dave,
Fish grow according to how much food and space they have. 400 bluegill fingerlings in a 4-5 acre lake can grow quite fast, because they aren't finicky about their food. Bugs, plants, small things that fit into a bluegill mouth are what these aggressive panfish will eat.
Bass, on the other hand, are quite different. Top line predators, largemouth bass chase prey. With lots of prey, your bass are growing fast. With limited amounts of prey, expect average to below average growth.
You didn't mention whether you stocked fathead minnows, or the timing of your bass stocking compared to bluegill.
Your bass, stocked at 25 per acre, could feasibly be two pounds apiece right now. But, they are probably not that big, if your lake food chain wasn't established before bass were stocked. They may be 8-10" long. If I were a gambler, I would bet on 10-12".
Another thing, when a lake is understocked, as yours was, fish tend to respond by spawning heavily, once they reach maturity. So, don't be surprised to see thousands of baby bluegill this spring, or thousands of baby bass, too. But, once baby bluegill hit the scene, expect bass to feed heavily. The dynamics of your population bear watching, especially bass numbers over the next few years.

Keep us posted, but I feel you may not have any bass. If you indeed stocked the mentioned 3" lmb and 1" bg at the same time tHere may have not been much food for the stocked bass. The bass will eat microscopic items, then bugs etc. basically the same food items as the growing blugill. Once the bass get 4-5 inches they will need small 1" bluegill. Did you have them probably not b/c the bluegill were only stocked at 1" in June and may not have spawned by August. Did you see lots of small bluegill back then???.

Got the picture or did I confuse you. Folks you need to establish your forage base before stocking your predators. Good news if the bass did make it you will have a low denisity and they should be quite large. Like I said, keep us posted but have seen total wipeout of bass when stocked at the same time as bluegill.