Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Skinny largemouth

I have a 5 acre pond with bass up to 8 pounds - but no bellies, girth. Forage fish are bluegill, and small bass. We see a lot of bluegill every spring and summer, but nothing now. It would seem the healthy-looking bass are not getting enough to eat, but could there be another answer? Thankyou.

It could be a combination of population dynamics of bass, and what forage fish are available.
For example, if your big bass aren't gaining weight right now, it could be their particular size forage fish are temporarily gone. For example, an 8 pound bass tends to eat large meals, like a 10-12" bass. If this year's hatch is hovering in the 6-8" range, they are not likely targets for big bass for another couple months.
Another possibility is that competition lower on the food chain, especially young bass eating smaller fish, are eating the buffet before those fish can grow larger, into big bass food. So, sometimes, big bass have to wait, until the pond produces enough forage for them to eat. Remember, big bass are females, which lost a significant amount of weight at spawn last spring. They will likely regain their weight by early spring, and that weight will be seen in their ovaries.
The best advice is this...have a professional fisheries person evaluate your lake. That way, you will absolutely know what needs to be done, if anything.