Forums36
Topics40,901
Posts557,100
Members18,452
|
Most Online3,612 Jan 10th, 2023
|
|
11 members (PRCS, Boondoggle, esshup, Layne, Dylanfrely, nvcdl, H20fwler, Bing, Fishingadventure, Angler8689, Sunil),
709
guests, and
204
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4
Fingerling
|
OP
Fingerling
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4 |
What would the best fish choices for a 15 acre pond? I like the idea of a trophy bass pond. I am not quite sure about everything. here are the options
trophy bass pond trophy bluegill pond trophy channel catfish pond trophy blue catfish pon
Please tell me what you think is the best.
pond managment
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22 |
Welcome!
That's quite a few choices for a pond.
What part of PA is the water going to be in?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5 |
Well I'm guessing that you'll get a variety of answers with that question. A 15 acre pond is a fairly large pond and can hold quite a bit of fish. One thing that you have to keep in mind is that when you're dealing with one of the larger predator fish (Large Mouth Bass, Channel Cat and Blue Cat) a "trophy" sized fish is a large fish. And any given body of water can only hold so many pounds of predators and so many pounds of forage. With 15 acres though you would have a much great carrying capacity then say a 3 acre pond (such as my pond).
For me I'm not looking for a "trophy" anything pond. I just want a good overall fishery. I would prefer higher catch rates. In my pond for example, being 3 acres, I couldn't hold that many trophy fish. I'll break it down for you. Let's say that a pond can hold 50 pounds of predators per acre (the actual amount will depend upon various factors hence you'll hear the saying "it all depends" quite a bit around here). And lets assume that a trophy bass is 10 pounds. Therefore my pond could hold 5 trophy bass per acre or 15 trophy bass in total. That's not very many bass. Eventually catching the same bass over and over could make them "hook smart" and more difficult to catch. So I would have the chance to catch a large bass each time I fished but it is unlikely that I'd catch one very often. You can see the basic idea here.
But that's just one opinion and I'm certainly no expert so hang on for others to chime in.
JHAP ~~~~~~~~~~ "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." ...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4
Fingerling
|
OP
Fingerling
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4 |
PA? I want the pond to be used for trophy bass.
Last edited by bassmanager; 10/26/09 09:27 AM.
pond managment
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22 |
My question is were is the 15 acre pond going to be? A LOT more information would be needed to offer suggestions on the management and stocking of 15 acres.
Variables needed to be known would include PH, topography, climate, watershed, feeding plans, aeration, geographic location, budget, experiance, etc.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689 Likes: 281
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689 Likes: 281 |
Plus, Western Pennsylvania has a lot of elevation variances.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22 |
I think I would start a solid forage base from outside the box thinking.
Maybe about 50 pounds per acre of Bullheads, 500-1000 hybrid bluegill or Green sunfish per acre, 50 common carp per acre to eliminate weeds, and maybe 50 pounds per acre of Gizzard Shad.
Thoughts anyone?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475 Likes: 264
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475 Likes: 264 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,939 Likes: 268
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 13,939 Likes: 268 |
I think I would start a solid forage base from outside the box thinking.
Maybe about 50 pounds per acre of Bullheads, 500-1000 hybrid bluegill or Green sunfish per acre, 50 common carp per acre to eliminate weeds, and maybe 50 pounds per acre of Gizzard Shad.
Thoughts anyone? No snakeheads?
"Live like you'll die tomorrow, but manage your grass like you'll live forever." -S. M. Stirling
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5 |
.... 500-1000 hybrid bluegill or Green sunfish per acre... This is the most intelligent stocking recommendation that I have seen in a long time.
JHAP ~~~~~~~~~~ "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." ...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22 |
Theo, would Snakeheads compete with alligator gar?
Some freshwater drum would be cool too!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,416 Likes: 793
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,416 Likes: 793 |
Don't leave out the bowfin.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689 Likes: 281
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,689 Likes: 281 |
I find the white sucker to be a useful pond addition in Western PA.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475 Likes: 264
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 21,475 Likes: 264 |
Electric eels - to get a good charge.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22 |
A bull Shark or two would be cool, but they may thin the monstor Bass this thing is bound to produce!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,505 Likes: 3
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,505 Likes: 3 |
Geez, while we're on helpful stocking tips, I'm shocked no one has yet recommended some nice Asian Carp.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22 |
I wonder what therrien would suggest? He's a sharp rubber band when it comes to pond managment!
Last edited by Rainman; 10/26/09 03:23 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 644
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 644 |
Don't forget the snakeheads!
12 ac pond in NW Missouri. 28' max depth at full pool. Fish Present: LMB, BG, RES, YP, CC, WB, HSB, WE, BCP, WCP, GSH.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,505 Likes: 3
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 3,505 Likes: 3 |
I wonder what therrien would suggest? He's a sharp rubber band when it comes to pond managment! Or was that supposed to be "pond manglement?!" It would probably begin with an in-depth analysis of what other places could be suitable to keep fish before ever getting to the pond angle! Or was that Animals' first post? Kind of tough keeping those two straight when I wasn't here yet for the Animals episode! Hey, cool! Check it out - I finally hit 100 posts, even though #100 wasn't of much substance!
Last edited by Todd3138; 10/26/09 04:17 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 259
Lunker
|
Lunker
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 259 |
Lol, poor bassmanager...
I don't have a ton of knowledge, but I think it would also be good to know what you consider a trophy bass fishery to be.
Either way, feel good because 15 acres is a nice chunk of water.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10,458 Likes: 2
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 10,458 Likes: 2 |
Brutal...
Spell checker... Don't post without it!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 7,099 Likes: 22 |
Hey, cool! Check it out - I finally hit 100 posts, even though #100 wasn't of much substance!
That's OK Todd. Jhaps first 2000 didn't have much substance either!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
|
Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 7,615 Likes: 5 |
Last edited by jeffhasapond; 10/27/09 10:36 AM.
JHAP ~~~~~~~~~~ "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." ...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,028 Likes: 274
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,028 Likes: 274 |
Hey, do you still have the Max IV?
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,255
Lunker
|
Lunker
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,255 |
I must say that color wise the GSF is one of the nicest looking fish I have ever seen. What an innocent beginning! It's really quite tragic that Rainman and I weren't members yet, we might have been able to gently lead you down a different pathway in pond management, one that involved rotenone, lime, and dynamite. Followed, of course, by the stocking of higher quality pond residents, perhaps bullheads.
|
|
|
Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57
|
|