Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Year three of the pond

A question to the Meisters out there: How would a LMB and YP pond work? My pond is doing well with BG, YP and LMB. Just wondering if I culled the BG way back (just to keep them from biting the kids), would the YP produce enough to keep the LMB going? I have had good spawn of BG and LMB, but did not see any YP strings last year. I have about 1/2 acre 14 feet deep. The YP I caught through the ice looked great. I don't mind restocking the YP every year to keep their numbers up.

Annual stocking of larger adult, say at least 7"-8" YP, will allow the YP to maintain their numbers. Bill Cody will probably have an opinion on this, but I am betting it will be the same or similar. In smaller ponds, LMB tend to over time remove YP from all but the most heavily vegetated ponds. Heavy culling of the BG will never remove them all, so you'll still see some forage value out of them. However, YP aren't a good replacement for BG in my opinion.

that is what I thought. I figured that maybe I can reverse the populations of BG and YP. Keep the BG around as forage bt cutting their numbers, let the YP keep going. I know that LMB will slurp the perch first, but hopefully the numbers will balance. I don't want the BG gone, but cut down the numbers.

Managing a small pond is tricky because the balance can change so fast. I had lots of little bass last year shooting around the pond so this year I will need to cull some.

My YP have yet to spawn in my pond and I am in year 4. Every YP I caught this year was either 11 or 12", no small ones. I will keep restocking a few every year, but they will always need a little help. Sure would help if the buggers would spawn though.

My biggest LMBs are up to 16" (only year three for them) so by the end of the summer I should have a few 19" bass patrolling, should be cool.

Great growth rates, particularly for up north! Are your fish pellet trained?

There is a bog difference between the bass that eat the pellets and the ones that don't. I started them on 500, but now they prefer 600 and don't really care for the Aquamax LM pellets, so I probably will not buy them again. They hammer the pellet and then swim around a bit and spit them back out. I should try soaking the pellets first but usually I dont have time for that nonsense