Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations once great now well not so much

From what most schools of thought on here say that I gather is stock an abundance of LMB to keep the crappie at bay. A few other predators such as HSB also helpful.

I have both stunted Bass and Stunted Crappie. so it is kind of a double hit that is why the TM to clean out both crappie and Stunted bass they will be short lived and then I can focus on the growth of the bass by put in a bunch of BG. I am interested about the HSB as well for something else to catch as well as help manage any of the Crappie that the TM don't get. I appreciate the help and the input from yall. I feel better about the plan I have now.

Now that is interesting to me. I don't think I've read about that happening in a pond before. When I think of stunted crappie, I think of a pond with an abundance of small crappie, good LMB forage. The fact that you say your LMB are stunted as well, with all that available forage, is what has me stumped. Hopefully, a pro like Bill C. will see your thread and offer an opnion as to what might be going on.

HSB won't control your crappie or your BG good enough. Their mouth gape does not get big enough to do so. Oh they may eat some BG and BCP when they are an inch to 3 inches maybe but after that the mouth of a HSB is not big enough to handle the 4 inch plus BG or BCP. Well if you had 6 pound HSB maybe?? I have close to 4 pounds HSB and I don't think they could take a 4 inch BG without issues, but like I said they would help with the 1 to 3 inch range.

I like the TM idea if I am correct they can't spawn right? So with that being the case it's nice cause you know if you put 40 in your won't end up with 80!! Then if you start to keep them you can always write down how many you kept and have an idea of how many are left! Same as I do with my HSB.

TM's are bad A$$ though. I have seen on a lake back home a TM chasing a LMB between 2 docks and this bass must of been close to 2 pounds I kid you not. The TM looked to be about 35 to 40 inches. He couldn't catch the bass he tried like 4 or 5 times it was something to watch!

TM's will definitely try to bite off more than they can chew sometimes!! Cant remember who said 1 TM per 1.5 acres but that may be where you want to start out. You can always add a few more but once there in there you may regret putting in 40.

Although a pond filled with 40, 40 inch TM would be a BLAST!!!! That would be some fun fishing right there!! Sign me up!!

RC

Bill, that is what is driving me crazy I think it had something to do with the grass carp and the crappie being put in at the same time. and the crappie competing for the same food source(BG) and the larger bass there not able to keep up with the crappie spawn. there are a few good bass in there but the majority of them are small and big head.

RC, I think the TM would be fun to have in the pond especially if i don't tell my fishing buddies they are in there and watch them catch a monster haha. I'm sure that your right about the HSB I might save them for a new pond I plan to build in the future.

JWW, have the pond electroshocked, with the goal of removing as many of the stunted LMB and stunted Crappie as possible. That will be the fastest way to get the pond back on track, short of draining, rotenoning it and starting over.

Unfortunately, you've missed the window on the best time to e-shock your pond for your goals - that would have been pre-spawn for the LMB. Try to have the pond shocked when the fish are shallower than 6 to 8 feet, depending on conductivity and water clarity. Even shocking at night works. Fish that are stunned from shocking can't be removed if the people at the front of the boat with the nets can't see them.

Basically you have too many predators for the amount of forage fish in the pond. 10# of forage fish = 1 pound of predator fish. That's why removing as many predators as possible is the least expensive way to turn around a stunted pond.

Adding Muskies to the pond might help, but 1) Will they eat enough fish to make a difference? and 2) Will they listen to you and eat the size and species of fish that you want them to eat?

esshup the pond will be shock fished soon. hopefully that will help us get some out as well. I will post a report when I get it but im pretty sure I already know the bad news. I do hope that the TM will help and target what I need them too but even if they eat BG I can replace them after they take care of the other. I didn't want to Nuke the pond I know it would be the best way to insure that they all are gone.

Just make sure that the LMB and Crappie are removed when it's shocked, not just weighed/measured and returned to the water.

It CAN be turned around, just don't expect immediate results. It will take a few years.

Have you thought about starting a feeding program? Or is there one already in place? Even if it's just to feed the forage fish (i.e. BG)

Esshup,

Any thoughts on why the LMB are apparently not eating the abundance of little crappies and became stunted?

1) Crappies go thru a boom/bust spawning cycle.
2) Are the crappies of the correct size for the stunted LMB to eat?
3) Is there enough vegetation/cover in the pond to allow the stunted crappie to avoid predation by the LMB? i.e. are the LMB striking at the crappies to eat and failing more times than they are successful? Remember, to grow you have to eat more calories than you expend.

For a LMB to be stunted, it has to have enough food to put on weight to grow to "X" length. Then if the food source is depleted, the fish looses weight, becoming "stunted" or under WR. A fish will not grow in length if it isn't of the proper weight for that size.

I have just started a feeding program this year to feel the BG. I think it will help especially after the last post.

the pond has been bare from all of the Grass Carp and has had a bunch of Christmas trees put in it as well as quite a few fallen very large trees from tornadoes and winter storms. the crappie that I have been catching would be about the right size for a 5 to 6 lb bass to eat. but to bigg for the smaller ones.