Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Just How Many Bluegill will a Bass Eat a Day?

Just a thought. Maybe "It Depends" comes into play here...Let's say you were planning to stock 15 to 20 LMB originally. What if you reduced that number by 5 and stocked 5 HSB and 10 LMB instead. IMO the HSB as they grow will target the fusiform 3 to 5 inch LMB new spawn before they do the 3 to 5 inch BG. I also think the CC will prefer the fusiform bass as well. IMO Effectively, you would then have two non reproducing predators of your apex LMB predator. To take it one step further, if required, you remove all LMB over 15 or 16 inches when caught. You can also harvest a few HSB and ladder stock 8 to 9 inch ones as required.

Just my 1 cent...

You could always put one single LMB in. As long as someone did not bucket stock another, should be no reproduction and it at least would help the CC control some of the recruitment.

If you caught it sometime and it was outside optimal size range, replace it with a smaller one.

Bill, I cannot get HSB here.

Dang! I thought HSB were everywhere in the South. IMO it wouldn't have to be HSB. If you wanted to pursue a stocking plan like this, is there a non reproducing predator that is available to you?

I have successfully controlled LMB from over population in my little pond so far (knock on wood) using YP, WE, SMB and CC as predators of the apex LMB predator spawn. My primary forage is PS and BG. I'm entering year 4 and so far so good. Definitely not a stock and walk away management plan though. Need to monitor what's going on closely and make adjustments as required.

Bill,
Lonoke is almost a 4 hour drive from here one way. I have to depend on the fish trucks that come to the nearby feed stores. They have CC, LMB, CNBG, RES, HBG, GC, and FHM. That's it.

I understand John. It's tough for me to get a lot of fish that I want as well. I had to have some of my lower forage species shipped and that gets very expensive very fast, especially with the high cost of shipping.

FWIW the "traditional" stocking plan around here is still BG, CC and LMB (and more recently, RES too if south of highway 88). I have to believe there is some reason this stocking plan has withstood the test of time.

Good luck John. We all know how much work you've put into those ponds. My money is on you to make them meet your goals.

Bill D.

I have had HSB delivered and I have also picked them up from Overtons and had a 3hr drive back to the pond. The HSB made the drive without any problem, and I believe they would have made a 4 hr trip without any problem. My point, the best fish supplier can and will package the fish for a 4 hr drive. John, I would contact your HSB supplier and see if they can package HSB for 4 hr transport.

Thanks Scott.

Anybody who has fished my main pond knows they will catch a lot of bluegill that are bigger than most of the largemouth bass they will pull out of that pond.

It is a pond with lots of stunted largemouth bass. Yes, there are a few Big Bubba Bass (BBBs) in there. But the vast majority of LMB are 10 inches or less. In the 10-12 inch range, using the Cody Technique, I suspect the BG in that range probably outnumber the LMB by a significant number.

It is a pond I've cultured for big bluegill. It is very common to catch a number of bluegill in the 10-12 inch range. Now and then we get some bigger ones.

The smaller adult bluegill that don't fit into the mouths of these smaller bass get invited in for dinner whenever they are hooked. This pond also has some pretty good sized Hybrid Striped Bass (HSB), and it always has too many oversized channel catfish (CC). Long before we bought the property, somebody put black crappie in this pond. There are still some of them who act as predators. None are ever released if brought to shore. It is common to catch about 5 to 10 black crappie early each spring. All are usually in the 14-16 inch range.

With all of this predation, I'm surprised I have any bluegill at all. What we do have is always a lot of fun to catch. Many are also very enjoyable at a fish fry.

This same pond has also produced a number of redear sunfish in the range of 2+ lbs., and/or 14 inches.

As for the bluegill eaten by bass each season, it is probably in the millions if we start counting them at the yolksac stage. From late April to late September it is probably in the many thousands each day.

Ken

Great post Ken,

With the goal of big BG, it sounds like those stunted LMB are your best buddies. Do you ever harvest any LMB or C&R only to encourage the largest population of them that you can?

JohnF - A large percentage of the HSB are raised at KeoFishFarm in Arkansas.

Good question Bill. I certainly don't have all the answers, and it also depends on location, water, etc.

At our WV farm we do harvest all of our fish. To us, it is like a garden. To grow big carrots, you must thin them.

We do harvest mostly all of the LMB. Again, in a comparison to a garden, it is like putting radish seeds between your beets or head lettuce. The radishes make you space your other vegetables so they have room to grow.

I set a slot limit, depending on what we are catching in mid-April to mid-May in our WV farm ponds. The LMB slot limit usually ranges from 10-12 inches to about 12-14 inches. We throw back everything above and below those sizes. For us, this is relatively easy to do, because it is extremely hard for anyone to get to our ponds without being detected.

We mostly just take those that are above the slot limit. I have "rehab" cages at the end of my docks for injured fish. That is where some go.

IMO, at 12 inches, a LMB provides about the same size breaded and fried "fish fingers" as an 8-9 inch bluegill.

When we get "monster" momma or poppa LMB that are above our slot limit, with a Wr (relative weight) of well over 1.00, we return them to the ponds.

I filet and skin most fish (and venison, squirrels, etc.). For freshwater and saltwater fish, I usually get two, four or six decent bone-free pieces from each fish, depending on the fish type and how much meat is on the rib cages. On saltwater flounder (flatfish), I sometimes get six pieces depending on how fat they are. On most other fish I get four decent bone-free pieces.

We don't do much catch and release in our ponds because we don't want to create unwanted hook shyness. Bluegill less than about 6 inches and channel catfish less than about 12 inches are the few exceptions. Other than that, it is into the frying pan or to the bears-behind-the-barn gut pile smorgasbord.

Ken

Sounds like you and I have the same strategy when it comes to harvest of what nature provides. I have to admit the coon I ate as a kid was not my favorite table fare! I will pull up a chair to young ground hog though!

I like your slot limit on the LMB. Makes a lot of sense to me.

Do larger LMB eat every day?

Not necessarily. It depends on metabolic rate (water temp controls). Metabolic rate controls digestion and absorption of food. In warm temps (late spring and fall) they eat lots more than in cold or very hot temps.