I added the LMB around this time last year. They were bought from a commercial fish dealer in OH. On a few occasions I did see the bass actively harass the BG, but they spent most of their time slurping on the surface (possibly feed raised?).
I have never seen the catfish in the pond. I have a 10' hole that is roughly 20 x 30. I would bet the catifsh are spending most of their time in this hole, but I have never been able to catch one. My bait is instantly gobbled up by the aggressive BG. I plan on starting the feeding program this week and will hopefully start seeing the elusive CC.
I know that I have BG and RES in the pond, but from what I have seen I have a suspicion that my BG are hybrids. I have not spent sufficient time to analyze the BG to determine what exactly I have. The fish are generally 3-6".
The BG did spawn and during that time there were fry all over the pond and we saw BG of all sizes for awhile. However I did notice that the nest sites were concentrated to a small portion of the pond although most of the pond would make good spawning habitat. For the amount of fish in the pond the nest sites seemed off. They weren't a lot of them and the spawning seemed some what shortlived. This leads me to think I may have hybrids, hence less females and nesting sites (I could be wrong). Post spawn the water became very clear. It was the clearest I have ever seen it and I think it may have been a less than ideal situation for the BG fry's survival.(The pond was managed by a company last summer that killed the growth once or twice a month. Could be the reason for the poor water quality).
CJB...
There is a good amount of vegetation in the pond during late spring-summer. At its peak I would say 40%. The vegetation is predominantly a thin filamentous plant that currently is in clumps with columns rising just below the surface.
I did not build the pond and honestly I do not know. The pond has a muddy/silty bottom, but there are several sand/gravel pits in the area. Generally the pond has a dark green color with a good amount of eutraphication. The pond is spring fed and it is technically part of a watershed that includes several farms.
Finally I have not yet done a seine survey. My knowledge of the fish population is based off of both fishing sampling and visual confirmations. I do plan on casting nets once the fish become more active. Current water temps are 50F.
Last edited by Black Bass; 04/12/09 11:41 PM.
