Hey everyone. I started a thread on here last year about the new pond my family was planning to purchase. When I fished it last summer (before we moved in), I saw LMB in the 6-8 inch range everywhere and they appeared very skinny. They appeared very stunted. Also, there was almost no bluegill to be seen other than the occasional giant sitting on a bed in one corner of the pond. My family moved in during November and yesterday was the first day I got a chance to go out and catch some fish. As expected, I caught 9 LMB all at right around 6-8 inches. This is where I got confused though. The LMB that were so skinny last summer seemed very healthy. The eyes seemed normal size and they were filled out just fine. Under further review I also saw a small school of bluegill fry hanging out in the grass near shore. There are still a ton of small LMB, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as I originally thought. My question is, where do I go from here? Some pond info:
About 2/3-3/4 of an acre, max depth when dug was 22 feet. That was almost 20 years ago so I would estimate the depth somewere in the 15-20 foot range. Lots of wood structure. My dad and I started out the project by cutting down all of the small trees that were on the bank and pushed them into the water in piles. I also added some rock piles at the ends of some bigger laydowns that were already in the pond. Would like big LMB, although they don't necesarily have to meet trophy standards. Mostly just want to have a place where family and friends can come and have good, consistent fishing, with the chance of maybe catching a big LMB or BG.
My original plan of action:
1) Remove as many LMB under 10 inches as possible and continue harvest of the small fish in years to come.
2) Add maybe 25-30 adult (4-6") bluegill this spring in hopes of getting a spawn.
3) Add other forage (Minnows) this spring in hopes of taking some pressure off of the bluegill spawn.
4) Evaluate later in the summer and hit up pondboss again for further advice.
Should I still do that even if the LMB appear healthy, or should I take it a little easier on LMB removal?