Im a first time poster and am looking for a few answers on what else i can do to a pond i am managing for big bass. Here is a little history on the pond. It is around 50 years old and is approximately 2 acres. The depth in the pond is an issue right now as it is only 5 feet deep over a large majority of the area. The pond gets alot of run off as approximately 1,000 acres drains through small creeks which run directly into the pond. There is a 5 foot drain pipe that 90% of the year has alot of water flowing out of the pond and under the driveway. We already have plans to add a concrete wall in front of the pipe to raise the water level 2 to 3 feet.

In the summer of 2010 i began to catch and remove largemouths as they had become crowded and stunted. Most fish i caught were around a pound with only one fish caught that was 4 pounds. I released all bass that were over 14 inches. I removed around 200 small LMB and they had become very hard to catch by the end of the summer.

This spring i realized i would need to add adult Bluegill to the pond to beef up the forage base. In april i fished with worms and a bobber to get an idea of the bluegill population and i only caught two BG that were around 5 inches in an hour of fishing. Over the last several months i have moved about 100 adult BG and probably another 100 smaller bluegill that i had caught with a cast net at a couple of the other ponds on the property( im also managing those ponds but they are not as far along as this pond im discussing.) Now everytime i go down to water i see bluegill everywhere. I dont know how the population exploded so quickly but there are literally hundreds of bluegill everywhere i look.

Ive probably spent a total of 4 or 5 hours fishing the pond this year for bass and the fish are growing nicely. It is harder to get a bite and the fish i catch are ranging from 1 pound with the majority of the fish ive caught in the 2-3 pound range. Ive also caught 3 fish that were over 4 pounds.

My question is Whats Next? the goal i have for this particular pond is to grow as many Big Bass as possible. There are good populations of LMB and BG and very seldom i catch a small crappie. No catfish have ever been stocked in this pond.

I have considered stocking tilapia to stock up the forage base even further and there are also alot of aquatic plants growing in the pond that the tilapia could hopefully take care of. What is the cost to stock around 10 pound should i Have a fish truck bring the fish to the pond or try to transport the tilapia from a dealer in a large cooler with aerators?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as i am starting to draw a blank on what i need to put this pond over the top, and start growing some 5, 6, or 7 pound LMB.

Ponds- 2 acre, 1 acre, .4 acre