Here are two videos of ways to grow your bass larger. Other fish could be used to hand feed bass instead of shad. Crayfish feeding was very interesting. I was doing similar things to grow large bass back in 1967-1970. The method works. Some are using larger shrimp and fall stockings of trout for improving growth of big bass. Trophy bass are prize live stock similar to cattle and horses; producing them is not cheap nor is it easy, but the satisfaction of doing it is immeasurable.

The Fish Whisperer shows you how to grow big bass. Feeding the bass is as much fun as catching them bass. Watch and learn. Similar stuff can be done in your pond to grow BIG hand fed bass. It takes dedication and patience. Condello in Nebraska uses similar methods for growing trophy LMB. .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4nE4dUQ23A

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=464340#Post464340

More posts for feeding excess fish to create trophy bass
IMO the best way to get big bass in a trophy BG pond is try as much as possible to keep the biggest bass on pellets and use small BG and bass with tails and or fins removed to hand feed the biggest bass.

I will try to locate some posts describing hand feeding bass your excess fish.

BG removal when managing for large bass?
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=143309#Post143309

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=208554

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=404738
This next part is from the Pond Boss Archives for Growing Big Bluegill
Here is a pond management tip that has several benefits. If you are harvesting small BG in the 2"-5" size range, you can use them as live bass food.
1. It removes small BG,
2. It feeds your bass,
3. It focuses your time away from bass fishing as much and slows the chances of creating hook shy bass, while productively spending your time to continue fishing and managing your fishery,
4. It is a creative way of using small BG that otherwise usually are discarded.
5. It usually improves the balance or ratio of BG:bass in a pond managed for big BG.
6. It is a way to collect and sort BG, put them in a cage, raise them to maturity and restock males into the pond.
7. It is a way to entertain the kids or keep them occupied as they fish for small BG,
8. It is easy and fun.

One interesting way to feed surplus small BG to bass is to slightly or significantly impair their swimming ability and toss them into the pond. The bass will quickly learn these fish are "easy pickings". I impair swimming ability of small BG by cutting off portions of their tails and or fins. These fish then swim abnormally. Some fish managers prefer to cut all fins or most of the fins off rather than just one fin. Single or double fin BG (& sometimes small bass) amputees have been found to survive bass predaton despite having lost one or two fins. Removing all fins makes it very difficult for a fish to survive very long with larger predators present. Bass and predators are attracted to odd or abnormal swimming fish who are usually more vulnerable and easier to catch. Bass who typically have to survive by "working hard" to catch fish, take advantage of this wounded preyfish situation. When you harvest a larger number of small BG, you can put a lot of them in a live box or small cage to hold them for several days. This way the live food feeding of the bass can be spread out over a longer period without taking time to harvest more BG.


Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/23/18 10:54 AM.

aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management