What I would really like is a pond full of 2# LMB and 3/4# BG. That is my ideal fishery with an occasional monster of each just to satisfy friends fishing the pond.
That is what I would like as well. I've finally settled on this goal. There is a 1/3 acre BOW that I have taken under my wing. I fish it ~2 hours per week. I am following the guidelines here except there is no feed. I don't know how big the BG may ultimately grow but it is already a decent BOW with a few 10+ BG. When I fish now I don't catch a lot fish but those I do average about 8". I now catch 5 to 6 males for every female because I have relentlessly culled females. I catch a 10"+ BG only once every two or three weeks. Nothing but males are escaping cull and beginning this fall, and annually thereafter, I will select 14 BG for perpetual release. After next Fall, I plan to cull all fish that are not selected. My plan is to produce a fair number of 2#+ BG in 3 to 5 years and hopefully perhaps a 3 pounder. If this condition is achieved, however, I am not expecting a lot of hookups when I fish it. It is a fertile pond with a large GAM population and I am hoping that with continued fishing effort the GAMs will maintain this large breeding population.
We'll see how large the BG can get but it will hinge entirely on harvest.
