Hi everyone,
I have decided on a plan that I will be following after much consideration of everyone's advice on this forum and the advice of local pond managers. The local experts said that bass in this region are really not a big problem, even in ponds without bait fish. They said they don't ever see overcrowded bass ponds. I assume this is because our climate is quite a bit different than it is in areas where bass ponds are more common (we basically only have trout ponds here).
Here's the plan:
Allow the bass to grow until the ice goes out in March, and then begin to harvest, depending on how the population looks and their size. I am still not sure how many to take, but am pretty sure I want to take some. I like the idea of around 40 per year when they reach 10" + but am not sure when that will be. I believe Bill said the population would top out at around 75-80 ish in the 12" ish size range. Should I harvest before the population levels out at that size and number? Or should I start harvesting now. If so, how many?
I will not be adding any YP or other bait fish. They are not easy to get here at all, and I have been told they really aren't needed by local managers. Does everyone agree with this?
Finally, I will let the trout be and check up on them to see how they are doing, but I don't plan on restocking trout or harvesting them at the moment.
I know this is a very loose plan, but it basically comes down to harvest a yet to be decided number of bass and leaving everything else be. Let me know what you think.
Thanks for the ongoing help.
