Thanks for the update. A northern one year old bass 6" long is okay growth. A few could be 4" and a few 7". It is common for a few or several older bass of travel in small groups where they can hunt in a pack to an advantage.
Are you still going to try to remove as many as possible or change your goals for this pond? A new crop of bass will be added soon to compound your problem.
The larger bass have become hook shy and likely numerous of those 6" bass are learning to be hooks smart. Those largest bass were caught once and this taught them to be cautious when humans are around and shy biters especially when they have seen that lure or bait previously. Have you tried fishing with minnows? Use small hooks and let the bass swallow the minnow to make sure you catch it. If you do try minnows, release 1-3 dozen first to get the bass less cautious and more aggressive. Use a low profile with angling. I would even try lying down and fishing so the bass can not see you. Wise bass get conditioned to be cautious when they see a tall figure or an unnatural behaving bait / lure.
You will have another crop of bass soon. I would ask the guy that put those fish in your pond if he would like to pay for a chemical renovation of your pond to let him know you did not appreciate his poor excuse of a favor?
Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/24/20 08:59 PM.
