Here are the results that I received.
This report shall contain my findings and recommendations for the 5-acre lake that was electro-shocked on Monday, October 5, 2020.
The sampling began with checking the hardness and alkalinity, along with a visual inspection of the water clarity. The visibility is medium; the hardness is 8 ppm; the alkalinity is 8 ppm; an inadequate amount of structure; no signs of nuisance; aquatic vegetation consists of some algae, some southern naiad, variable leaf water milfoil and water shield. The adult fish population, which was sampled, consisted of bass, speckled catfish, small and adult shiners and bluegills. The greatest relative weight on the largemouth bass is 104%; the lowest relative weight on the largemouth bass is 69%; but the twenty largemouth bass averaged 87%. The fish need to be at least 95% relative weight for the fishing to be satisfactory. The balance of the lake is understocked.
Fish removed today consisted of eleven largemouth bass ranging 12”-15.5”; and four largemouth bass less than 10”.
Recommendations
There seems to be a good population of small size bluegill and a fair to low population of intermediate and adult size bluegill. Therefore, I am recommending adding bluegill and some baitfish, in order to re-populate the lake. Golden shiners are important as prey of larger, predatory fish in the ecosystems in which they live and help take the pressure off the bream. Golden Shiners also eat largemouth bass fry, which helps reduce the largemouth bass population from overcrowding. Any combination of forage addition mixed with bass culling should really help. Remove all largemouth bass less than 14” and all speckled catfish. Don’t remove any bream or shiners.
The water quality is below minimal and matched. Good water quality is needed for rapid fish growth and fish survival. Lime will help with this, as it provides a calcium resource for the small fish, and also helps form a cuticle around the egg cell to prevent multiple fertilization of a single egg. I offer a concentrated lime product which is effective and becomes active in a few days. This product will be applied into the water column by boat and sprayer.
The structure is inadequate and needs to be enhanced as material becomes available. Fish habitat (structure) is very important in a pond. Structure provides places for fish to hide from predators, shade from the hot sun, nesting and spawning habitat and place for food organisms to live and grow. Christmas trees, felled trees, wooden or plastic pallets, store bought structure, etc. are also good examples of fish structure.
Managing a lake for quality trophy bass is a matter of management of the bluegill. Feeding increases the potential of the forage fish and automatic fish feeders will do an adequate job of keeping the bluegill in good shape. I highly recommend feeding Fish Smack Fish Feed because it is targeted for smaller bluegill and forage fish. It contains a 42% protein, 10% lipid diet, is formulated for fast growing fish and is packaged in 40# bags.
The aquatic vegetation consists of some algae, some southern naiad, variable leaf water milfoil and water shield, but the recent introduction of sterile grass carp should help maintain the current and future aquatic growth; we did not see any signs of nuisance.
Now/Fall
Recommendations Price
• Fish Smack Fish Feed 40# $55.00 or $48/bag for a pallet (plus tax unless you have a GATE CARD)
• Add structure.
• Lime (25 tons equivalency; materials and labor) $1,250.00
• Remove all largemouth bass less than 14” and all speckled catfish.
• Don’t remove any bream or shiners.
• Texas Hunter Pro Series LM 335 Feeder (175#) w/Solar Panel $1,446.40 installed and initial feed
• 3' x 6', Pressure Treated Feeder Dock $250.00
• Texas Hunter Pro Series LM 335 Feeder (175#) w/Solar Panel $1,446.40 installed and initial feed
• 3' x 6', Pressure Treated Feeder Dock $250.00
Spring 2021
Recommendations Price
• 5,000 Coppernose Bluegill, 4”-5” $4,320.00
Consulting Guidelines (What I am looking for)
When I am electro-shocking, normally only 15 to 25 % of the total fish population will become visible for collection. Because of this, I am looking for certain ratios from the fish population to establish a form of balance, or lack thereof. The bluegill population should always be at least 5 to 1 in relations to the shell-crackers or any other pan fish (redbreast, warmouth or hybrid bream) for a lake to have adequate forage for a good bass population. The adults as well as the young of the year should follow this same ratio. As bass grow, they need an adequate supply of forage available in order for them to grow as well. The maximum growth of bass from fingerling to trophy status is dependent on the bass having perfectly sized prey all through the growth cycle. As I am electro-shocking, this is something that I always look for. When the forage fish are less than 2 inches, there should be a 50 to 1 ratio of bream to bass. With the 3 – 6-inch forage fish there should be 25 to 1 ratio of bream to bass. The adult ratio should be 10 to 1 for the pond to be in good shape. Warm-water fish have a normal life expectancy of only 5 to 7 years so it is very important that the nutrition provided by the lake be in the proper form to maximize their growth during the first three years. The recruitment of young to adults has to be successful, and harvest rates have to follow guidelines or the lake will not remain in good shape. Bass have to eat 8 pounds of bream to grow a pound of flesh. In lakes with too many bass (bass-crowded lakes), the bass will have low relative weights with bass between 10 and 14 inches typically being very thin. In bass- crowded lakes, there is simply not enough small- to medium-sized bream to feed all those hungry bass. Adult bluegill in these bass-crowded ponds will usually be in excellent shape with high relative weight. Since few bluegills survive the intense predation by bass to become large adults, there is little competition for food among bluegills.
Lack of food, poor water quality, poor water temperatures (too hot or too cold), or disease can cause stress that results in poor growth. Low relative weight due to lack of food can be caused by poor fertility, excess weeds, or too many bass or bream in a pond. I use relative weight to help determine the overall condition of the fish in a lake. Relative weight is the ratio of a fish to what a rapidly growing healthy fish of the same length should weigh. Fish with high relative weights are fat where ones with low rates are skinny. Properly managed lakes should have relative weights over 95 % to ensure satisfactory fishing.
Lake construction and water quality are the most important factors to consider when determining potential for good fishing. A good drain and an emergency spillway are essential. These key items prevent loss of your fish as well as the prevention of wild species from entering the lake from watershed below the lake. Proper shoreline depth deters weed and algae growth. Water quality and chemistry are measured by the hardness and alkalinity, and are the determining factors on how productive the water can be.
When productivity is lacking, you can improve it by feeding. Feeding is the easiest and can triple the productivity of the lake and bring the fish back into good shape. The feeder will provide food directly to the larger fish, which allows them to reproduce more efficiently, which eventually provides more food for the bass. Feeding rates should not exceed 10 pounds of feed per week (usually twice a day is better) for optimum growth in a one-acre lake during the growing season. Sterile Grass carp should be added if weeds are an issue.
The hardness needs to be over 20 ppm (parts per million) for the lake to reach its potential in productivity. The hardness can be increased by adding lime to the lake at rates of 2 to 4 tons per acre. The green color associated with a lake is nothing more than a rich phytoplankton bloom, which lasts about 20 to 30 days before dissipating that feed the small fish in your lake. This bloom of phytoplankton is the base of the food chain for aquatic animals. The bloom can be responsible for tripling the productivity of a body of water.
5 Acres DATE Customer:
10/5/2020 Dean Cutler
Length Lbs. Ounces % Tag # Overall Average Length Average
12 13 90 87 83
12 11 76
13 1 1 97 87
13 14 80
13 15 85
13.5 1 0 77 77
14.5 1 8 94 90
14.5 1 6 86
15 1 7 80 85
15 1 10 90
15.5 1 12 88 84
15.5 1 10 81 PB
16 1 11 77 PB 84
16 2 0 91 PB
16.5 2 3 88 PB 88
17 2 4 83 PB 83
18 3 1 93 PB 93
21.5 3 15 69 PB 69
22.5 6 14 104 PB 104
23.5 7 13 103 PB 103
