Pond management

Bit more than I would have thought ... couple grand...but ya gotta pay to play.

They're gonna recommend the introduction of a forage species for the bass.

Also, you might be lacking in cover/structure. The baby bream need a place to hide when they're tiny. So that they can get up to a size big enough to provide good forage. If the bass just vacuum the up when they're tiny, they don't do much good.

They're also probably gonna recommend a feeding program for the bream if you don't already have one in place.

Don’t seem to have an issue as much with the bream. There seem to be plenty of various size ranges. I think there is decent structure in the pond for cover but could need to add some. We put a decent amount of stumps, tree tops, logs, tires, etc in there

That does seem to be lacking. We have some old slimy stuff in the shallows but good vegetation is lacking. I think that will be the biggest takeaway from them coming in. I don’t think the ph and alkalinity is right to support that right now. Have a few pines close to the perimeter that may need to be cut down as they are probably causing a problem.

pond bass production is cyclical. it's the way mother nature works. for a few years, you'll nail some monsters. then.........for a few years, you'll only get some 1-2 lbs. it's a mother nature feeding cycle. competition for bait fish changes year after year.

Pond is located near Kentwood La. more of a clay soil base up here. Area was in hardwoods that we cut in 03 and dug the pond out. Replanted in pines a year or two later. We put in the F-1 hybrid strain bass back in 04.

The management company is going to tell you this, but 1.5 acres is never going to do well with both bass and catfish competing against one another. If you’re catching 4 and 5lb bass occasionally then it could be a lot worse. The best thing you can do is decide what you want, and be clear about that with the management company. You could have a good catfish pond, a good bream pond, or a good bass pond, but those all have very different needs.

They typically don’t reproduce well in ponds, but they will put a lot of strain on the forage. I’d try to get them all out if possible and it will help a lot.

As has already been said you need cover for the bream fry and to get them on a feeding program. I think hardwood lay downs or brush piles are the most effective. Lime and fertilize per recommendation, and aggressively remove all bass shorter than 14”. Do all that and you’ll be surprised how fast you can see results.

So, long story short. We have a 15 acre pond that was producing over 10 pound bass for multiple years(catch and release) In the last 4 it has only produced one 9 pound bass. All while removing bass 16” and under.

It boiled down to every lake/pond has a peak and then drops down and evens out. Unless you keep stocking it back up with newer genetics. I can’t remember the actual percentage on the fingerlings that “can” actually reach trophy size.

The key to having big fish is: new/fresh genetics, plenty of structure(bedding area, grass for fingerlings, larger structure for small fish then larger structure for mature fish), feeding program for your bait fish,aeration, managing your water and a strict management on the size of fish that come out of the lake.

I think we are going to bring in several big females every year and put in the lake to keep the genetics fresh after we restock it and start culling the smaller fish. Instead of trusting people to cull the right size we are just going to start culling twice a year when we shock it.

This is to try and grow a large population of bass over 10 pounds. This might be overkill for you, and my boss might be a little more willing to spend that much money.