Jacob, I clicked on your name to find you located in Vermont. "Small" could be better described with some area defination such as 1/2 acre or 1 acre. To add approx depth would help also. In Vermont it is possible that it freezes to the bottom some years if too shallow.
There are shallow swamp-marsh areas in Illinois and Iowa that experiance widely varying year class sizes of bluegill depending on water depth and winter temps.
does this "swamp" hold any type of fish now? ole Mike
I'm going to say about 1 to 1 1/2 inc. a year. Because bugs and veg. is not a high protean mill. That's why if you notice a pond or lake that has minnows or other small fish that they can eat, they are much bigger.
That;s right! Manage them right into the skillet. A 3" or 4" bream will scale real easily. Heading and gutting is no job at all. When rolled in cornmeal and fried in bacon fat, they are delicious.
Management of a crowded pond is usually to leave the small ones on the bank, don't throw anything back. I'd rather make gourmet chips than leave them for the anhingas and Blue Herons.