Do you love big bluegill?

Your Pond

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This group is about your pond. How's it going? Questions on what to do next. Fish size and type.

Members: 46
Latest Activity: Aug 16, 2018

Discussion Forum

Fish Feeding 13 Replies

I have a 5 acre pond with bass,bluegill, crappie, and catfish. I was thinking about getting a protein based food called Aquafeed to feed the fish in order to keep them fat and healthy. Is this a good…Continue

Started by Wade Jones. Last reply by Terry E Brand Aug 16, 2018.

Bad Luck Stories 1 Reply

I caught 4 bluegill Thurs. before I laid my pole down around a post, and went to get my fishing chair. It never got pulled in before when I did this, but it did then. Whatever it was swam all around…Continue

Started by 10.5" RES Sharon. Last reply by David, aka, "McScruff" Jun 22, 2013.

Looking for Rotenone or someone to do it cheap 1 Reply

Thanks for this cool group everyone! I currently have a 1/4 acre pond that I'm wanting to redo. I am unable to locate a source for Rotenone or someone to do it for a good price. I live in MD, so…Continue

Started by Chris Roberts. Last reply by Ryan McCaw Apr 27, 2013.

Skinny bluegill and bass 6 Replies

Hey everyone hope you all are great fishing season and enjoying the summer, unfortunately at my pond the fish are not doing all that great this summer. My pond has always produced 4 to 5 pound bass…Continue

Started by Wade Jones. Last reply by Mike Cross Oct 11, 2012.

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Comment by Zach Pierce on September 22, 2010 at 3:06pm: Rule of thumb is to let them spawn twice before harvesting them, but like Rick said if Gills are what you are going for, then any bass over 12" probably should come out, especially if you have a ton of them.

Now if you want to leave 1 lunker in there in hopes to catch it later at 15-20 inches that would be an idea, but he will also enjoy some large fish.

Now the larger bass may help with the medium sized bullheads as well so keep that in mind.

You will know when the bass are over populated as they will all start to be the same size and begin to loose weight and get skinny, then if this happens you will want to take all out that you catch in this shape so the competition will go down.

This is one of the challenging and rewarding things about ponds and managing them. Like I said I have yet to see a bass or crappie and still have not caught a channel cat and I put 100 of them in.

I hope to get them on the feeder and up to at least 1-2 pounds then harvest like crazy if I can get them to bite.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on September 22, 2010 at 10:00am: But, my question was leaving the bass in there long enough to spawn vs. taking them out each fall and adding new ones each spring at spawning time. Anyone try this? Anyone think it's a good or bad idea?

Comment by Magnolia Rick on September 22, 2010 at 9:40am: To keep your pond in somewhat a check for large blegill are to keep all bass you catch over 14 to 16" and release the smaller ones. They will then eat all the small gills.
On the gills release back into your pond any gill over 9 to 10" and keep any smaller then that.
Then after about a two year You should have 10"+ gills and 11" are smaller bass.
Now this is what I've read and am doing in my little pond.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on September 22, 2010 at 6:50am: ZACH! how could you ask such a question? I'm trying for bluegill. I only added bass to my pond to keep the numbers down. Added 25 to what was 1/4 acre, now is 1/3 acre. So, next spring I was thinking about getting 30 bass. I would think that 2-3" bass would be safer, and more affective than newly hatched bass. I too never see my bass on top the water, I don't think they eat the pellets. Once in a while I catch one, but not often. I would guess your's are alright. I also put 50 in my 1 acre creek, and saw 1 dead. The others are 6". Anyway, I'm still considering what to do with bass in the pond.

Comment by Zach Pierce on September 22, 2010 at 4:55am: Well I guess that depends on what your wanting to do with your pond. Are you wanting to grow nice BG or LMB?

Unless you stocked the bass yourself it would be hard to know how old they are. I am not sure if it takes two years or not, and size does not determine if they spawn or not. At least with our experience, we have a pond we fish full up stunted bass and most of them we catch are female and full of eggs and they are only 8 inches or so.

Do you know how many bass are in the pond now, when they were stocked, and how big at the time of stocking?

Plus with the GSF and HBG I bet many of the bass spawn would be eaten. And if you stocked 2-3 inch fish many of them may be eaten as well, depending on how hungry the fish are.

Just some thoughts, I just put 4 bass in one of my ponds but I think we lost one already. I have not seen any from my initial stocking and they were in the 2-3 inch range.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on September 21, 2010 at 9:04pm: I have read the recommendation to wait until bass have spawned (second year) before harvesting them. What would be wrong with harvesting them at 12" before they spawn, then buying some bass 2-3" ers in the spring when the BG are spawning and restocking bass that way? That way I wouldn't get too many bass in my 1/3 acre pond. The bass are 10" now, don't need them this winter.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on September 21, 2010 at 5:26pm: twice a day

Comment by Magnolia Rick on September 21, 2010 at 5:12pm: nice bunch of fish growing nicely how often do you feed?

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on September 21, 2010 at 4:45pm: If this guy had been 2" bigger, (12") he would have been dinner.

So, we are having chicken pot pie.

This is what I caught today in the pond. The largest is 7 1/2"

So, they are not dinner either, but growing nicely.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on September 21, 2010 at 4:41pm: I did not put them in my pond, but I did put them back because I didn't know what they were. I hope the bass eat them.