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

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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 JBplusThuy on February 6, 2012 at 6:25pm: If getting fry doesn't work, you could try introducing larger bass. If getting wild ones is impractical or is unlawful in your state, they can be purchased from some hatcheries, apparently. Live LMB are available from some Asian supermarkets in California, and they look to be just about the size Walt recommends. They might have a bit of a learning curve to figure out how to hunt down food by themselves and compete with the existing bass, but they'll learn. Holdover stocked rainbow trout seem to figure it out and get big, so the LMB should be able to do the same.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on February 6, 2012 at 6:13pm: Is it not too late to add LMB fry, as they will just be eaten? I seem to be caught between a rock and a pond.

Comment by Walt Foreman on February 6, 2012 at 2:25pm: One other important thing to remember: when a pond has large numbers of small bluegill or GSF, bass will have a much more difficult time spawning successfully because their nests will be constantly raided by both species of sunfish, and of the eggs that don't get eaten, very few of the hatching fry will escape getting eaten by the bluegill and GSF.

Comment by Walt Foreman on February 6, 2012 at 2:20pm: If you have 20"+ bass, especially if there's more than one that size, you don't have enough bass. Also, as long as you're catching significant numbers of small bluegill or green sunfish, you don't have enough bass. Keep in mind that the numbers of largemouth recommended for a pond being managed for trophy bass, or even a pond being managed for a balanced fishery, are far, far short of what is needed for a pond being managed for trophy bluegill. Many people that give out advice on bass numbers only think in terms of big bass and have a disconnect when it comes to the ideal conditions for trophy bluegill, because that's not their focus. They don't realize how many largemouth are really needed to create ideal conditions for optimal bluegill growth.

The second GSF/hybrid you posted a photo of below is badly stunted - a fish with a head that size should be three or four times that big. Part of that fish's problem may be poor genetics, which can occur in the offspring of hybrid bluegill. A denser population of largemouth would ensure that fish such as that one never last more than a few months at most.

Bass bigger than 14" are rare in ponds that have enough largemouth to create ideal conditions for trophy bluegill, because the bass are so overcrowded that there's not enough food to go around and their growth slows to almost nothing. When this happens, those smaller 10-14" bass hammer the YOY bluegill so that a very small percentage of the bluegill fry make it to adulthood - but those few that do make it, have many times more food available due to less competition from other bluegill, and they grow many times faster. Being in Texas, and considering that you feed your fish high-protein food, you could realistically expect to have your bluegill average close to a pound apiece, or bigger, once you get the bass population dense enough. Think of the biggest bluegill you caught this past year, and imagine that you rarely catch one that small - that's what you could have when you get the bass right.

Comment by 10.5" RES Sharon on February 6, 2012 at 1:31pm: I supposedly have the proper number of bass, Walt. And, they should have multiplied last summer. I am hoping this coming summer to have some decent sized bluegill. Still catching small ones so far. I saw some bass yesterday, and they look to be about 20+". Funny, I only catch them when I'm fishing for bluegill.