Johnsons' 3+ Acre Pond

Comment

Comment by Zach Pierce on April 24, 2012 at 12:32pm

I have been trying to keep all the females, but of course the kids like to keep them all, and actually my oldest daughter wants to let the momma fish go. I try to explain to her why they need to come out but she thinks she needs to make more babies. We usually take about 10-25 fish each time we go out there, but last year did not make it much and the year before we may have taken 100+ in total for the year which would keep us under what Walt said to keep. I have no doubt there are larger gills in this water, but I am sure they are harder to catch as these 7-9 inch gills always bet them to it. With the 1-5 fish under this size sneaking in as well. I hope to get some over 10 inches out there then I know I am doing pretty good.

All this is with a natural farm pond as well there is not any feeding as it is not my pond just a good friend that lets us bring the kiddos for a good time. We have not even made it yet this year and with the warm weather I bet they were on beds the full moon and I have not fished the moon yet.

If they would let me put up a feeder I think we could get some in the 10-12 inch range, if there are not any already, at worst I would at least add mass to them.

Plus I think there may even be a few coppernose in the pond, but will have to catch another one sometime and get a pic, as we have only caught a few fish that look different.

Comment by Tony Livingston on April 18, 2012 at 6:33pm

There's not much in the photo for perspective, but some of those BG look pretty decent to me! If it's bigger BG you're after, I would stop harvesting the Bass. Keep or cull most of the female BG. Rule of thumb states that a Largemouth Bass can take prey 1/3 of its own length... , a 12" bass can take up to a 4" BG, an 18"LMB can take up to a 6" BG, etc.

Our personal strategy is to cull all BG under 6" unless they display exceptional characteristics...... such as being nearly as tall as they are long!

Comment by Walt Foreman on April 18, 2012 at 6:25pm

Leo, you're right on in that harvesting some of the bluegill could take the fishery to the next level for big 'gills.  And you're also correct that the biggest ones should be released.  I'd recommend harvesting around 50 7-9" bluegill per acre, releasing the ones over 9".  It would also be a good strategy to try to harvest mostly females, as males get bigger than the females as a rule.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on April 18, 2012 at 4:29pm

I'm curious, at this point in time, wouldn't it be wise to harvest most of the gills at this size out to promote the remaining to possibly produce new generations that could grow even larger?

 

So, the key notes:

 

Tight fishery management must be in place, not to harvest the larger gill (but just to catch and release them for fun), while the fingerling are get eaten alive to sort out the best survivors. Keep the pond max out with small bass less than 12" to control smaller gill population to increase food resources for the larger ones.

Comment by Jim Gronaw on April 18, 2012 at 4:18pm

Walt's right...every quality , small bluegill pond I have fished that had high numbers of 9 inch, or even larger, bluegill had an overabundance of small bass. Very seldom do I catch a bass over 12 inches in those ponds.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on April 18, 2012 at 4:16pm

Thanks Walt. See? Expert pond management opinions at the ready.

Question though Walt. The scenario with this is the bass and gill remained the same size, with a few exception of larger gill (by how much, only Zach knows). By max out the bass population, would the gill continue to increase due to higher food availability, or are the gill maxed out at this point?

Comment by Walt Foreman on April 18, 2012 at 4:11pm

Actually, Leo, if the goal for the pond is big bluegill, it's best to never keep a bass.  You want the bass to be overpopulated - in such a scenario, very few bluegill survive past the fry/fingerling stage, so that the few that do make it through the bass gauntlet have many times more food to eat than they would in more bluegill-crowded conditions.  Also, larger bass eat larger bluegill; an eight-pound largemouth can eat a nine-inch bluegill no problem, whereas a one-pound bass is not going to be able to eat a bluegill bigger than 4" or so. 

 

Taking out small bass will improve the size of the bass, but will hurt the average bluegill size. 

Comment by Leo Nguyen on April 18, 2012 at 4:10pm

Hm..interesting. Looks like they're stunt. The question is, which species you want to enable to become bigger? The gill or the bass?  One must be controlled heavily in order for the other one to grow. Can't have both at this time period.

Comment by Zach Pierce on April 18, 2012 at 3:54pm

What you see is pretty much what you catch, all the gills are about this size, and all the bass are about this size.  We have pulled a few larger gills out, and a handfull of GSF, one decent crappie but this is what you get most of the time.

We have not been there this year yet, but I bet it is about the same.  I do not think we have caught a bass over a pound yet.

Comment by Leo Nguyen on April 18, 2012 at 3:47pm

If the pond is over stocked with bass, reduce bass population by removing the dinks, like those you have caught. Leave the larger gills to increase the gill's population. Larger bass will control the smaller gills quite effectively, but at the same time, allowing the gills to have an effective growth without being stunt on the growth. Bruce, Walt, and Tony could confirm my explanation with their own expert opinions.

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