Hey guys,

I have a neighborhood pond I fish at that is a pretty decent size, its not huge, and its maximum depth is only around 7 feet. There are a good number of both bass and sunfish in there. But, the dilema I'm faced with, is the primary forage for bass in the lake is mosquito fish. If any of you have these fish in your pond or lake, you know they're little guys. Personally, I don't think they are very good forage for the bass, as you will catch fish, but they tend to be 1 1/2 lb to 2 lbs. Every so often in there, you will catch a 4 or 5 pounder, but very rarely. This lake is in central Georgia, so it's not like the fish have reached a maximum size. And to those of you who think it's over populated, it's not. The fish population is in check. Also, selective harvesting is not an option here. I was wondering if there was a way to get these guys to bulk up? I've heard of fish feed that is pretty sucessful, but I'm not sure how it would work in a ecosystem that has been established for a good 20 years. What are your guys suggestions?

Thanks,

PB

Hey guys,

I have a neighborhood pond I fish at that is a pretty decent size, its not huge, and its maximum depth is only around 7 feet. There are a good number of both bass and sunfish in there. But, the dilema I'm faced with, is the primary forage for bass in the lake is mosquito fish. If any of you have these fish in your pond or lake, you know they're little guys. Personally, I don't think they are very good forage for the bass, as you will catch fish, but they tend to be 1 1/2 lb to 2 lbs. Every so often in there, you will catch a 4 or 5 pounder, but very rarely. This lake is in central Georgia, so it's not like the fish have reached a maximum size. And to those of you who think it's over populated, it's not. The fish population is in check. Also, selective harvesting is not an option here. I was wondering if there was a way to get these guys to bulk up? I've heard of fish feed that is pretty sucessful, but I'm not sure how it would work in a ecosystem that has been established for a good 20 years. What are your guys suggestions?

Thanks,

PB

Your larger bass are more likely keying on Sunfish as the major forage. By sunfish do you mean bluegill/pumpkinseed or Green Sunfish? BG are fine as a main forage, but GS aren't as good.

You really have 2 options to increase the size of predators in any given ecosystem. Raise the forage or remove the competition. Since your pond has beenestablished for 20 years, it is probably at or very near the maximum biomass levels already, meaning it can't support added forage long-term. Bass are generally tough to get to feed on artificial food if they weren't raised on it.

That leaves you with really 2 "good" options:

1) Supplemental stocking of forage fish once or twice per year (since they likely won't take hold). Golden Shiners would potentially be a good supplemental forage.

2) Removing of competition (Remove every bas under x inches).

Since I see that selective harvest isn't an option, number one is the obvious choice. Personally, selective harvest is the way to go, both for "fast" results and for expense, but work with what yu can do. www.pondboss.com is a good site to check out for things like this too. I believe Bob Lusk advertises here and even rights articles from time to time. Hop on over there and ask for some help.

I would check with your DNR to make sure that what you plan to do is within Georgia's regulations.