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All-Purpose Option
For ponds 1 acre or larger, the most widely recommended combination
for good fishing is largemouth bass, bream (either bluegill alone or bluegill
and redear sunfish) and channel catfish. The bass consume enough
small fish to control the bream population. If the proper number and sizes
are present, this predator:prey relationship results in good numbers of nice
sized bass and bream. Channel catfish provide additional fishing opportunities.
In properly managed bass-bream ponds, both the bass and the bream reproduce
each year, and good fishing can be sustained for year after year without
stocking additional fish. However, if catfish are desired as well, replacement
catfish fingerlings have to be added every couple of years.
In a new pond, stock bluegill and redear sunfish fingerlings in the
fall (Table 1). Stock the bass fingerlings in the following
spring. This allows the bream to grow large enough to avoid predation
and spawn late the next spring when the bass are stocked. The baby bream
provide food for the newly stocked bass. Channel catfish fingerlings and
grass carp, if needed to control aquatic weeds, can be stocked in the fall
or the spring, but it is a good idea to get them into the pond before the
bass get too large.
To reduce the amount of time before harvesting can take place, stock
adult fish instead of fingerlings in a new or renovated pond. Stocking
recommendations are different if you decide on this option (Table 2). Very little research has been conducted on this
option, but it does allow faster development of fish populations. Fewer
fish are stocked because of their larger size and cost. To provide
a supplemental food source for the bass, stock 2 to 3 pounds of fathead
minnow per acre.
Proper fish
harvesting is one of the more important factors in pond management.
You may fish the pond after the first year, although bass should
not be harvested until the third year when they reach 12 to 14
inches in length. Overharvesting, particularly of bass, may easily
occur when a pond is first opened to fishing, and it can ruin a good
pond. The bass originally stocked must support the bass harvest
for at least three to four years from the time of stocking.
Bass growth
and subsequent harvesting rates are different for each pond.
As a general rule, unfertilized ponds receiving runoff from agricultural
lands can support a harvest of about 20 to 25 pounds of bass
per acre each year. In excavated or infertile ponds, about 10
to 15 pounds per acre is a safe rate. These harvesting rates may be doubled
if the management plan includes a fertilization program.
A 12-
or 14-inch size limit for bass should be established. Unless
they become overcrowded, bass under 12 inches should not be harvested
because they are very aggressive feeders and help maintain the proper
population balance between bass and sunfish. All fish to be released
should be handled carefully and returned to the water as quickly
as possible. However, remember that harvesting some bass is important
for maintaining the quality of the fishery; practicing strict
catch-and-release bass fishing may lead to an overcrowded population
and stunted bass.
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