Ok, I am open to opinions from ANYONE but would love a real good answer from a possible fisheries biologist/bass behavior expert? I know we have to have some on here...? Here's my question:
I live on a string of 2 real ponds with a few smaller punchers haven's right near by...but the 2 ponds I live on are about 160 acres and 90 acres. I have lived on these ponds for over 20 years (23 years) and fished them my whole life...They are in a private community so generally thought of as private and old rude homeowners definitely yell @ non-locals fishing. But the question is this: The fish growth...The fish for the last...10 years...just haven't seemed to grow @ ALL. just a LITTLE bit of upswing in avg size each year...the amount of 2.5-3.5lbs fish is unreal but I at least put a line in the water here 150times a year and really go out and fish the ponds 60-70x a year. NEVER a weighed largemouth over 5lbs...I've had a couple that I would bet were barely 5...maybe. Quite a few in the 4lbs range but it just stops there...
Let me give you some background info:
-The ponds are ULTRA clear, Clear to the point u could have a cup of poland springs next to a cup of this pond water and barely tell the difference, seriously. fairly low vegetation but still plenty of weedbeds.
-Larger pond gets to a max depth of around 42 feet with plenty of drop offs and offshore structure. Smaller Pond has a maximum depth of over 50 ft. but only in one small corner, other than that it's a lot more flat and generally shallow in the 15-20ft. range if u took out that one very deep, small area.
-For 250 acres they do have an assortment of options...there is deep offshore rockpiles and humps and even a cove with weeds that grow from 15ft. down almost to the surface and hold lots of nice fish.
-They are spring fed...rain greatly affects their water levels...most years water levels have been very high, flooding into little fields/brush areas making great shoreline structure. This year, water level's very low so far.
-The fish spawn fine...lots of beds, fish always look and fight VERY healthily. They seem to fight beyond their means/size.
-Around my region MANY ponds have herring runs and are fed heavily by the herrring come up the rivers from the sea to spawn in the freshwater and this makes for much larger fish... my ponds have nothing like this. Also many ponds around here are trout stocked- again, not mine.
- The Main forage in these ponds is probably "chubs" or banded killifish/ "minnows". Bluegill and white perch too. I imagine a decent crawfish population too but I havent seen many.
- Also...the 2 ponds are separated by a small, 30-50ft strip of beach...when water's high or even fairly high they become connected thru a small stream. When connected it's day to day on which pond fishes better and it can be NO BITE on one pond, tons on the other...
-Water quality IS monitored by the town so that's not a factor.
ALSO: IMPORANT fact: When I was a kid there was a MUCH larger smallmouth population...you caught smallmouth 3-1 to largemouth...Now it's more like 8-1 largemouth to smallmouth. Smallmouth seem to be coming back pretty well but still a MUCH rarer catch nowadays.
What's odd is I do not hardly EVER catch "dinks"...only maybe 1 out of 10 is under 2lbs... almost all fish are 'cookie-cutter' 2.5-3.5lbs...with the average definitely being more like 3-3.5. The numbers are also usually excellent...we have 20, 30, even 40 fish days often. Conventional "bass rules" dont seem to apply...they seem to always bite.
SO MY thoughts and my brother's thoughts who is very knowledgable about this:
1. The Fish bite so well...Does this mean they're HUNGRY/lacking forage? They sure don't look it...the fish r healthy and look to be eating well...Could be just the lack of pressure? But then again...the smallmouth population DROPPED...did the largemouth start eating smallmouth years ago?
2. Lack of forage was one of the biggest thoughts...BUT why are the fish in fairly good size range and only growning a couple ounces a year? But then again why is there NO HAWGS...the amount of time i've put on this water, I'd have to have stuck a 5-6lber if they're in there...Largest I've weighed was 4-14 off of a bed...I've had fish I thought were barely over 5 but no scale...But not many, 2-4fish total...
3. My Brother's main/biggest theory is this: too many bass. Sounds funny to a bass fisherman but he believes the population is TOO high...Too many fish competing for not enough forage to provide substantial growth for all the others. If this is the case what could I do? I have a 3rd and 4th pond (small 30acres, n 15 acres) that are shallow, very vegetated ponds with lots of bass but much smaller in general. Could I release fish from my livewell and throw them in the smaller ponds? (probably not legal even tho they're private). Is this a feasable idea: TOO MANY bass? It seems to make sense cuz the fishing's amazing number's wise and we do notice a small yearly average size growth so is it nothing to worry about?
IS there a way @ all to help the bass grow larger and to make this a lunker-holding body(ies) of water?
I'd greatly appreciate ANYONE's opinion but would be very happy to hear from someone with a degree or knowledge on this particular matter directly. Thank you in advance guys!!!
