What problem do I have with my Pond

[Brians2000]

Some will say this isn't a problem but I disagree. I have a 1.5 acre pond about five years old. I stocked it with bream and large mouth bass. For the past year or so my pond is full of 3 to 6 pound bass an a few smaller or about a pound. Actually I have all different size bass but the majority is 3 to 6 pounds. I haven't caught a decent size bream this year. There is a handful of small bream less than one quarter pound but I never catch 1 pound or better bream. Last summer I could catch a few 1 pound or better but I haven't this year. I enjoy eating fish and I like eating bream but it is no fun try to eat bream the size of french fries. I am thinking I have too many bass and need to start taking some out. Last week my dad took 3 bass that weighed about 3 pounds each and today I took 3 bass that weighed 1 pound and under. I fished this afternoon and I caught at least 15 bass and 12 of them were 3 pounds or better and my friend caught 5 that weighed 3 pounds or better and 1 that weighed about a pound. I took six bream home but they were all small. What is wrong with my pond? Some articles say I have too many bream and some say I have too many bass. I dont know what to believe. It seems to me I have way too many bass but I dont want to do anything to hurt a fun pound to catch fish in. Brian from SC

[BassinBoy]

Well sir that is not much of a problem.  The only bad thing is if all the bream go.  With big bass in the pond they have the ability to eat bigger bream.  Just as long there is enough bream in it it will balance out eventually.

[jiggerpole]

Try a feeder! Fertilizer! and possibly stock Tolopia to take away some of the pressure off your bream. In a small pond like that it can be a real balance act. It sounds like a good pond to fish in.

[SnowBass23]

From everything I've read and seen, and from growing up on a farm with several ponds, it seems you've lost some of the balance. yeah, it's great to have big bass, everyone wants that, but it looks like the number of large bass have grown due to all the larger bream they've been able to eat. In turn, the bass have gotten bigger, while the bream numbers have decreased and/or they can't live beyond the smaller sizes for being picked off.

I would make sure you are following an annual fertilization schedule. I know most states have state fisheries bioligists that you can get to come test the pond and make reccomendations. I would go that route. Get an expert in to test the water and soil. Not only can they let you know specific fertilizers you may be lacking in (for those tiny bream to get bigger they need food, and that chain will start with healthy algae and plankton), but they can also reccomend what changes need to be made, in how much/what type of fish you are harvesting.

It would also be important to make sure you are putting out brush piles and things so that the bream have a higher survivability rate and carefully harvest some of the bass to help acheive that balance. Good luck!

Also, if you aren't doing it already, a daily feeder on a timer will help those bream get a steady diet, which in turn gives you a steady diet!  

[Thefishy1]

Try a feeder! Fertilizer! and possibly stock Tolopia to take away some of the pressure off your bream. In a small pond like that it can be a real balance act. It sounds like a good pond to fish in.

I agree with the feeder idea. A small one should be able to handle a 1 acre pond, and with my bluegill experiance, they will get as big as you are willing to feed them.

If not I'm in SC also and I can come help catch some of those pesky bass ;D ;D

[Gatorbassman]

Snowbass23 is dead on. Do exactly what he said. The only thing I would add is instead of using brush piles, use some artificial fish attractors that will allow the small fish to hide and the big fish can't get into. Some of the best ones I have seen used are the plastic crates that they use to transport chickens. Get a couple dozen of them and put them close to your feeder. If you cant find them use milk crates but close off the open end.  As for feed check out what Purina has to offer in fish food. A great website to check out is www.pondboss.com. Their forums are all about pond management and most of the guys on there have small ponds and have probably had the same problem you have.

[Brians2000]

:-?Thanks everyone. I use a fish feeder now for the Bream. As far as adding brush or other things so the bream can hid from the Bass I have that covered also. I left alot of trees and brush in the pond when I built it. The bream have plenty of places to hid. I am going to try to find someone in the DNR to look at my pond to give me some ideas. Last year I posted something similar to this message and I even posted some pics of some of the bass. I am sure some of you remember me talking about this problem last year. Thanks Everyone

[Mattlures]

I would start eating the smaller bass when you ctch them. Even the 3lbers. Your pond is out of ballance. Another suggestion would be to add aditional forage. Shad, Crawfish, Tilapia,Shinners, Minnows. Most of those wont compete with the bluegill. Tilapia will but they are better eating so that should make you happy. You still have to kill some smaller bass though.