lake management HELP : NEW VIDEO

[pitchNbass]

So I fish a privately owned 175 acre lake here in Florida. Me and my buddy are the only people who fish it and it's absolutely full of bass. In the last two years we've probably caught close to or more than 10,000 bass out of it with, which is fun but the quality isn't what it could be. Out of all the bass I've caught, only one 9lb+, one 8lb+ and about ten bass over 7lbs... I'd say 50% of the bass I catch are between 2-3lbs, 25% between 3-5lbs, and 15% less than 2lbs and 10% over 5lbs. The owner says there have been 10lb+ bass caught out of it, but judging by the length of some of the bass I catch, it's going to be difficult to find a 10lb+ bass when the water is so overpopulated. I catch 24" bass pretty routinely but we are talking about 6-7lb bass in this water unfortunately. How should I go about lower the population in this water? I don't eat bass, and I always catch and release. I know I need to kill the bass, but that would be pretty tough for me. Do I really have a reason to start slaying these little guys? Tossing them on the bank? Clubbing them with an oar? Is there any humane method to this, or should I just accept the fact it's overpopulated and fish it. This lake could just produce insane fish tho. 175 acres, average depth is around 10-15ft, with 50% being 25-30ft deep. Ton of water.

[Lund Explorer]

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[MattinOK]

Fiar' up the grill... yum yum... 

[Glenn]

You either need to add forage or thin the herd, otherwise nature will do it for you (fish kill).

[pitchNbass]

I'll start keeping fish. I don't know if a 175 acre lake will have a fish kill, there is tons of crappie, bluegill, tilapia and what not in the lake. I mean the fish I catch still have bellies, it's not like they are starving, but they just aren't getting their full potential. I need to get a guy in a electrofishing boat and zap the little guys out. With a little management, DD bass would be routine. Here is a video of a unhealthy 7lb bass that should be a lot bigger IMO. This is one of the worst fish I thought I could give you guys a perpective. Forgive my gf's commentary, she doesn't get to see a lot of the bigger fish I catch.

[garland7]

I think Glenn is right! Even if you don't eat the fish yourself, What about neighbors, friends or needy families? To keep QUALITY fish there in the lake, your going to need to thin the population from some of the eating size fish.

[pitchNbass]

Here is a healthy 7.2, but she was full of eggs.

Here is a very unhealthy 5.0lb bass, but this was 2 years ago. The bass seem to be more healthier than the last 2 years.

[Paul Roberts]

Those are not unhealthy bass I see there -just thin.

You need to aggressively thin the herd if you want more weight on those frames. Don't be squeamish, and you don't have to eat them. Check regs though.

[pitchNbass]

Well those are some of thinnest 5+ I've caught so I guess I shouldn't be concerned. I do know the fish are a lot fatter and healthier this year than last. It's probably due to the fact I've caught so many and probably accidently kill some in the process.

[Fat-G]

Well those are some of thinnest 5+ I've caught so I guess I shouldn't be concerned. I do know the fish are a lot fatter and healthier this year than last. It's probably due to the fact I've caught so many and probably accidently kill some in the process.

I know what you mean. I've thought about getting permission to keep alot of the small fish at my pond I fish. Two ponds I fish have potential to give up more than one 10+ each year, they just need to be thinned out.

The more I think about it though, all of the fish I catch over 4 are all fat and healthy. I've never caught a 5 pound 2x4.

[South FLA]

I have a similar situation in my community lake/canal system. After reading plenty of books and magazines, Pond Boss, it appears to me that you may have to start culling out bass and adding forage to increase your bass weight. I would think about hiring an aquatic management company to do an electo-shock survey and advise you regarding strategy.

[pitchNbass]

I have a similar situation in my community lake/canal system. After reading plenty of books and magazines, Pond Boss, it appears to me that you may have to start culling out bass and adding forage to increase your bass weight. I would think about hiring an aquatic management company to do an electo-shock survey and advise you regarding strategy.

I'd like to get someone who does that kind of research to help me out, but the thing is this isn't some little pond. It's 175 acres with most of the water being 30 feet deep. That is a ton of water. I imagine it would take quite some time to manage something of this size. I mean most of the lakes I fish back home in San Diego aren't even this big. Probably cost a lot of money and time to do it.

[etommy28]

What you do is get a couple of your bass resource buddys from florida and get them to come help you catch and maybe keep a few smaller fish to help take the presure off the big ones.

[fishbio]

An electrofishing survey will give you an accurate snapshot of what's happening with your bass population. Using the same gear, the proper sizes and numbers can be removed. It would take some time but even a lake your size can be managed. Like some of the others suggested, fire up the grill and/or call the neighbors! Most large private lakes don't get the harvest pressure needed to maintain good growth and size structure. Catch and release has its applications...but doesn't sound like there's enough pressure (harvest) to maintain long-term growth in your lake. Hope this helps.