Managing Private Lakes

[kellenMO]

Hey guys, there is a 4 acre lake on my granfathers farm (central MO) that I fish all the time and I had some questions about managing it. The main problem is the size of the bass: about 99 percent of the bass we catch are 11-14 inches and skinny. I have caught two bass out of it that were over 20 inches. One was about 24 inches and about 7lbs, which is pretty normal. But the other was 25 or so inches and only about 4-5 lbs (on a scale). We have been taking out about 60 small bass (7-12 inchers) a year on average for the past two years to create more food for the bigger bass, but the results have only increased a very little bit. We are going to indroduce more cover for the bass, but what else should we try?

THANKS FOR READING. Heres a pic of the 4-5lb 25 incher

[Grey Wolf]

You're on the right track , just start taking more small bass a year and see what happens. By the way welcome to BR.

[Mason D]

I read somewhere that for private waters, you need to take out 300ish lbs of bass per acre of the pond in a year if it is overpopulated. And around 110ish per acre once it is at a healthy population.

[zenyoungkoh]

Im no expert, but maybe more food will do the trick?

[kellenMO]

Im no expert, but maybe more food will do the trick?

Yes I agree, but what could I put in the lake that would not over-run it but still provide food for the bass?

Some kind of native minnows?

Thanks again guys

[Oscar O.]

Yes I agree, but what could I put in the lake that would not over-run it but still provide food for the bass?

Some kind of native minnows?

Thanks again guys

What's already in it?

[TheLastRodBender]

what do the bluegill/crappie populations look like? If you have larger bluegill/crappie it may be having a strain on the bass... not only can they not eat these fish due to size, but they may be overtaking the baitfish

[Gatorbassman]

Double how many bass you take out and put in more cover for the bait fish to hide and grow bigger. Give the baitfish a chance to grow to a size where they are more beneficial to the bass when they get eaten. Thick brush piles work well but if you want a more permanent place for the baitfish then 15 or 20 milk crates anchored upside down in 3-5ft of water works well. When they become to big to hide in them they are the perfect size for a big bass to eat. You might even want to stock more bluegill and fathead minnows depending on where you live. More food for less bass is how you keep them growing.

Keep a lenght/weight record of every fish that is caught out of the lake. This will let you know if what you are doing is working. Once you reach your goal keep taking bass out or it will happen all over again. Even the father of catch and release, Ray Scott, will tell you that catch and release is fine for large public lakes but if you do it in small private lakes you are killing your chances at a true trophy.

[kellenMO]

What's already in it?

Honestly, I have no clue. I've seen some minnows in there before, but not enough

[Hyrule Bass]

i would start by finding out what else is in there besides bass since you say youre not sure. maybe break out some good old fashioned night crawlers, fish the bottom, fish the upper level with a bobber, see if there is bluegill or crappie or catfish in the pond. chances are you probably wouldve caught a crappie on a bass lure by now though. or ask someone who may know whats in the pond. it definately seems like its overpopulated with bass, but there could also be other fish competing for the same food sources as the bass. like catfish or crappie. bluegill is a nice food source for the bass, but other fish may be competing with the bass directly. if there are catfish and/or crappie you may want to take a bunch of those out too. ive heard crappie will take over ponds and choke them, i imagine catfish would do the same...

[dhami013]

I currently manage a 5 acre lake and recommend the following:

Keep a log of what you catch. Try to scope out other populations such as blue gill and crappie. Take out the smaller bass like you have been doing. Keep a log of how many you take out.

Create bait fish structure. Go to your nearest dump or grocery store and ask or see if they have any spare pallets. (The wooden things the put cases of things on)

Create structure for bass. Also read up on the internet on managing small lakes. There's tons of information on the internet.

[B A S S E R]

I wouldn't add any additional baitfish until you figure out what is in there already and continue to take out bass. adding stuff like that can just make things that much worse. add some structure and as others have said figure out what else is in there.

[zenyoungkoh]

Yes I agree, but what could I put in the lake that would not over-run it but still provide food for the bass?

Some kind of native minnows?

Thanks again guys

Since your bass r pretty thin, so i doubt that minnows will over run ur lake. and yes, native minnows will do.