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We kinda are thinking about the local ponds we frequent. Run-off pollution from hillside poop spreading by the dairies, in general, seems to effect all the inhabitants of THEIR ponds. The ponds belong to the dairies, so.......?
Anyways.....We were thinking of the ponds we see go to poop as far as big BG's and it seems that it may start with the indiscriminate take of LM's by "workers" who harvest to supplement a very poor income. They seem to harvest almost ALL the LM's they can catch, and have little interest in the BG's. And this in turn seems to let the small BG's proliferate and it seems quite detrimental to their population. I guess what we're thinking is that the harvest of big bass (or any bass) is more detrimental to the BG's than any BG's we do harvest.....within reason.
Somebody told us once that a pond will produce only so many pounds of fish. It is our choice if we want 100 - 1# fish or 10 - 10# fish in the pond......?
We had a chance to fish a "new" pond in Wa. state (Kaholotus, WA.) some time ago for about 6 years, at it's start, before it was "irrigated" up. The interesting thing was to watch the BG's go from a general size of 6 3/4" - 7 1/4", the first year we were there, to about
7 3/4" the next and about 8 1/4" the next and up to about 9" where they seemed to level out. THEN they drained it too low for irrigation and we lost our informal study lab. It was a hoot while it lasted though. It would have been interesting to see where it finally leveled out for fish production though.
Just more fodder....
...lee s.
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An email we sent discussing some ideas as to ponds and BG's recently.
We are kinda of the thought that it generally takes more than direct harvest of BG's with a wad and a wand, to effect BG's. Maybe not in public water, but in the private ponds we frequent, where, I would guess angler harvest to be mediocre at best.
I guess what we're thinking is that, to have big BG's, it is more important to have 10 - 10# bass than 100 - 1# bass so to speak. Or I guess, the key to producing big BG's (public water or not?) is predation.....and big bass are mush more effective than us at predation..... Make any sense at all?
Rick, you pester private pond a bit, yes? Your insight along these lines.....?

Always curious....
......lee s.