Need advice please, Rick Z.

[Joe Hyde]

Hey Rick,


Not much happening down here right now. It's been pretty cold lately. Or if not cold, then we get high winds. You know the deal.

Yesterday I visited with a man who invited me to fish in a large pond that his son owns. The reason he invited me is because his son wants a bit more help in reducing the number of little bass (12 inches and shorter) that live in his pond.

Needless to say, I thanked him and said I would sure try to get out there sometime. I would have accepted his invite with an iron-clad promise, except the first thought that popped into my head is that this pond must be out of balance. Things must be pretty bad if there's so many little bass that they've become an aggravation to the owner?

I'm sure you've encountered this sort of thing before. Many of your Panfish stories relate to the 7-to-1 panfish-to-bass removal ratio as a good way to maintain a pond's productivity. What I don't recall from your earlier stories is the "catch and keep" strategy you used when fishing ponds that start off with too many little bass; usually the problem is too many panfish.

We all know that little bass are extremely aggressive feeders. So when approaching a pond infested with largemouth dinks do you exploit their aggressive nature to remove a great number of them, and then when the "little bass bite" tapers off (indicating you've removed enough) THEN you switch back to the 7 lb. panfish/1 lb. bass removal ratio?

Even if I don't end up fishing this pond I would like to recommend some sort of removal strategy that the landowner and his dad can give thought to using.

I would have PM'd you with this question but lots of BB members may someday encounter this same situation. All those inquiring minds would appreciate some advice. I sure would.


Thanks,

Joe
"Better small than not at all."

[Rick Z]

I rarely run onto this.
I would make sure that there an bluegills in this pond.
If not then there is no food for the bass. Put some gills in.
If the gills are in there then some of the bass need to be taken out.
How msany depends on when you see the sizeincreasing steadily.

Rick

[FishnDave]

Might also depend on what the owner's goal is. Big bass, or big bluegills? Many times, its either/or, rarely both.

[Uncle Jesse]

Have you thought about calling the cooperative extension service. I am assuming this is a national federal program to help farmers and gardeners. Down here they are knowledgeable or have access to knowledgeable people in the field of pond and lake management. You might find something on their website, again I am assuming they have one. The feds might bail you out on this one for relatively low cost.

[MR.JML]

In Mittry Lake, there are both big Bass, & big Bluegills. I would also add some Waterdogs &
some Frogs for the Largemouth's enjoyment; maybe some Crawfish too.
Certainly check with the Extension. Curious to see what strain the Bass would be.
Florida strain Largemouth seem to do best & grow large very quickly. This is at least true here in Arizona warm waters !!!!!

[Joe Hyde]

Thanks Rick, and everyone else for the replies/advice.

When I visited initially with the pond owner's dad, he mentioned that they went ice fishing on this pond last winter and caught lots of bluegills and crappie, also the aforementioned largemouth shorties. So there are bluegills in the pond.

This guy's wife has a computer. (Well, they both own it but she's the only one who knows how to use it.) I don't know if a person has to be an FAOL member in order to read our BB posts, but I'll steer her in this direction anyway; if she can access the BB then he can read your reply, Rick, plus the others, too.

If the computer option doesn't work, I'll pass along these suggestions verbally. I told him that I was asking for your advice, Rick. But for now I'll go with passing along your suggestion about removing more of those little bass, as the main suggestion. That should do the job. And actually, this was the same solution the landowner's dad voiced to me.

I saw the Dad this afternoon, but it was before I checked my email inbox. Consequently, I didn't have all these suggestions handy to pass along. This afternoon he told me that last year a number of 5 and 6 lb. bass were taken out of the pond. I told him it was just my guess, but removing those largest predators might be what threw the pond out of balance, that the best thing to do with bass this big is to shoot a quick photo then release them so they can keep the panfish in check. He said his son always tells people to do exactly that, but not everyone complies?


Joe

[bugman]

not fishing related but... you might get a signed letter from him stating that you have permission to fish the pond if its on private land... here in texas, if ya dont have a letter signed & dated ya can git in a big bind... meaning either a huge fine and or jail time... a few years ago a man named dan which is a good friend of mine gave me permission to fish 1 of 3 big bream ponds he had in turnertown texas... i took up the offer... he had to leave to take care of some stuff & while he was gona police drove up... costed me 400$ in fines + 70$ court cost back then... dan got back & talked with the police the next day but didnt do any good... all they said is ya shoulda had a letter... dont know how it is where your at but here its crazy...

[Joe Hyde]

bugman,


A crazy law, did you say? Try "Certifiably Psychotic".

And even if a fly fisher did have a letter on their person authorizing the trespass, how is the officer to know the letter is genuine?

The way this situation should be constitiuted is that the landowner has the option of posting his or her property with signs that read "Trespass by written permission only". THEN if you don't have the letter in your possession the officer can cite you.

But even with your law the way it is now, once any fair-minded judge discovered that you actually did have permission from the landowner to fish that pond, the charge against you should have been dismissed or the fine greatly reduced.

This state law ought to be challenged and overturned, taken to Federal District Court if necessary. What you describe is a state usurpation of private property ownership rights. The state of Texas is not physically taking the property, true, but it might as well be taking it by dictating the method by which owners of private land let otherwise law-abiding citizens enter onto it? I can understand this sort of oppressive arrogance happening in the old communist Soviet Union, but not in Texas.

Something tells me this law got pushed through your legislature by a partnership of wealthy absentee landowners and wealthy sportsmen who typically acquire a stranglehold on hunting and fishing areas by means of high-dollar leases.

And now...back to Zip-cast. Good thing I was going to Cabela's next week anyway; I'm gonna buy some of that stuff!


Joe

[Rick Z]

Another thing I rmember last night, is that several lakes in Texas have rulles that you must take any bass of a certainsize you catch. SOmething like 12 to 16 inches long.
Catch & release fishing was leaving too many bass in to get any growth.

Rick

[joe cool]

Im guessin that was a typo and supposed to be 12 to 16 inches? picturing a 166 inch bass is kinda tough