Pond Management Question

Hey everyone,

This past weekend I was able to get out on some ice and fish a buddy's pond. We managed to get about 7 crappie topside. They are all nice ones at least 13". It's not a very big pond by any means. But, it got me wondering how we should harvest on the pond. I normally just bass fish that pond and they are relatively small largemouths. But, I know there are some serious tanks in there as I did see a 7 pounder pulled out.

So, my question is whether we need to thin out the crappie a bit in order to have a more stable fish population. Normally I wouldn't pull the big crappies out. But, that seems like the best thing in order to have a pond of healthy fish. Thoughts?

They all eat and compete for the same food. Personally I would get the small bass out first and second small crappie if there are any. Takes a long time for fish to grow so dinks gotta go.

I was told by someone that crappie can really take over a pond if not managed. Are the smaller bass more predatory than say those larger crappie? I honestly haven't seen any crappie in there under 10 inches. This place isn't getting fished a ton. But, I would really like to see it with more stable fish sizes. I'm not opposed to keeping some of those large mouths to help the cause.

I put crappie in my pond but never anything under 9 or 10 inches. I've never caught a small crappie out of it. At least no 4 to 7 inchers like at Smithville. I really don't think they spawn in my pond but who knows?

The water is real clear and I can see Bass and Bluegill on beds but never seen a crappie on a bed. I would also say bass eat more but just my opinion. My pond is small I'd guess and acre and a half at most.

No matter what I'd start with removing the smaller fish either species. I have a hard time throwing them on the bank to die so I normally load a trash can or two and take to a nearby park that has a public fishing lake.

I don't have a pond. I'm not educated on maintaining fisheries.

But it seems to me, if you have nice quantities of 10+" crappie in a relatively small pond, the crappie aren't your problem.

I'd harvest more of the 1# bass if it were my pond, and probably some of the larger crappie in order to make room for those younger 10"-ers to grow to 12+.

You raise an interesting question when comparing a smaller bass to a larger crappie in terms of which is more predatory and which is going to compete more for the limited amount of food.

Wish I knew more about it to give a knowledgeable answer but I just don't know.

From the fishing shows and magazines. I would agree with above take out more of the small bass first. Also if you can leave the bigger male crappie they have more to do with successful spawn.

Smaller bass need to be thinned out for sure. I wouldn't keep too many of those big crappie unless you know there is a good population of them. Those big crappie could be the main predator in the pond and removing the big one's could allow the smaller crappie and gills to take over the pond. Seen it happen more than once on smaller lakes 5 acres or less.

I've managed several smaller ponds/lakes and I would recommend seining a section of the lake and that would give you a better idea of what is in there. Lots of time you will find what smaller/younger fish are in the lake and what is actually reproducing. Also take a big throw net in middle of lake and do same thing. I would say shock it if you know someone with the equipment.

There was a short thread on this question back in 2015---> Thread: How many crappie to take per acre?

I always kept 15-20 crappie per acre in my ponds and 6-12 bass per acre and it seemed to work well and the fish had good size. I can't remember where I found those numbers, but I judged it on the size of the fish being caught. More small fish meant keeping more.

Tons of info here with a blog and a forum. :ThumbsUp

Pond Boss Magazine: Resource Guide

Thanks for the info! I think we are going to thin out some of the bass and crappie. I know there are some big fish in there for sure. It's a great pond and almost a guarantee to catch something every time. Not an issue to catch 20+ bass in a day. Just want to see them a little bigger. The crappie were excellent sizes. I don't want to pull too many of those out because I just don't know how many there are and then leave the pond with a ton of sub 8s. I think the consensus is pointing towards select harvesting of some of the smaller bass and crappie if possible.

I think it also matters if it is black or white crappie. Blacks are a lot more likely to feed on invertebrates while whites like minnows.
I agree with removing some of the smaller bass as well as smaller crappie. The decision has to do with what you are catching. If you start seeing a lot of small crappie or stunted bass, you should probably increase the harvest on those smaller fish.



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