Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
I always bank my damn green sunfish. Do you release yours?
Catscratch House and Habitat build
- Thread starter Catscratch
- Start date
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Use them for bait. The big pond has them but we don't catch them often. They don't seem to be a detriment in that pond. Some of the other ponds are over ran with them, so that's where we bait fish.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
What’s your bass culling strategy? My lake is small vs yours. 2 acres. But I cannot get anything to grow. I’ve owned it for 4 years and I think it was new about a year or so prior to me. I hate it, but I’ve gotten to where this year I’ve banked almost every bass, green sunfish, crappie and cat I’ve caught. Leaving only bluegill and some of the larger bass alone. I’ve heard varying ideas on weights to cull but I’d guess I’m probably at about 25-30 lbs of bass this year assuming most at .5 lb. We’ve kept some to eat but I can only mess with so many. I have small pond weed which can be good structure but I also think it can clean up a lake too much. I’m way too clear. Thought about liming in the fall. I’d just love the opportunity to catch a 4-5 pounder once in a blue moon.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
You have the same strategy I'd have with your pond; vegetation around 30% of pond, harvest 20lbs per acre of bass (per yr), all crappie, and all green eared sunfish. Do you have a lot of stunted crappie? Crappie and green sunfish have big enough mouths to eat what bass should be eating. Keeps them from ever getting big enough to feed on the sunfish. I think Golden Shiners are important for my pond. Do you have those?
My goal bass harvest is 400lbs per yr. I let people fish. They have 2 rules; 1st they must keep every bass they catch, unless they got really excited catching it... then throw it back. 2nd rule if it's worth a mount to them they have to keep it.
My goal bass harvest is 400lbs per yr. I let people fish. They have 2 rules; 1st they must keep every bass they catch, unless they got really excited catching it... then throw it back. 2nd rule if it's worth a mount to them they have to keep it.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
We've been very fortunate to have great fishing with some real lunkers being caught over the last 10yrs or so!
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Geez that’s amazing! I don’t associate Kansas as a big bass state but I guess with the right ingredients a lot of places can be.
No I don’t have any shiners. I’m thinking about that too this fall. Pumping some food to them. My crappie are actually large. Love them…when they aren’t in my pond! Despise the catfish.
No I don’t have any shiners. I’m thinking about that too this fall. Pumping some food to them. My crappie are actually large. Love them…when they aren’t in my pond! Despise the catfish.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
Lol, KS isn't much for anything getting big!
Actually double digit bass are very rare. I've known a few guys who have caught 10's, but they are more scarce than 200 inch bucks. We're too far north for Florida genetics, so it's all Northerns. I've landed several 9's but still searching for that holy grail.
I like GS because they quickly outgrow a green sunfish's mouth gap. And they spend part of their life in open water where they don't get preyed on a lot. Keeps the food supply going!
I should have asked... do you have crawfish? Very high in protein, and bass love them! No better way of converting your nutrients tied up in plants into pounds of fish.
Actually double digit bass are very rare. I've known a few guys who have caught 10's, but they are more scarce than 200 inch bucks. We're too far north for Florida genetics, so it's all Northerns. I've landed several 9's but still searching for that holy grail.
I like GS because they quickly outgrow a green sunfish's mouth gap. And they spend part of their life in open water where they don't get preyed on a lot. Keeps the food supply going!
I should have asked... do you have crawfish? Very high in protein, and bass love them! No better way of converting your nutrients tied up in plants into pounds of fish.
Turkey Creek
5 year old buck +
Yea there is something amiss in the hormone department. If that is the case that deer will likely not lose its antlers it will be what is commonly called a "Cactus Buck". Perpetual velvet is a possibility.
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
The antlered doe was in perpetual velvet, and never seemed to gain any size to her antlers.
The deer I've been getting pics of this yr is a mystery. I'm hopeful it's a doe, and I'm hopeful it's the start of some crazy non-typical. Can't really go wrong unless it just disappears.
SD51555
5 year old buck +
That looks like a wonderful forage for big fish. If they stay longer and not tall, a big bass and big catfish will eat a lot of those and get bigger using less calories for those sandwich fish.
And holy crappie! I bet those are eating some bass too. I’d assume that’s a management gift. All the public waters around me are polluted with tens of thousands of 6” bass that nothing can eat, so they all starve together.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
They do stay longer than tall, and bass do love them. Although... I find more crawdads in stomachs than GS, I almost never find bluegill inside a bass. Sometimes observations don't line up with conventional wisdom.
The white crappie (I was holding in front of me in the pic) measured just over 19 inches. The state record is 17.5. Probably should have saved that one for a mount but I threw her back thinking I'd catch her again, but bigger. Nope!
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
We're in KC at the moment, probably less than a hour from you? His AAU team in a tournament up here.
Similar threads
