Hopefully this is posted in the correct forum...
I'm trying to get some opinions on what to stock our lake with in order to get the biggest bass possible, while also leaving a baitfish population in place.
Lake info and history:
7 Acres - up to 12ft in middle, with one end very shallow(2-4ft)
Spring fed - there is always areas where the water is between 50 - 60 degF, even in the middle of summer. The water is continuously replaced, as it overflows constantly(unless there is a severe drought).
Bottom is covered in shale/silt/mud, but also has rock walls/etc scattered about...Lots of shale in the area, and when it rains, it runs into the lake.
Initially(20+ years ago), the lake was just stocked with rainbow trout(which won't reproduce in the lake). They survived fine, but had to be restocked. Eventually, someone used shiners(not sure which kind), to catch the trout and then released them into the lake. Soon, the lake was absolutely saturated with shiners, to the point where each stroke with an oar would send dozens of shiners flying into the air.
Stocking of the lake was ceased, and the lake community decided to stock with largemouth bass(wish they would have gone with smallmouth, but oh well). At first, the bass thrived due to the huge mass of baitfish. A few people pulled bass over 24" out in only a few years.
The shiners soon became extinct. Then the frogs/crayfish/newts(spelling?) started to decline drastically. Eventually, the large bass were gone. Now and then you will see a HUGE bass, but it has become a rare site. Most are tiny and underweight. They look healthy, but thin(meaning no disease or parasites that I could see).
Before addressing the food problem, they for some reason decided to stock with rainbow again. This only made the problem worse. Now we have rainbows that don't seem to be getting as big as they should, and a large population of "micro-bass".
Finally I got it into their heads that they need to create a baitfish population for the bass, and possibly get a feeder for the trout/baitfish.
My question really pertains to what kind of baitfish would be best? All of the reading/research I have done points to bluegills/fathead minnows as the best bass feed. I've also read that sunnies can work well too.
A friend down the road has a pond filled with "hybrid sunnies". They decided they will harvest those and use them for bass feed. I've done some research on the "hybrid sunnies", and it seems they probably are not the best choice. I've read that most offspring are sterile, and they grow very fast. Since our population of bass is quite small, I worry the sunnies may grow too fast for the bass to eat. Plus, if they don't reproduce enough, it doesn't seem they would provide enough food.
I'm trying to make them hold off on the "hybrid sunnies" for now....
1 - What is the best baitfish to stock?
2 - Best time to stock? Spring/Fall
3 - Will a fish feeder work well to feed the baitfish and/or trout?
The pic is about as big as they get now...Half the size of the average bass maybe 5 years ago. The one in the pic is actually fat compared to most that are pulled up now.
I'm trying to get some opinions on what to stock our lake with in order to get the biggest bass possible, while also leaving a baitfish population in place.
Lake info and history:
7 Acres - up to 12ft in middle, with one end very shallow(2-4ft)
Spring fed - there is always areas where the water is between 50 - 60 degF, even in the middle of summer. The water is continuously replaced, as it overflows constantly(unless there is a severe drought).
Bottom is covered in shale/silt/mud, but also has rock walls/etc scattered about...Lots of shale in the area, and when it rains, it runs into the lake.
Initially(20+ years ago), the lake was just stocked with rainbow trout(which won't reproduce in the lake). They survived fine, but had to be restocked. Eventually, someone used shiners(not sure which kind), to catch the trout and then released them into the lake. Soon, the lake was absolutely saturated with shiners, to the point where each stroke with an oar would send dozens of shiners flying into the air.
Stocking of the lake was ceased, and the lake community decided to stock with largemouth bass(wish they would have gone with smallmouth, but oh well). At first, the bass thrived due to the huge mass of baitfish. A few people pulled bass over 24" out in only a few years.
The shiners soon became extinct. Then the frogs/crayfish/newts(spelling?) started to decline drastically. Eventually, the large bass were gone. Now and then you will see a HUGE bass, but it has become a rare site. Most are tiny and underweight. They look healthy, but thin(meaning no disease or parasites that I could see).
Before addressing the food problem, they for some reason decided to stock with rainbow again. This only made the problem worse. Now we have rainbows that don't seem to be getting as big as they should, and a large population of "micro-bass".
Finally I got it into their heads that they need to create a baitfish population for the bass, and possibly get a feeder for the trout/baitfish.
My question really pertains to what kind of baitfish would be best? All of the reading/research I have done points to bluegills/fathead minnows as the best bass feed. I've also read that sunnies can work well too.
A friend down the road has a pond filled with "hybrid sunnies". They decided they will harvest those and use them for bass feed. I've done some research on the "hybrid sunnies", and it seems they probably are not the best choice. I've read that most offspring are sterile, and they grow very fast. Since our population of bass is quite small, I worry the sunnies may grow too fast for the bass to eat. Plus, if they don't reproduce enough, it doesn't seem they would provide enough food.
I'm trying to make them hold off on the "hybrid sunnies" for now....
1 - What is the best baitfish to stock?
2 - Best time to stock? Spring/Fall
3 - Will a fish feeder work well to feed the baitfish and/or trout?
The pic is about as big as they get now...Half the size of the average bass maybe 5 years ago. The one in the pic is actually fat compared to most that are pulled up now.
