Make a Small-Bass Pond a Big-Bass Pond

EDITOR'S NOTE: To have a fishing hole that consistently will produce 8-pound bass or bigger, you'll have to do your homework. To pinpoint and fish these types of ponds, have a friend who's already intensively managing his pond. Or, manage your own farm pond carefully. But to have a big-bass fishing pond to fish, rent, lease, borrow or obtain permission from the landowner for you to help pay for the maintenance needed to build your dream pond.

Although a pond may have a history of producing only small bass, you and/or the landowner can change the dynamics of that pond to produce trophy bass in a relatively short time.

As Don Keller, a fishing-pond consultant and co-owner of American Sportfish, a fish hatchery located in Montgomery, Alabama, explains, "The first step is to hire a small-pond consultant. The county agent or the fisheries section of your state Department of Conservation can give you names and addresses of private consultants who will evaluate your pond and make recommendations. For a cost of about $400, a consultant will determine the quality of your water and advise you whether to lime and/or fertilize the pond to produce more food for more fish."

Next this consultant will make harvest recommendations to reduce the numbers of small bass and increase the numbers of bluegills for the bass to feed on to enable the bass to grow to the bigger sizes quickly. He may suggest you utilize fish feeders to grow the bluegills faster, which means more of the bluegills will survive.

To learn more about growing big bass, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to American Sportfish, % Don Keller, PO Drawer 20050, Montgomery, AL 36120 to get a special free report, "Secrets to Small-Pond Management."

Tomorrow: Feed The Bluegills