When growing largemouth bass or other sport fish in your lake, pond or other impoundment, there are times when a “stunted fishery” may occur.
This is a situation when the majority of a species have stopped growing and remain similar in size, usually because there is not enough forage to feed an overabundance of fish in a given size class. Many impoundment managers and bass anglers view a stunted bass fishery as a negative. That’s understandable, since fishing in a stunted population usually results in caught bass averaging approximately 7 to 12 inches and weighing less than a pound. So if fishing for quality largemouth bass is an important goal for an impoundment, managers need strategies in place to avoid or remedy a stunted fishery.
On the other hand, if growing trophy sport fish is not the primary goal, a stunted fishery is not a problem and even can be an advantage for some types of fishing. Each impoundment manager needs to determine whether a stunted bass fishery is right for his or her goals, and manage accordingly.
To ensure plenty of quality, trophy largemouth bass in an impoundment, the first step is to survey the population.
Refer to the Noble Research Institute publication How to Survey the Fish in Your Pond and follow the protocol to determine the fish species present, their size distribution and relative abundance in the impoundment.
Keep records of how many of each size are caught by location to track and evaluate the status of your fish populations.
If the survey reveals a stunted population, impoundment managers have several options to consider, depending on the conditions present.
You may need to stock bluegill to increase the food source for the bass, if bluegill are low in number or absent from the impoundment.
Another solution is to address low fertility in an impoundment by fertilizing the water to increase the microscopic plants (phytoplankton) that make up the base of the food chain.
Keep records of how many of each size are caught by location to track and evaluate the status of your fish populations.
In some cases, managers may need to remove adequate numbers of stunted fish to allow the desired trophy fish to grow. Note that increasing average size of bass by removal is easier in smaller impoundments than larger ones because of the labor involved in removing surplus fish. With that being said, be aware that it is easier to overfish smaller impoundments.
When bass removal is appropriate, follow these steps:
In one 16-acre impoundment, the manager was able to increase the average length and weight of caught bass by three-fourth inch and one-quarter pound, respectively, after removing 17 pounds of stunted bass per acre for two consecutive years.
Stunted bass fisheries can have several positives:
If you have one of the above goals and your impoundment already has a stunted bass population, keep the status quo.
If you wish to create a stunted bass fishery in an impoundment where there currently are varying bass sizes, remove most bass that are 12 inches or longer when caught.