Bought property with 18 acre lake. Ideas on making it a bass lake?

[shotgun]

UP-Date on Fish in pond ..... It seems to have a bunch od 1 to 3 pound large mouth in it ..... fishing from the bank 2 weeks ago with 50 degree water ... in a half a hour with a Yum Dinger Forked Tail ... I caught 9 LM's with the biggest just over 3 and lost 5 others ..... next day I tried again and got 11 and lost 4 in 45 minutes ..... Then the weather went all to hell and shut off the bite for a few days .... has not came back as good as it was ... but now am usually catching 2 to 4 fish each outing up and down the bank ..... can't wait to put a boat in the lake ....

ALSO .... is anyone out there have a small cat with a blade on it ... that would put in road in next to the lake for access for boat and better access from the bank ? That would trade the work for some bass fishing in my private 18 acre quarry lake ? Dirt is pretty soft with some small rocks in it . I am doing it with my back hoe , but its slow with it ... a cat would do short work of it .... I sure would be willing to do some tradeing ...........

Thanks.. Doug Ramey

Silverton Oregon ...

=====================================================================




We just bought a 30 acre property that used to be a quarry near Silverton ... The quarry made lake is approx. 18 acres ... 50 feet deep at is deepest ... Averages 25 feet ... and has 2 surmerged islands in it .... and banks slope quickly ... So , I am told .... I am also told that there are lots of bass , but not many Big Bass ... but lake is fished very little and only by previous owner and his friend and have all been catch and release ... also .. Blue Gill , Crappie , and Perch ... with some up to 2 pounds ... but not sure which ones ....

Being a quarry made lake and is mostly spring fed .... the structure only consists of mainly rock bottom .... Nothing has been put in it as far as any other type of structure .... I have found a source of christmas trees ....

QUESTION ..... I am looking for any ideas on what can be done to make this a big bass lake .... I know how to plant structure ... I know the importance of a good food chain .....

Any ideas ... besides the obvious ... like catch some big bass and put them in it .... would be greatly appreicated .... Like what to use ... where to get ... how much to use ???

Work to begin next month ... Picture shows lake inside of red area ...

Doug Ramey

===============================================================================

NEW INFO .........................................


Thanks to all that has added info .... I will get back to all the PM me as I can .. and there is a lot .....

Here are idea's so far ..........

# 1 ... Let everyone on OFF fish the lake ... I knew that was coming ......

2 ... Map out the lake top to bottom to know the layout ...

3 ... Add Christmas Trees to the depths and old trees on the banks going into the water ....

4 ... Add Lily Pads , Brown Cattail , and some type of schrubs on bank . Would like to find some willows for that ....

5 ... Add a dock or 2 for shade

6 ... Add Bull Frogs , Trout , Crawdad's , and some type of food source fish like shad ... Where do I get shad ?

7 ... Cut back population if they are 2 many small fish ( 10 to 12 inchers ) .. I have been in plenty of tournaments I would have liked to have had a couple 12 inchers in the boat ... and Introduce new blood to the lake .... Plus some small mouth ( FOR SURE !! ) .......

So far ... this is what has been suggested and all sound good .... I do have a large backhoe and am planning on cutting down some of the banks and pushing the dirt into the lake for more material for plants to grow in ..... and I will try to make some spawning areas .... if possible ....

Still looking for more ideas if they are out there ... THANKS every one ........

Doug Ramey

===============================================
Thanks... Doug Ramey

 

[Finneus Polebender]

Wow a very lucky soul will pm ya later with what I know on the subject.

 

[tomriker]

crawdads, get a bunch of traps, put them everywhere and bring them all back to fill up your pond! they will help with the weeds and will make the bass FAT

 

[FishFinger]

Welcome to the forum. Please keep us posted on the progress of your new lake. If you interested in riparian plantings, drop me a pm and I can give you a detailed list of native and viable species to consider.

 

[tomriker]

and to anyone that's going to **** and moan about "transplanting animals" and it ruins the ecosystem... it's a private pond he can do w/e the hell he wants with it

 

[ryan808]

Good deal on the property. Being a quarry I'm sure there is little structure in there, structure would be one of the key ingredients, not only for the bass but the fish they forage on. Throw in some sort of structure around the lake, Christmas trees tied to concrete blocks make great structure. I'm sure you'll figure it out and hopefully in a few seasons get that place producing 10lb hogs.

 

[Markcanby]

You may also have to some harvesting after you get a good Idea of the population.

 

[Markcanby]

If you need any help getting an idea of population or building structure Im sure there are a few of us that would be glad to help.

 

[OnTheFly]

and to anyone that's going to **** and moan about "transplanting animals" and it ruins the ecosystem... it's a private pond he can do w/e the hell he wants with it

Hey tomriker, why don't you be a little more productive on the topic or go and catch a carp somewhere.

Shotgun, You're liv'n the dream man! I'll say Polebender's going to research this for you very well but I had a thought. Perhaps you've thought of this but I'm wondering if there is some sort of small bait fish that would be a suitable food source for bass that could be part of the eco system as well. Also, I have not heard of any kind of bass hatchery but many lakes have been stocked by a few guys hauling fish in buckets. You ever heard of East Lake? Good luck on your project.

 

[Outdoor_Myers]

Well first I just have to ask, do OFF members get to fish it?

Second wow you are one lucky SOB! you landed i have to say most likely my dream land lol. Ok first you need to thin the flock if its over populated with bass they will stay small. Second yes the crawdad idea is good but so is keeping foliage alive and a good source of other live baits like minnows. Structure and not just Christmas trees see of you can sink a few dead trees off the banks so they are partially out of the water during the dry seasons. see if you can purchase some walleye or catfish, but don't take out the crappie and bluegill the bass will feed on their spawns also their own spawns. some shallow coves would be ideal for their spawning seasons, get some lily-pads and "healthy" shrubberies growing in the shallows. fish it once or twice a week to take out the smaller 12-13inch bass but don't fish in one spot.

 

[tomriker]

Hey tomriker, why don't you be a little more productive on the topic or go and catch a carp somewhere.

lol carp...

and i was making a suggestion on a food source to add to the bass that's rather inexpensive and easy to do, didn't mean to anger you

 

[GungasUncle]

Good suggestions here so far. Good luck with your endeavor with it. It might sound odd - but maybe you might consider planting some trout in that pond in addition to the bass/panfish that are in there. Old quarry to me sounds like deep, colder water. Not only would the trout provide you another main fish to fish for - but as Colby can attest - bass like eating trout, and even small bass will attempt to eat them. If you're wanting to grow Hawg size fish - this could be a good option.

Study the food chain there - see what could be missing. If you can get them - shad make good food for all the species you've listed that are already in there. Or find a "native" (to the region) bait fish that could substitute?

Congrats on the new property, and especially the lake.

Also - it hasn't been mentioned here yet - you might consider putting in a dock or two, if there's not already some present. Docks provide shade and cover for panfish and bass - and make handy fishing spots to boot. They also make it easier should you elect to put a boat on your new lake

 

[eggs]

Snorkle it and see what you really have to get an idea of the population and needs for structure, weeds and bait fish.

 

[eat, sleep, fish]

Congratz. I imagine it's a dream of most on here to have their own private lake.

If money isn't a problem there's a bunch of things you can do. First would be to get a good feel for the layout of the entire lake, and see exactly what it's got for structure currently. Snorkeling and a fish finder should give you a pretty good clue. For structure Christmas trees like you said make amazing structure for everything. You may want to look for something larger though, such as large trees, large stumps/rootwads, even old car bodies. If you could decrease the gradient of part of the lake it would also help.

As far as stocking goes, trout would be an excellent choice. They should be able to survive summers just fine in a lake that deep, although they may not be able to reproduce with out a stream inflow. They would provide excellent food for the bass, while also giving you another species to fish for. Crawdads as mentioned above would also be a good choice. And lastly if you've got a lot of smaller fish, harvesting the smallest ones will help to reduce competition.

 

[Irishrover]

Frogs.

 

[Markcanby]

Im just thinking back when I was a kid my Uncle had a gravel he tried to get fish going in but it was so sterile cause there was no dirt for teh bugs an stuff to live in. You may need to add organics to provide a base food source.

 

[nwkiller]

and to anyone that's going to **** and moan about "transplanting animals" and it ruins the ecosystem... it's a private pond he can do w/e the hell he wants with it

hahaha heck ya

 

[nwkiller]

man, i envy you very much sir.....good luck on the lake....and as MC said i sure u can find some field testers! (count me in)ray:

 

[Hawk]

Welcome to the Family Doug (shotgun).

It's wonderful you have some land with a lake. ConGrats.

If you put in some fill dirt to some of the shallow areas, water grasses will soon/ should start growing. One brown Cattail flower (has seedpods) will spread pretty dang fast. I like em in the pond but Keep them under control.

Water lily plants get beautiful blossums, & spread every year.

Best of Luck to you.

 

[fishingfreak]

and to anyone that's going to **** and moan about "transplanting animals" and it ruins the ecosystem... it's a private pond he can do w/e the hell he wants with it

I knew that was coming!:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: