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Catching the Big Bass: Take more fish out of your pond to get trophy bass

DNR says extract ten pounds of bass, per acre, per year and double that if you fertilize your pond.

A lot of folks will pick up a pole and go fishing this summer.

You may believe in catch and release -- in other words, catch a fish and throw him back in to get bigger -- but if you want trophy bass in your pond, catch and release is not the way to go.

Christopher Lee Batson admits he throws fish back in the water.

"I normally don't keep it unless it's a 10-pound or 12-pound -- I'll keep it then but mount one -- but other than that, I pretty much throw them back," he said.

DNR Ranger Zack Brock says pulling fish out of any body of water is generally good for the population, especially if you want big bass.

Think of it this way -- bass feed on bream and there are only so many pieces of the pie to go around.
The fewer the bass, the more they have to feed on, so the bigger they get.

"We've had a lot of calls and people saying, 'My pond is loaded with small bass. What should I do?' And so we often recommend start removing them, catching them and keeping them, not catching them and releasing them, "Brock said.

The Department of Natural Resources does have a simple equation when it comes to managing your ponds and the number of fish you should take out. Just think 10 pounds of bass per acre, per year. If you fertilize your pond, you want to take out double that amount.

Batson says he's now a believer.

"I didn't know that I never knew that until today, until you all said something about it, but if you want me to keep them, I'll start keeping them," he stated.

Which means dinner is on the table.

"They're delicious, they are very tasty, so I recommend going home and eating them," Brock said.

As for the equation of 10 pounds of bass per acre per year, that number doubles if you fertilize your pond.

You do not need a fishing license to fish on private property, but you do need a license to fish in public fishing areas like Flat Creek.

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