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54 • Nebraska Game and Parks Commission large individuals of one species more important than the other? Quantity usually has to be sacrificed to grow larger fish. Regardless of which option you choose, the key to success is controlled harvest. Keep records of the fish caught in your pond and make sure anglers are only harvesting the species and sizes of fish suited to your plan. A lack of harvest may be a bigger problem than too much harvest and will likely result in your specialized management efforts not working. When reading about the following harvest recommendations for the various management options, keep in mind anglers have to obey regulations set for private waters. Regardless of which option is chosen, any catfish harvest will require they be restocked periodically to maintain a viable fishery. Since bass are effective predators on small channel catfish, replacement catfish will have to be at least 10 inches long. Management Option 1: No Harvest Restrictions Although harvest without any restrictions requires no management effort by the pond owner, it will rarely provide more than one or two years of good fishing. Anglers are allowed to keep as many fish as they can catch within regulations set for private waters. Anglers will likely catch nice bass and bluegills during the first few years; however, the catch in succeeding years will usually consist of some small bass and numerous small bluegills. Once bluegills become overabundant and their growth slows, few will reach sizes most anglers like to catch for sport or keep. This option would be a choice for pond owners who are just interested in catching fish and are not concerned about size. Management Option 2: All-Purpose (Balanced Pond) If you are interested in catching fish of a variety of sizes, you can utilize the All-Purpose option to either maintain or get your pond back into balance. To catch some bass longer than 15 inches, the numbers of 8- to 12-inch bass must be reduced, especially if the pond has high bass recruitment (high survival of age 2 and younger fish). Removal of these smaller bass reduces competition and improves bass growth, which allows some bass to attain lengths over 15 inches. Most fertile ponds, particularly those in the southeastern part of the state, can have up to thirty 8- to 12-inch bass harvested per acre per year the fourth year after fingerlings are stocked. All 12- to 15-inch bass should be released in order to produce fish over 15 inches long. Having high numbers of bass, particularly 12- to 15-inch bass, also reduces the number of small and intermediate size bluegill. This will result in producing bluegills of various sizes, with some reaching 8 inches. Anglers can harvest bluegill and catfish as desired. You will need to monitor the level of submergent aquatic vegetation; too much vegetative cover will prevent bass from effectively controlling bluegills. See page 63 for various vegetation control techniques. Management Option 3: Large Bluegill (Unbalanced Pond) If you're more interested in catching big bluegills than big bass, anglers should release all bass caught less than 15 inches long. Bass over 15 inches long can be harvested, but few bass will reach that size, due to competition for food. By having a high density of small bass, bluegills will be effectively controlled. With overcrowded small bass, the few bluegill that avoid predation by bass will grow fast and reach a size large enough that the bass can't eat them. This will produce more 8-inch and larger bluegills than other management options. Although there normally are no harvest restrictions on bluegill or catfish, some of the big bluegills should be returned to produce even Authorization from the Commission is required before any bass less than 15 inches can be harvested or removed from private waters.