Backyard Bass Pond - Stocking Minnows and Adding Structure

Ryan Hoelke
Ryan Hoelke
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Published 2022-10-23
#pondfishing #basspond #baitstocking

Stocking a backyard bass pond with minnows and bait. I make a large scale minnow purchase from a bait shop and dump in over 1000 minnows! The goal is to get enough minnows to breed and reproduce that they continue to grow their numbers in a self-sustaining population which will feed the large bass in the pond for years to come. But, the shiners need more cover! We add some Christmas Trees to the pond to give the small bait and minnows something to use for hiding and shelter. Clear underwater filming shows just how valuable the trees are to the small baitfish as they stick to the trees like glue. The Smallmouth Bass lurks below and hunts the minnows trying to flush them out of the structure all caught on the underwater camera.

The trees provide shelter for the minnows and baitfish, but also surprisingly for the frogs. The popular frogs make a return from my previous bait stocking video and take a liking to the trees. The frogs use the above water portion of the trees for shelter, while the fish and bait use the underwater section of the same tree for cover below. The frogs like the trees and pond so much, that they breed and create thousands of small tadpoles that swim in groups around the pond perimeter.

I grab my fishing rod and try to catch a few bass for the first time. On the first cast, I catch the original and largest smallmouth bass in the pond. This fish was caught in a minnow trap the pervious summer and released into the pond to grow and live. The one year growth rate that this fish did is astounding, as this bass is eating very well and doing a number to my minnow population. I catch a few of the smaller bass and release them into the nearby river.

Minnow trapping results in a wide variety of species, including some tadpoles, sunfish and even a salamander! The trappings are released into the pond to live and grow.

Please like and subscribe for more upcoming video on the backyard bass pond as we continue to build the ponds eco-system and get ready to catch and release some large bass into the pond.

Previous Pond Videos:
Pond Stocking Video:    • Stocking Backyard Bass Pond with Shin...  
Pond Digging Video:    • Digging a Pond with an Excavator  
Winter Pond Video:    • Pond Update: Add Structure, Underwate...  

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Music: Raindrops by David Cutter Music
davidcuttermusic.com/
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