Quick-Fix

EDITOR'S NOTE: To have a fishing hole that consistently will produce 8- pound bass or bigger, you'll have to do your homework. To pinpoint and fish these types of ponds, have a friend who's already intensively managing his pond. Or, manage your own farm pond carefully. But to have a big-bass fishing pond to fish, rent, lease, borrow or obtain permission from the landowner for you to help pay for the maintenance needed to build your dream pond.

To increase the productivity of a farm pond by the quickest method, simply fertilize it.

As John Johnson of the Scotts Company explains that research done for the company at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, has found that, "Proper fertilization and management of a pond will increase the fish yield by 200 - 400% over an unfertilized pond. An unfertilized pond may produce 100 pounds of fish per acre per year. But a fertilized pond will yield 200 to 400 pounds of fish per acre per year."

Fertilizing provides the nutrients to increase the growth of microscopic green plants called phytoplankton. Tiny animals feed on the phytoplankton, aquatic insects and small fish eat those phytoplankton, and then bass feed on the small fish. The more food constantly available, the bigger the bass will grow.

Also a good pond bloom will prevent most aquatic weeds from growing. A healthy bloom will keep sunlight from penetrating more than 18 to 24 inches below the surface, cutting off the light that weedy plants need to thrive.

But let's face it -- usually you'll find fertilizing a farm pond labor-intensive and costly. Realizing that fishermen want to grow big bass but prefer to spend more time fishing and less time fertilizing, the Scotts Company has developed a new Time-Released Pond Fertilizer that you can apply once a year. This fertilizer will continue to fertilize the pond throughout the year.

If you really want to boost the productivity of your pond, you also can use Scotts Water-Soluble Fertilizer, which eliminates the mess and hassle of having to mix fertilizer, and using a boat to spread it. To have that bass pond of your dreams close to home, simply fertilizing the pond will at least double the pond's ability to produce more and bigger bass.

To learn more about growing big bass in your pond, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Scotts Company, 14111 Scottslawn Road, Marysville, OH 43041 to receive a free farm-pond management calendar with important details on fertilization of farm ponds.

Tomorrow: Eat Skillet-Sized Bass From Your Pond