A little about the lake (PLEASE READ EVERYTHING)
I fish at this 165 square acre lake in middle Ohio. It is in a gated community (Cinnamon Lake). It isn't the healthiest body of water I have seen. In late spring it starts growing weeds and every GD year they dump poison in there. It kills the weeds and all summer the lake is filthy with loose strands of weeds everywhere. In fact last summer they stocked the lake with at least 10 50 pound grass carp. I would say the fish are under somewhat high pressure from anglers but the main problem in my opinion is the unhealthy ecosystem.
So that brings me to this point. There are definitely NO type of forage fish in the lake. The only type of small fish would be after the bluegill/pumpkin seed spawn, bass spawn, or small perch or even bullhead and baby channel cats. Basically the small game fish are the only possible bait fish. I thought that a lake of that size should have some type of forage fish. What would a proper forage fish be?
It seems to me that the decisions on lake management are made by stubborn old men an old ladies who have no knowledge on the matter. They just throw a fit because the weeds look ugly and tangle up their little 2 horse power trolling motors on the back of their 14 foot pontoon boats. Then the lake committee decides to spray the lake with algicide. I don't know if they are invasive or not but in early spring after the lake warms up the water is very clear and there are healthy looking green beds along the bank in front of my grandparents house. Also, the live "weeds" don't uproot and float to the top of the water like the killed ones, therefor boats don't get stuck in them and you can put out casts all day long and never pull up 5 pounds of dead weeds. A Texas rigged anything just glides right through the live stuff. So why do they continue year after year to kill the stuff? What do you think about it? How would you fish the lake?
Questions: So why do they continue year after year to kill the stuff? What do you think about it? How would you fish the lake? What would a proper forage fish be? How do you think this should be handled? What would be a good bait?
Additional information: It is very hard to catch a fish there. I stay there a couple times over the summer for 2 week periods. In one stay I may catch 10 largemouth. It is a bit easier to catch sunfish but not enough to have a fish fry for 4 people.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. The first answer that puts time and thought into it will be chosen as best.