I after a die-off I thought everything was gone except 1 inch bluegill, today I saw about 20 circular beds, with what appeared to be some of the 1 inchers over them. Is this possible? are they reproducing when they are that small?
thanks
Green sunfish are tolerant of low dissolved oxygen and if present some will survive a fish kill. Get a tiny fish hook with a light line, small piece of worm or meat on it and try to catch one. Then show us what it looks like.
Bill, I bet you are right, there were some in that pond.
thanks
After a kill the survivors will try to spawn if conditions are ok. They will try to fill up the water with their kind. It is a survival of the species reaction. Very small BG can spawn but not sure about 1 inch fish , 3-4 inch yes.
Were the beds there previously, before the die-off? I rather doubt a 1" BG could fan out a nest, so perhaps they are yoy from a few weeks ago, and are simply hanging out over the nest site.
If the nests were not there before the kill, then I would suspect you have some larger survivors.
I agree with what sprrkplug said. OTOH, I have trapped 1 1/2" GSF that were full of eggs. Did I see them making nests? No. But they WERE ready to spawn even at that small size. That particular pond didn't have predators in it, so that could have been a contributing factor in them getting ready to spawn at such a small size too.
the beds were not there before the die-off, I would post a pic of the fish, but I don't know how yet, could someone show me some ID traits for young green sunfish?
thanks, thanks,thanks
oh the beds are about 6 inches in diameter, if that makes a difference.
esshup,
thanks for the info, like my name says, I am a moron
just checked at pond, green sunfish
