I'm not sure on which shoreline to best place the structure. My initial guess would be the shore that receives the afternoon sun. Others with RES would be able to tell us which shore their RES use for nesting.
You are getting good ideas. I, like Cecil, prefer to use the circular pans or pools - 3ft to 4ft dia is optimum. IMO 5"-6" of total gravel depth is best. You could even use a thin layer of coarser gravel as the bottom layer, then pea gravel on top. Nest structure should be placed 18"-3ft deep. The cement block idea was good as a base to level & set the nest structure on. Put some stakes in the cement blocks to keep them from slipping down the bank, then set the gravel filled pool on top. The nest structure does not have to be perfectly level. Slight down slope is okay. Maybe even pound a stake through the pool on the shallow side to help hold it in place. When finished make a shallow or slight saucer depression in the middle of the gravel in the pool. If you want them to use the nest site this year, you better get busy building it now. RES nesting will be in late May early June in our area.
If you want to get fancy in the nest design, cut some openings in the bottom of the pan or pool. Lay plastic mesh or fence on the pool bottom then the thin layer of coarser gravel then the 3"-4" of pea gravel. The opening in the pool bottom should allow the dirt-detritus to sift down through the gravel and out the bottom of the pool. TJ used that idea for his SMB spawning beds.
IMO in marginal habitats and since RES are minimal spawners, to have the best RES population one should purchase some 3"-5" RES every 2-3 yrs to keep the population numbers common. In many ponds the RES population seems to gradually die out or decline to very low numbers.
Note this thread was added to the Bluegill management and Sunfish Primer (RES section) threads.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 05/09/14 08:41 AM.
