Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations HSB and yellow perch

I sampled the two ponds that I mentioned in the above post (Oct 10). Pond sizes ranged from 0.5 to 0.75 ac. Both ponds are bottom aerated and both receive sporadic, artificial feeding by hand - 1 to maybe 4 times per week. HSB in both ponds have medium to low relative weights.

READERS NOTE: CPUE means or stands for Catch Per Unit Effort. CPUE in my case stands for number of fish caught per hour of standardized fishing. CPUE when performed correctly with minimal bias can indicate changes in a species’ abundance. CPUE will hopefully be discussed in more detail in a future article in Pond Boss magazine.

Pond 1 of 0.5 ac was stocked in 1999 with HSB (200/ac) and perch (600/ac) and, to add fish on top of fish, the SECOND year stocking (spring 2000) of HSB was 100/ac and 200 perch/ac. Each year 20 pounds of fathead minnows have been stocked. This pond has no rooted vegetation and water has remained fairly clear (5-7ft). Perch population and density has dramatically declined in this pond. CPUE in 2003 was 12.0 when perch sizes ranged from 6.0”-10.5” whereas CPUE for perch in 2005 was 1.3 and sizes ranged from 7.2”-8” long. HSB are still abundant and large (22”-23”) although HSB are difficult to catch and the owner says the best angling for HSB is with a pellet on a hook while the angler lies on the ground! HSB ignore fish lures in this pond.

Pond 2 was stocked in 2000 with 32/ac HSB and 266/ac perch. 0.75 ac, rooted vegetation is usually less than 20% of the shoreline, water visibility is around 2 ft. Perch population has improved in this pond. CPUE in 2003 was 5.3 when perch sizes ranged from 5.0”-9.5” long. CPUE for perch in 2005 was 17.3 and perch sizes ranged from 6.0”-11.5”.

Comment. Perch in Pond 2 are doing much better than those in Pond 1. I think this is due to several things. In Pond 1 the owner did not follow my stocking advice. I assume the hatchery provided the stocking guidelines which the owner of Pond 1 believed and implemented. I think, HSB densities were way too high which caused too much predation pressure on the perch. Even though lots of perch were initially stocked, lack of adequate food sources, competition with HSB and heavy predation put excessive predatory pressure on the smaller perch. A clear water clean bottomed pond allowed HSB to effectively prey on smaller, slow growing perch. Clear water also causes reduced food reserves for any newly hatched perch. In mid-summer of 2004 about 50 large perch died in Pond 1 during the stress of a heat wave. I think too much mid-day aeration during the heat wave also added heat stress to the yellow perch. I do not think spawning success has been very good in Pond 1 since no spawning habitat was present. No perch smaller than 6” were caught in this pond when it was sampled in 2003 and 2005. When I was at Pond 1, the owner asked me about adding crappie to this pond! Many people I deal with think in this manner. Fish on top of a fishery with problems to try and make things better, instead of implementing proper management.

Overall better conditions exist and better fish management practices are used for the fishery in Pond 2 where perch are flourishing.