Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Flood hitchhikers

Looks like the flood possibly brought in some hitchhikers.. On the backside of my pond where thepipe drains there's a big washout pool, yesterday I cleaned all the brush out around it it's probably 3' deep.. While cleaning I noticed quite a few yoy to 5-6" BG.. Now the strange part there's a 10-12" carp of some kind and catfish maybe bullhead of some kind both not stocked in my pond.. I'm gonna try and net them out but they stay pretty deep and it's not too easy to access.. Hopefully I'll catch the fish for ID..

Post pics if you have questions!

Hopefully they didn't make it to your pond...

Been sidetracked non stop since seeing these fish.. Pouring concrete, scraping junk, restoring 67 bronco, cleaning out my garage, hanging deerstands, checking cameras.. Tomorrow I hope to get some pics of the fish.. Got a good down pour today they might of went down stream..

Ok finally got some pics.. I think they're bullhead catfish not CC like I was hoping.. Also Green sunfish in there. Bunch of minnows to but didn't have a net.. No sign of the giant carp.. The catfish are hooked on pellets after 2 days lol.. Here's the pics for confirmation..

For sure GSF and bullheads.

Black bullheads and GSF... Are they in your pond or just in the outflow pool below it?

We have bullheads in the outflow behind our pond and many more in our pond....

I don't know if there in the pond.. I've never caught either in the pond and I fish daily.. I think maybe they came upstream in the last flood or I quess they could of come downstream and through the pond but I've never seen either at the feeder or in the pond.. There's a bigger creek downstream it's more likely they came from than somewhere upstream because it's mostly field runoff.. The more I think about it they had to either be in the pond or came from downstream there's no way they could of came from upstream it's only fields.. I'm not too worried about it the LMB will take care of them and this ponds 31 yrs old and they've never been a problem or even seen in the pond for that matter..

If you have LMB present then I wouldn't worry either.

You'd be amazed at the water GSF and bullheads will migrate through to find new homes... When flooding, what is field can quickly become a navigation route. If you have never caught one in your pond or seen them at the feeder, I bet they are migrating up stream and not coming out of your pond...

I know they can travel through basically nothing but my watershed is all fields and any streams are on the outside of my watershed and actually don't connect to my pond in anyway except downstream in the creek I mentioned earlier.. It would basically be impossible for them to get too my pond by flood unless they can jump up a 5' waterfall then swim up current up my draining drain pipe..

What I am saying is the swam up the creek and basically hit the wall which is your drain pipe. Unable to go any further, they pile up there where you are catching them.

Yeah I followed you, I thought you was talking coming in the upstream end of my pond aswell..

I can confirm they come upstream easy as well and even up a nice slope as when our pond was dug out it would not have hand any fish left in it. I then stocked it a few years later, then come to find out it was full of GSF. First I thought I was sold GSF then realized the size of some of them would put them somewhere between 3-5 years old. Since the introduction of LMB they have become less of a fish to catch, and the once I do catch are just big enough to eat.

This was what I wanted to do was clean them out, but when it came time to track down some for bait, we had issues catching any. So one has to determine what he wants his pond for.

I may try to stock the 3 foot pond with this to raise as bait but with out a feeder, or say 1 LMB they all may cap out at 3 inches long and skinny.