I have a new pond. @ 3/4 acres stocked with CNBG (600) RES (300) and a few pounds of FHM. I found about 10 bluegill missing the back 1/3rd of their bodies. I have no clue what caused this. Predator? I did throw a cup full of fish food out their for the first time the day before.
You seen a Blue Herring around?
Sounds like something else in the pond besides BG! I would like to see a picture of one of the bluegill.
I did also see one of these little fella dying along the bank too. Probably 20 or so with half the body gone like this one.
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Sorry about the picture. Not sure how to get one on here.
I would catch a bg and put it live on a larger rod. See if anything tries to eat it. I seen a snakehead fish on youtube that bit a small bass in half, hope there not in there.
I did post it in the photo gallery. Can't figure out how to get it over here. The pond shouldn't have any fish of size in it since it is a 1 year old pond. I can't even catch the perch they are so small. I am thinking a turtle or something has found its way into the pond.
Dang! Looks like a clean bite! A snapper could do that, but would usually finish it off. A heron would swallow the fish whole. One of the experts will chime in before long. Sounds like you need to just sit back with a rifle and see whats happening there. If a snapper is in there they usually surface periodically, and you can cut him in half. 30-06 works well. You can set hooks for them too. I'm not familiar with all the animals you Texans have that enjoy fish, but there's several guys on here from there that might have an idea.
Yep - otter. Better work fast and get rid of it or you will have a bunch that look just like that. Do a search here for otter.
Here is one of my LMB recently
Be surprised if it was an otter in this area, but it could be. Do nutra rats eat fish that way too?
Don't do facebook so no picture ....if it looks like Eric's photo you have otters - serious stuff - where are you located?
I didn't realize they would just bite a fish in half, and leave it.
Wasn't sure about the nutras. I know we have otters in Texas. I just didn't expect one in a residential area far away from any large body of water, creek or river.
At times, I have found the exact same thing (Eric's pic) near my pond, I'm fairly certain there are no Otters in the area and have never seen other signs of an Otter nor has anyone else (I'm in the middle of a residential area)
You need to examine the fish.. Is it one cut that took off the whole back of that fish? How big is that fish hard to tell with nothing to reference it to.. Could the fish have been dead then eaten. I see half bluegills quite often, either wounded by me or herons or whatever else, then when they float up a turtle, crawfish will eat half the fish.. I have one right now half gone floating by my beach..
A clean cut like that means turtle to me, and one large enough to cut that in one bite. Compare the clean cut to the chewed "cut" on the fish that Ewest put up that was known to be done by an otter.
Looks like a turtle found it already dead and cut it in half with it's jaws...
Otters can do that to small BG. They either bite the head to kill it or bite off the tail so it can't escape.
Never seen a turtle do that to a tail.
The fish is very small, maybe 2 inches. I did see one dying along the bank. It makes sense that a turtle might have found them dead and bit off what could without messing with the fins. Is it a coincidence that I had several die the first day after I threw out some pellets? Are the large pellets deadly if swallowed by smaller fish?
"Are the large pellets deadly if swallowed by smaller fish?"
Usually not.
Being that small it could be a turtle or crawfish eating on a dead fish. Otter usually don't go after 2 inch fish.
A clean cut like that means turtle to me, and one large enough to cut that in one bite. Compare the clean cut to the chewed "cut" on the fish that Ewest put up that was known to be done by an otter.
I was going to suggest a Chupacabra. I heard they are excellent swimmers, and it is fish fry Friday season ya know
