Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations What time is it ?

Without divulging to much until the info is in please ,if you are in the south ( anyone with current water temps 63 + ) ,let me know what you see (post it) in the next week wrt your BG or RES. I will do likewise. Also state pond conditions like visibility , bloom , muddy , feeding and age of fish (new , all ages, 2-3in only etc). Thanks in advance.

Eric,
In my 3/4 acre pond, I have 76 degrees in the top 6" of water with 72 at about 2' depth. I have BG?RES of all sizes along the edge of the pond. I have seen 1-3" BG close to shore and caught some 5-11" in the last 2 days. The visibility is about 18-24" (not really muddy)since the heavy rains this past week. I have green pollen(pine trees) on the water but no BLOOM yet. The typical FA around the edge of the pond has been around for about 2 months. I have been feeding in the evening to some real hungry fish for about the last month.
Any other info needed?

Does that full moon I saw sitting over the western horizon on the way to work this A.M. have something to to with your query, Eric?

Eric - the water temps are warm enough here for the LMB to have started spawning already, a full 4-6 weeks earlier than normal. I caught two females with bloody tails Friday night and two other footballs that were actually leaking eggs. One of the ones with a bloody anal fin already looked like it had spawned

I'm heading out tonight to see what things looks like since the full moon is today. Do you want me to take a water temp? So far, I have not seen any male BG building nests this far north. I am guessing our ponds water temp was at least 63 degrees on Friday.

Thanks guys. Others please.

BarO what were the BG that were shallow doing ?

Theo it sure could.

Shorty if you can take one easily it would be a good point of data. So no BG activity at your pond.

Guys we need more replies/info. What are you guys who are out electrofishing seeing.

Maybe I am showing my age here, But when I saw the "What time is it?" I went right to the response "Its Howdy Doody Time"

eric, since my surface water temps climbed to the 63 deg range as early as 3/19/07, i'm figuring my pond tracks more with southern ponds than northern ponds.

given that, and if you need a west coast data point for anything, here are my (interprative) observations:

All three species of lepomis in pond (BG, RES, GSF) are concentrating in shallower portions where i have limited shelfs and flats in less than 5 or less feet of water. i am assuming they are posturing if not having spawned already, but i cant see much due to poor visibility.

since 3/19 i've had one good plankton bloom (bright green water) and then a die off (brown water), and now a slight "greening" up again with abundant submerged weed growth (observed with aqua vu).

the current fish population is composed of about two dozen 6-8" RES, 1,500 3-6" BG, 1 to 2 dozen "trophy" sized GSF (>9"), and two size classes of GSF offspring, one group in the 2-3" range (late fall spawn?), the other group in the 4-5" range (late summer spawn?)

all fish are quite active, lots of surface feeding activity especially in evenings, one large group of BG and YOY GSF taking pellets, no RES taking hand feed that i've seen.

I remember ewest telling about an experience (substance free mind you), where he walked down to his pond, and there were a few hundred bluegill doing synchronized swimming moves. I think they were all swimming in counter-clocksise circles.

Right on, Buffalo Bob.

Chief Thunderthud

Eric, the BG were feeding and dodging the LMB. I can't see the spawning beds as they are a little deeper than the visibility since I'm at full pool for the 1st spawn since I have owned this place. It is a feeding frenzy every evening ...... everybody is hungry.

P.S. Sunil ..... when were you ever "substance free".....just always been high on life!

BarO, I meant that ewest was substance free.

The story he described was so freaky that he had to footnote it by saying he was of sound mind & body and not under the influence.

Sunil,
I get it now........duh on my part! Have you been fishin' since you got home?

Ewest, water temp last night at the pond was 65 degrees, no BG activity on the beds yet though. I'm guessing the photo period is probably still too short for the BG to start bedding here. The water temps are set to drop this week with some much more normal temperatures.

As a side note, I think a majority of the larger 15" plus LMB have already spawned in the last week based on the body conditions I have seen.

Shorty 65 in most places is a little cold for the BG to spawn but getting close. I am not sure how much variation in spawning temp there is north to south but I bet some. That is why I used 63+ above. That temp (65) is not to cold for LMB so it may explain what you are seeing. At 65 you are in the gap between the LMB and BG spawns.

Anyone else have any reports ? Thanks !!

Ewest, I have noticed in the past that we rarely have large number of LMB spawning at the same time as the BG, usually the BG start two weeks or more after the majority of the LMB are done. Last year our pond didn't hit the 65 degree mark until mid to late May, BG didn't start bedding until early June.

The report from Up South in Ohio:

I got 63.0 surface, 63.2 at 3 feet deep last night; it should be a little cooler at LMB prefered depths. Bass are aggressive and I would say are acting nicely prespawn. I've got 2' of visibility and as usual can't see squawt wrt spawning beds.

Weather is supposed to get 30 degrees cooler for a week or more starting tonight and I expect that it will put the kibosh on any possible spawning activity here for this moon, er, month.