Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations GSF and HBG massacre

There is a guy that has a couple ponds that he wants managed a few miles from where I go to school. One of them is going to be a HSB pond and the other will be a big BG pond.

I was going to stock some fish for him in the .3 acre big BG pond this week but wanted to know that the fish we were stocking were not going to get eaten by the fish that were currently in the pond. I setup a Gill net to catch the larger fish and a mini fyke net to see what other sunfish were in the pond.

After letting to nets set overnight we caught a 3-4 lb. catfish and a 3 lb. bass in the Gill net. In the mini fyke net we caught between 150-200 GSF, HBG, and only a dozen or so BG. I didn't catch a single juvenile bass so I think this pond is way overcrowded with small sunfish.

To get rid of the rest of the GSF and HBG in the pond I setup 3 mini fyke nets last evening and checked them this afternoon. Today's catch brings the total to at least 400 sunfish out of 4 nets.

Here is 2/3 of the catch from today.



The biggest fish that I caught today.



It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it.

Oh, the humanity!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54rqDh2mWA

A dirty job indeed! You are a GSF's worst nightmare. It certainly will make things go more smoothly to get those midget fry eaters out of there before introducing the legit fish.

I bet those GSF felt like that Hindenburg announcer when Chris closed his merciless net around them. That big one still looks shellshocked (pun intended).

Be careful showing off a big GSF kill... You may be hearing from the Green Sunfish Association soon...

I think he paid the GSA off not to make a fuss. Those poor GSF never had a chance.

I am sure DIED and JHAP will be adding you to the watch list with that massacre! Those fyke nets sure do work...

Nice report Young Blood. Does the gill net end up killing the cat and LMB?

The LMB was barely alive but I don't think he would have made it if I let him go. The Catfish was fine. I had a hard holding on to it because it was flopping around so much.

Chris, may your tighty whities ride up on you at the worst possible moment.



Can I get moderated for threatening a moderator?

Yes, you can, but in this instance, let's let it ride.

Young Blood, if you're going to make it as a fish squeezer, you'll need to learn how to not get dirty.

It must be a Texas thing.

I was just thinking about getting a buzz cut before I saw that picture.

Well, mullets are making a big comeback, and don't let anyone tell you different.

Those pictures are absolutely hilarious!!! I'm still laughing.

I've been in my pond a lot this year and look just about like Chris does each time I get out.

Thanks for posting the pics Chris!!

How can you not get dirty being around those little green things.
Nice work, Youngblood. I'm sure the owner will be happy in a few months.

Sometimes you just don't need to say anymore than the pic shows.

with my blindfold on i ask the following:

what is a mini fyke net?......i think i want one. can anybody produce a picture of one or link to where they can be bought?


blindfold off:

why thats a shame to see all that lmb forage go to waste. people waste spend alot of money on FHM and shiners when those streamlined little GSF babies could have been transferred to someone's bass pond.

Chris, how many of those were eating sized?

Depends on whether you mean eating in the broader, starving-in-a-third-world-country sense, or eating in the American sense whereby one prefers to get more than a bite from any particular fish.

I thought those small ones would make perfect fish chips if dropped in hot oil for a bit.

2 fillets = 2 bites.

Died,

Here is a picture. The ones I am using are 2'x4'.

http://www.nicholsnetandtwine.com/products/net_01.htm

Theo,

I didn't think any of them were worth filleting.

thanks chris. it looks a little more complicated than i pictured.

how do you bait it?

No bait is needed. The fish swim parallel to the shore and run it a lead net. They then follow the net away from the bank and get caught in net.

I will take some pictures of how they are setup.

How much did yours cost and what were the dimensions?

I am borrowing them from my school so I don't know how much they cost. They are 2 ft. tall and 4 ft. wide.

Day 2 catch



Day 3 and 4 catch



Biggest fish caught in the fyke nets this week. To get in the good graces of the GSFA this fish is going to be on display in an aquarium here at Arkansas Tech.



How the net is setup in the water.



Side view of the net.

Outstanding Young Blood!

I forgot to say that GSF are a really tough fish. The big one was in that metal tub for 10-15 minutes before I put him in a bucket with some water.

That's a plus as far as the GSFA is concerned.

In the minus column is the plaque reading "Don't let this happen to your pond."

That big boy was probably one of the first to find their way into that pond. That is a pile of sunnies!

So how many LMB would have had to be stocked to think them out?

How long do you think they had been in there?

After seeing that I wonder if my pond is not infested just like that one.

Thanks for the post.