Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations New England Trout Pond

First time question-poster, long time reader.

Put in a pond last spring. Quarter acre, ten feet deep, aerated with 1/3 hp pump & two diffusers, steep sides, clay bottom, field stone lined on all edges (home-grown New Hampshire stones!), spring-fed with river-pumped water during late summer.

Question: Where are the trout? I put in 75 rainbows, 50 brookies, and 25 brown trout last spring. Fed trout pellets, couple of cups a day. Very healthy Shiner population - they swarmed at the feed. Good feeding activity spring and fall, fairly dormant during August. Was catching 15 inch trout in October.

But then the bite just stopped, and feeding also declined dramatically in December. Based on pondboss advice, I did not aerate during winter. Ice built to no more than 20 inches, with less than 12" of snow cover at deepest.

During Feb, put in an underwater camera in a bunch of drilled holes in ice. Saw a couple schools of shiners, and a few brown trout.

Started the air pump up to clear the ice a week ago. Threw in trout pellets and got a few nice size trout to rise. But really nothing since.

Qs:

1) Is feeding activity just very low following ice out? It's still fairly cold (20s at night, 40s/50s during day)
2) Are the trout jittery enough that they go wherever I am NOT when I lower the camera through ice? I saw only the brown trout - once.
3) Is 150 trout okay population for 1/4 acre - with the trout pellet feed? The Shiner population sure wasn't impacted to the casual observer.
4) Is there a chance of winterkill? Would I notice, or would the trout just become crayfish/shiner food?
5) Buy a seine?
6) Buy more trout for an April planting?

Looking for the voice of experience. Don't think there's been any predation - no signs of any.

Sincerely, an anxious pond parent

Bump.

Re #4, dead fish frequently do not show up at the surface - so don't count on fish you didn't see dead being alive.

Welcome, and patience.

It's too early to be overly concerned. You obviously didn't have a major oxygen crash, or they'd all be dead.

I'd wait a couple more weeks and let the water warm up a few more degrees.

Nobody can tell for sure if you still have fish, but time will tell. We're actually in a better position to learn from you than you from us.

Please, please let us know what you find out the next few weeks, but I suspect you've got some decent fish left, and if not...well, trout don't cost very much.