Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Northern pike & walleye SE NE

Have existing spring fed 1+ acre pond in SE NE--6-8'depth. Currently teeming w/ bluegill & LMB also told their are some crappie. Are N.pike and or walleye sustainable? What could I do to accomodate such fish?

I looked into Northern Pike once and quickly learned why they are not often stocked in ponds. First, 15- 20 lbs of Northern pike per acre is a lot. This is equal to just 3 or 4 decent fish. These 3 or 4 fish will selectively eat prey that is 1/3 their body length, like trophy BG and 10-12 inch bass. After a few years with Northern Pike, one would predict a population of small BG, large but not abundant bass, and a few Northerns. It seems like a steep price for such a limited angling opertunity. To top it all off, they can reproduce in ponds so eradicating them may not be simple.

bminder,
I think you can produce a much better fishery if you properly manage the existing bass and bluegills by selectively removing the proper sized fish. This produces a more balanced population and results in a better distribution of fish sizes based on your goals. Decide your goals then research and search out past topics here and then, if necessary, ask some specific questions about how to do it. AND - OR, Order Bob Lusk's two books about fish management. Click on the books tab on the beginning or home page.

Essentually there are 3 ways to goal manage a bass-bluegill pond for good fishing. 1. trophy bluegill, 2. trophy bass 3. general fishing with fair numbers of all sizes available. Decide which you prefer, understand the limitations, and then manage toward that goal.

I just returned from a fly-in fishing trip in Ontario near Foleyet. The 3 mile long lake our cabin was on was full of Northern pike, nearly a monoculture. A short boat ride and hike to a larger neighboring lake had a good mix of SMB and NP. You could see the pike chase and try to eat 12" SMB as you reeled them in.

I was pretty disappointed in the pike. They didn't put up much of a fight, even the ones exceeding 30". They have a line of "y" bones along the upper fillet that once removed results in a small yield of fish for the table. I had to fish with steel leaders for the SMB because the pike readily took the lures too. Without a leader the toothy pike would cut the 15lb test line. One pike even ate a bobber that my uncle was using while fishing with night crawlers. Using the steel leaders negatively affected lure action while fishing for the smallmouth. Once the pike were caught they would die quickly if not immediately released.

Here's a couple we caught.


Would a couple of tiger muskies (NP musky hybrid) be an better choice?

Ryan , was the air company air invanhoe?

Yes, it was Air Ivanhoe. Overall it was a great trip and they provided great service.

Here are couple of nice smallmouth I caught on the trip. 15" and 17". 17" qualifies for a Go Fish Ontario award.

bminder, as you saw, most people would quickly rule out northern pike. You could maybe have a dozen or so walleye on a put and take bases. Another option is a dozen or so HSB. Bruce Condello would have better suggestions on this.

bminder and Norm this is why many would be concerned about northern pike or gar in a pond.

ewest, I agree, northern pike and gar are out. However, I think that limited numbers of walleye and HSB are a definite possibility. By the way, that alligator gar is incredible!

Norm the head on that pike is primitive scary and BIG. The head is about as big as a six foot gator's ( not gar). As Bill says it all depends. I don't rule anything out its only a question of can it be done. I could just see someone wading around the weeds in a northern pond and find that pike a couple feet away looking at them.

Nobody noodles for Alligator Gar or big Esox. More than once, anyway.

looks like a muskie.

Photo of big Northern Pike at Rainy Lake 54 inches 44lbs as per email from Dave Willis.

I had to check the fish ID websites to assure myself it was a Northern - that's the biggest NP I have ever seen a picture of, and it definitely is in the size range the says "Muskie" to me at first glance (second glance, too). I think it's bigger than the Ohio state Muskie record. Gnarly looking mouth, even closed.

I've been trying to verify whether the picture is real, or has been doctored. I've got a friend who works as a fisheries biologist for Voyageur's National Park (Rainy Lake), and he has heard of two big pike caught so far this year, but nothing over 40 lb and 50 inches. So, this might be exaggerated a bit, but there are some big ones up there!

one thing i notice is the white with dark bars , pike are dark with light bars. also a pikes tail is rounded , the muskie has more pointed. i still think it's a muskie lol oh well , nice fish.

Ken, just curious, have you been out with AI as well? George said he gets a lot of Ohio business.

yea , 4 of us went up there probly about 8 or 9 trips. we went to diff lakes. caught some pike in 20 lb range , lot hours fishing for the big ones. seems they all turn on bought same time , we caught 3-20 lb plus in about an hour in the lake at the top of the river system. caught hunderds in the 5 lb to 10 lb. we always went first week of june. i loved the river system , every day was an adventure. saw plenty of moose with there young. you go again check it out. its not open every year , so it fills fast. plenty of nice eyes to. one day we had a loone under water going under the canoe back and forth , that was way cool. how fast they move. we always take dry ice to keep the food cold and more so the beer.great trip low price.

That pike can't be compared to our pike since that fish was caught in Holland. How a rumor that it came from U S waters is beyound me.

Euro pike are notorious for being large and fat. There needs to be more research done but many beleive it is a sub species.