Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Managing a mix of BG, HBG, GSF

Some of you already know that my pond stocking got off to a rough start. A brief summary is: GSF(at least one)showed up without knowing it, a spawn happened of what looks like HBG, and then I stocked trout to knock back the hatch(also stocked BG at the time). A link to a lot of the specifics is here.

What I am wondering now is what management process do I need to do into the future when I probably have all three species present? Do I, or even can I, try to encourage it to all BG, or all HBG, or forever mixed?

I am not set on any absolute must have type of fishery. I want plenty of fish dinners, with a type of BG as the main table fare and focus. Initially I wanted just straight BG because they would reproduce the most without the cost of stocking every year.

Just throwing this out there for options and ideas that anyone might have.

Looked back over the prior thread.

I would stick with the plan you implemented. BG over time will exert control over the GSF aided by predation. In the meantime you may get some nice HBG as a bonus food fare.

That is what I was thinking ewest, and I feel I have more (make that a lot more!) to learn on the management end. I'm just not sure how the mix of different things work out and what I should do more of if needed. Perhaps there are old threads, or old magazine articles that one would suggest?

One question is what you have eluded too, that I might have some nice HBG as a bonus. There is no definite way to be exact with what is in the pond, but I did catch that one fish that looked heavy towards GSF. If it bred with a BG, does that make the hatch as good as a HBG that I would be able to buy for stocking?

If I catch a fish that looks HBG and is 3-4" long, should I remove it or let it grow to it's potential? I have only stocked BG that are 5"+, so anything less would be some sort of new spawn. It could be that the RBT and LMB did their thing because I have not seen any fish in the 3-4"range. However I have seen a bunch in the 1"-2.5" range.

No new fish in the 3-4" range actually has me a bit concerned because the predators might be too plentiful for future years. At what point would I remove predators to start letting new young fish get past the 3" mark? I also am trying to keep an eye on the LMB size so they don't get to big to take out my adult BG that I stocked. Right now the LMB are close to 12".

A 5-6 inch BG is safe from < 12 inch LMB.

I would watch 2 things the LMB condition and the BG size structure to give you guidance. I would not worry about the GSF or HBG as LMB and RT will prey on them and the BG will out spawn them.

WRT LMB and BG structure if a size of BG (ex 2-3 inch BG) looks in short supply then likely you have to many LMB (or other predators) in the 6-10 inch range ( 3 X the size of the forage). Cull those size predators and/or add forage in that size range. See this archive thread.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92492#Post92492

and this one - for sources

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=255372#Post255372

What are the chances the LMB I stocked last fall had a spawn this spring? I saw no signs o it. The two sizes stocked were 4-6" and 6-8". I caught some 12" this fall (assuming they were the original 8"?), I would imagine they will be spawning this coming spring?

Thanks for links, I will read and follow up on it as time allows.

IIRC Dave Wills once told us that up north LMB rarely spawn until they are 12 inches and 2 years old.

My guess is this spring for your first LMB spawn.