Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations RBT in Mid-Missouri

Bank. I was squatting down to the feed bucket to throw feed. In that first video anyway. Camera was in other hand. Lol!

I am getting scared of waiting till my daughters birthday to harvest trout. Here party is April 5th. My meat thermometer was probing 57 at 4 feet yesterday. What temp should I bee concerned they stop biting and die? Thinking I might have to get them out next week.

You have until the the lower 70's. 57 is still prime water temp for feeding and fishing for trout.

Cool. Thanks Cecil.

Your daughter will be catching lots of trout when April 5th rolls around, John. Long range forecast for our area looks great for them!

John - keep us posted as to how long they survive so others in MO have an idea about trout survival in your area.

Will do. Though this winter could be an exception. Haven't had one like this in a while.

Didn't you get the memo? This is the new "normal"!

Lol! You mean this isn't global warming. Wait I mean climate change. Wait I mean normal.

Dang herons are infesting my pond.

My trout cruise the banks where I feed them, and I often thought that if the herons discover this, I'll be in trouble. I don't notice the RBT doing this in other areas of the pond. Perhaps you could put up a string like CCB1 does in the area of your feeder.

Fat looking trout, that's a shame. What did it weigh/size?

Get some cheap 20 to 30 lb. test mono from Walmart known as Omniflex, and some furring strips from the lumber yard to make the stakes. You don't need many if it's a straight line. Use some dry wall screws to attach the line. Set one line low enough they can't get under it and one or two above that. Basically you want to set this up so they can't wade into the water and it's too deep on the water side to land. I've actually put two parallel staked lines in also when the water is shallow.

Bottle rockets can be persuasive as is a paint ball gun.. Be aware they can show up at night but will show up just about anytime although morning and evening are their favorite feeding times.

I cringed when I saw your photo of the skewered rainbow. Been there done that!

I'm going to have to try this Cecil. The shotgun was working good to scare them and I had my chance dead on with some XX buck. I let him pass on a warning shot. It was just so dang big it took me off guard. You don't see many that big around here. He had to stand 5 tall. Well now he comes at night. He flies away at first sight of spotlight. Prob would not be so mad if he would eat them instead of leaving them to lay. Think it goes after anything that moves and only eats smaller stuff.

Yeah I think it's instinct to jab at anything that moves.

I have a very small pond in my yard and I live next to a large lake so gulls used to clean out the goldfish pond. I strung 2 strings over the pond and they stay away now.

Two notes of personal experience with my put and take RBT pond. Last year with the very cold start and slow warm up of spring we put off our harvest party planned for memorial day until the second week of June. Day time temps had finally reached 80's but night time temps were still cool. Pond temp at about four feet was teasing the 70's at high noon. The trout had begun to show signs of heat stress by reduced feeding and less agressive fight on hook and line so I know we pushed it but the party was a success with all but one harvested. The last one showed up two week later as a floater.

On the note of my local Blue enemy. I had thought I had him scared off good with starter pistol shots within feet of his lounging ugly self. Then one night I the hot peppers on my pizza at dinner got me out of bed unexpectedly at around 3:00am. As I fumbled around towards the fridge for water I was alarmed to realize the motion senseor light on the back patio was on. I grabbed my trusty hole punch concerned at the thought of a human idiot up to no good and began to sneak around the front of the house to the back to find that Big Bule pain in my back side standing on my patio wathcing my pond with intent. Be forewarned they are very cunning and will adjust their air raids to a time when you won't be waiting for them.

Yes herons are very adaptable and cunning. You got that right. And just like people when they find good fishing it's hard to dissuade them.

I know I keep repeating myself, but I believe the staked lines are the way to go as they are nonlethal and work for you 24/7 unlike scaring them away -- because you can't always be there -- as they can come in night while you're asleep. Even when I had a permit to take a couple out a year, one would always take it's place within a couple of weeks.

Thanks Cecil,
I have kept the staked lines in the back of my mind since the first time I had seen you suggest it to another pond owner back when I first had a problem. They will be used this year. I would prefer another method of solving the problem but that would not be legal...

If you can shoot foxes and coyotes for attacking livestock and chickens. Why can't you shoot herons for attacking your fish? Are they endangered. If they are I don't see how. In the river systems around me you will see 5 every mile of river. Last and main question. What is the prime water temp to catch the trout before fishing goes downhill? I know you guys said they would live till 70 bit is that prime to catch them. Thanks

I have personally found that herons make no appreciable effect on my fish population. Have others found something different?

John, they aren't endangered, they are "protected" under the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

As for RBT, I have my best success catching them when the water temps are between 55°F and 68°F providing the O2 levels stay high.

RAH, I agree with your statement, for the overall numbers of fish in a pond. But, for certain species, like the trout that Cecil raises, each fish has a high $$ amount associated with it, so even if the fish lived, it would have a spear mark in it and it would not be marketable for Cecil.

I've had them sit on top of the fish cages and fill their crop. If that happens day after day, there can be some appreciable losses. Same during spawning season. GBH can do a number on the spawning fish.

But not to the extent that Cormorants can do to a pond!!

I've found 6 speared trout that were not cheap.

Out of 130 the percentage is adding up. That's only the ones I know about. I'm sure there is more. This heron stands over 5 foot. It's huge. I was wondering if maybe the water temps were affecting the trouts ability to escape.

What is the temp?