For anyone that is thinking about building and using their own electrofishing setup, let me offer some advice: Please be careful! Most of the homebuilt systems do not have the safeguards of the professional systems (like Smith-Root). If you're going to spring for a Smith-Root unit, it's my opinion that you should be one of the following:

1)be a graduate of a University with an advanced degree in fish management and/or:

2)be someone who has many years of experience sampling fish populations with an electrofisher so that you can interpret the results and/or:

3)be someone who has lots of money and don't care how much the next toy costs.

As someone who has built or been involved in building a few electrofishing boats, I can tell you that it is more difficult and time-consuming than you might think, even if you buy a commercial unit.

It would be far better (again my opinion) to pay someone to electrofish your pond and develop a long-term management plan that is tailored to your wants and desires. There are those on this site who would say that fish management isn't rocket science, but it certainly isn't easy to do it right. Most professional fisheries biologists that I know have a bachelor's degree as well as a master's degree in their field. While this isn't a requirement for managing fish, it sure helps.

I hope don't offend anyone, but it does seem to me that quality advice is in short supply on this site. It seems to have gotten a lot worse in recent months. A few posters (you know who you are) have a great deal of insight and their contributions are valuable. Many others post solutions or ideas that are potentially harmful to the fish population or, as in this case, to the pondowners themselves. For a site that advertises "Ask the Boss", the Boss sure is absent a lot.