Although the principles behind electrofishing appear quite simple, there are many things to consider when trying to assess a fish population. Obviously, safety is the primary concern. Being a biologist and performing surverys on many ponds and lakes, it can become very easy to forget oneself and end up electrocuted; especially when lunkers start popping up. However, it is also critical to realize that shocking is only effective at capturing some species of fish. For instance, catfish and bullheads don't shock up very well at all. On the other hand sunfish and largemouth shock up quite well. Another factor is that larger fish will shock up much better than smaller fish. The biases go on and on. Essentially, my point is that even with a shock boat, there are many other considerations that must be made to actually get an idea of what's going on in your pond. Don't get me wrong, electrofishing is a great tool, but only one of several tools required to understand a fish population. A few other tools include: seining, harvest records, and stocking records. Although shocking fish can be pretty exciting, your money would probably be better spent hiring someone to compile all of the data.
Cecil, if you need some electrofishing services performed I'm right around the corner in Bowling Green, Ohio. Inspired by Nature, Inc. (info@ibnature.com)offers pond and lake management, fish stocking, and performs fish surveys.
Jason Roehrig
