Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Placing branches down for YP spawn

I don't think the YP will respond very well to an electroshock survey since YP remain deep near or on the bottom where electroshocking is not effective. Best sampling IMO for your particular situation is various types of angling, larger traps, maybe a large seine survey, and observation during feeding times.

It is possible that not a lot of the 1000 YP you stocked did not survive. 1000 adult YP in a 1ac pond should not be hard to catch. Although there are good and not so good ways to fish for YP. The number of egg ribbons that you see this spring will be a good indication of how many females that you have present. Number of male YP should be at least the same number of egg ribbons that you see assuming egg ribbons are well fertilized. You will not see all the YP egg ribbons. Not all female YP will lay ribbons. For a reasonable estimate of female YP numbers, add 25% to the number of ribbons that you see. Double that total number for the number of males. This should give you a good guess as to the number of adult YP present within 10-20%. Note that often YP are sorted by size and buying only one size class of YP from a fish farm may have a disproportionate number of one sex.


If you get PBoss magazine reread and implement my two fish sampling methods describes in the articles:
May-Jun 2015 SAMPLING YOUR POND FISH. Part 1. Cody details three simple methods he used to sample and compare the fisheries in 13 ponds.
Jul-Aug 2015 SIMPLE FISH SAMPLING RESULTS. Part 2. Cody presents the results of a simple fish sampling study used in 13 test ponds.

If you perform a few of the basic fish sampling methods and keep records of everything you catch, then over time you will have a real good assessment of what is present in your pond and how the fishery is progressing.