Swamp_Yankee,
I really enjoyed the photo of the Black Bear ... thank you for posting it.
With regard to fishing, this pond qualifies as a wetland so one approach is to work with fish species that dominantly inhabit such waters naturally. Generally these species can withstand very low DO conditions which is why they tend to dominate wetlands. Since you are not picky, here a few ideas to consider.
1. For mosquito control consider a topminnow which can be obtained locally. If a live-bearer variety is local to your area, all the better. Topminnows like the Gambusia-holbrooki or varieties of killifish may be locally available and naturally occurring where you are located.
2. To forage the muck of your pond, you may consider eastern mudminnow. Larger specimens can actually be caught on small flies and small hooks with bait (eg bits of hotdog).
3. As a predator you could consider a locally common bullhead species. These tend to over populate a pond but with a little effort you could learn to sex small adults and stock them single sex -- perhaps 20 to 40 of them every 4 years or so. They should easily reach 1/2 lb and larger under this scenario and you wouldn't need aeration for this set up.
4. Might be worth looking into a triploid grass carp if you don't want as much vegetation. Might also reduce DO events. The species above can withstand DO events however. I would mention that grass carp may not be able to survive DO levels that BH, EMM, and GAMs/KF can withstand.
The species above would work with your BOW as it is, attract other wildlife like herons and kingfisher, and control mosquitoes. Good luck with your project.
Last edited by jpsdad; 07/09/18 09:17 AM.
