Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Fish stoped biting

Just wondering if anyone has ever ran across this. My fish have always been aggressive and would slam a hook without bait.
Since the beginning of April, the bream have stopped biting. They wont even eat the fish food. I have tried every type of bait from worms to wieners and a full day will yield maybe 5.
That being said, my HSB's are biting fine.
What gives?

Hey Shawn,

No expert here but have you changed anything as of late? I know when I put cover in my pond and about 11 pounds of golden shiners My bass have not been near as easy to catch. Some days I can't buy a bite with my BG either! Have you tested your water lately? Maybe something is wrong with it? Do you have air going into your pond? One thing I have noticed is when you make one change to your pond a lot of other things may happen that you didn't even think of! When I first bought my pond 2 years ago man I could catch bass every other cast now there are times I got out and cant even get a bass to bite??

Thanks for the reply. I havn't changed anything and do have air in the pond. For the last 4 or 5 weeks the weather has been real windy and chopy and it has been out of the south and south east. I used to catch the BGs next to the dock but now the HSB's stay around there so I thought the BGs may have moved. I have tried fishing all around the pond but I will only catch 1 or 2. Up until las summer, I could catch 200 at a time. I hope its just the weather but it has been a while now that they have quit biting.

The only other thing I can think of is maybe a bunch of them at this point are starting to bed up and are not feeding real good?? I know from last year I had about 12 BG bedded up about 15 feet from my dock I could see them over there in the water and I could not get one of them to bite to save my life!! I would give it a couple of more weeks if you still have nothing going on then I would wonder if maybe you had a fish kill or something??? I don't know maybe someone else here will have a better idea and chime in. Good luck bud and let us know if it changes for you I would be interested to know.

Wouln't a fish kill bring dead fish to the top or can they sink without floating?

Many fish sink when they die. Float or sink, sink or swim, It all depends. In this case it depends on numerous things.

In your case , as RC says lack of catching may be due to spawning activity if non-biting just involves BG. Give it a few weeks and see if things change.

Thanks. You have lifted my spirits. Makes since because the striped bass are biting on crayfish.

It is the full moon in May (deep south)prime BG spawn in full gear. That will slow down the feeding for BG. But not during the mth of April.

My fish go through spells when it seems like they go on vacation to somebody else's pond. They'll quit eating. I won't see them. They won't bite. Sometimes it's the bluegill. Sometimes it's the bass. Sometimes it's the catfish. Sometimes it is all of them. The longest spell I've seen was late last year from the middle of August into early October. I don't think I'd worry about it.

Cat I am glad to hear you say that. Seems that happens to me also. Sometimes I swear I don't have any bass in my pond at all?? Then you start second guessing yourself as to what you did for this to happen! And it's not anything just fish being fish!

Glad it nots just me. I guess I'll go put the plug back in the drain for a while!! Thanks guys.

No problem Shawn like I said keep us posted if and when they start biting again ok?

Later,