Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Tadpoles

This is my ponds first summer. It is 11' deep and about 1/3 of an acre. I stocked 150 HBG, 60 walleye and 80 black croppie and Lots of FH. Everything seems to be going good. My question is about tadpoles. I have them all over the place. The average size is about 2.5 inches long. My black croppies and walleyes are only about 6-9" long, I don't think they can get them down anymore. I see the tadpoles coming to the surface to breath and eat. Lots and lots of them. Is this good or bad. My game fish are still active just not as active as in the spring. I am useing an airator. Thanks for any coments on this. I couldn't help it, I had to have croppie in my pond. Thanks again.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you have to worry about the tadpoles at all.

As far as I know, they won't do any damage, and once they sprout legs, you may not see them as much.

A lot of tadpoles is a good indicator of a healthy pond. Not to worry.

You will likely need to add more forage for your WE & BCP, since the HBG don't provide large numbers or particularly desirable offspring. Perhaps stock some regular BG.

A similar question came up somewhere else...seems it was discussed that either tadpoles are toxic to fish or they just dont taste that good. We have two primary frogs here (tree frog and bull frog) the tree fog tadpoles had their heyday in the spring/early summer, now 1,000's of big (up to 3-inch) bullfrog tadpoles actually school around, and are having their heyday right now in mid-summer. Like Theo said, must mean you have a healthy pond....i've heard amphibians are like the coal mine canary for environmental problems......in my case, i like having so many of them esp. right now, because the egrets, herons, and kingfishers are concentrating on them instead of my young fish.

That is interesting about tadpoles being toxic. I just assumed they were just another item on the menu for my fish. I will be adding another 10 gallons of FH befor the water starts to cool down again. Hopefuly they will spawn befor winter. I added FH in the spring and was counting on all the tadpoles to help as forage thru the summer. I think the tadpoles are leopard frogs.

another tadpole anecdote.......as soon as they sprout legs, the fish will devour them. fish certainly love full grown (small species) frogs.

we have 1,000's if not millions of tiny (<0.5 inch) baby tree frogs all along the shoreline resulting from the large hatch earlier this year. i expect in a couple months 100's to 1,000's of baby bullfrogs.

its a literal animal hatchery down there this summer.

D.I.E.D. - we have thousands of baby bullfrogs along the shore that have just emerged here recently. The aquatic vegetation along the shore in our pond will help them escape predation from the LMB but probably will not help them escape predation from the numerous adult bullfrogs we have, many of the adults are + 5" vent to snout.

I've seen some freakish adult on adult predation.......the makings of a good movie right there.

you ever heard of our jumping frog contests out here in Calveras County...Angels Camp? Started by Mark Twain back in late 1800's?

I have some here that would qualify for that contest, i've never measured just body size, but stretched out legs to snout easily average a foot, and some look upwards of 18-20-inches.

Are tadpoles easy to tell apart? I had one bullfrog and have not seen any other frogs but now have lots of tadpoles that look like leopard frog tadpoles.

Bullfrog tadpoles are large and brown/gray, leapards change into frogs when very small.
This reminds me of my buddy Boudreaux:

Boudreaux been fish'n down by de bayou all day and he done run outa night
crawler baits. He be bout reddy to leave when he seen a snake wif a big frog
in his mouf. He knowed dat dem big bass fish like dem frogs, so he decided
to steal dat froggie. Dat snake, he be a cotton mouf water moccasin, so he
had to be real careful or he'd git bit. He snuk up behin' dat snake and
grabbed him roun de haid. Dat ole snake din't lak dat one bit. He squirmed
and wrap hisself roun' Boudreaux's arm try'n to git hisself free. But
Boudreaux, he had a real good grip on de snake's haid, yeh. Well, Boudreaux
pried his mouf open and got de frog and puts it in his bait can. Now,
Boudreaux knows dat he cain't let go dat snake or he's gonna bite him good,
but he had a plan. He reach into de back pocket of his bibs and pulls out a
pint a moonshine likker.
He pour some drops into de snake's mouf. Well, dat snake's eyeballs kinda
roll back in his haid and his body go limp. Wit dat, Boudreaux toss dat
snake into de bayou. Den he goes back to fishin'. !
A while later Boudreaux dun feel sumpin' tappin' on his barefoot toe.
He slowly look down and dare wuz dat water moccasin wif two more
frogs........

I t'ought dat were Broussard.

Rollin on de flo lafin o-loud.

To da funny u got-ta-go.

Ahh yes..... there's nothing like the corruption of nature to bring a smile to one's face.