Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Analyze This: 2008 Seine Results

Team Gallus got out the 25 foot seine August 17 and ran it through our 2 ponds.

NEW POND (0.45 acres, FHM, Gams, adult RES and male BG currently stocked, YP and SMB due this Fall):
Gambusia. Lots and lots of Gambusia. And ONLY Gambusia.

I have pretty much given up hoping the the RES introduced last Spring pulled off a successful spawn. No YOY Lepomis have been observed or (now) seined in the new pond. The Redears should be in good shape for a spawn next Spring since they will be overwintering outside instead of in my basement.

No FHM seined, even though they are definitely present as proven by minnow trapping. I NEVER see the Fatheads up on top anymore - either they have plenty to keep them busy farther down, or the Gams have them cowed. Fish Wife speculates perhaps a (relatively) small number of YOY RES may be hiding out down deep as well. I DID transplant 2 gravid RES from the main pond before they had spawned there this year. (I guess I haven't completely given up hope.)

BIG PLUS: The 4' deep, very level "seining flats" we designed into the new pond are WONDERFUL! The entire deepwater side of the seine hauls were without dropoffs, obstacles (well, there were a couple of rootballs that had floated and sank in the way that had to be moved), or other problems. I am VERY glad I had the flats built in.

OLD POND (0.9 acre, BG/RES/LMB/CC/GC/HSB/about 500 Gams and 50 FHM transplanted this year, managed bass crowded for big bream):
Tons of small (mostly 2008 YOY) 1" - 3" BG/RES. Several YOY LMB. No Golden Shiners - haven't seen any via any method for about 2 years; they are most likely completely gone.

Surprises: 3 intermediate LMB (8"-10") caught - looked fat in the brief glimpses we got before they vamoosed over the edge of the net. Very few intermediate-sized (4" - 6") bream seined; 3 or 4 BG only. Two years ago I would have gotten 6-10 intermediate RES and many intermediate BG from this much seining. The few intermediate BG we got were nice and fat.

I surmize the large numbers of LMB have nearly wiped out the intermediate size of BG and RES. Bream left in that size have plenty to eat while growing through it and after getting too big for the bass to eat. I think I will lessen my efforts to thin intermediate BG by angling, perhaps limiting it to removing obvious poor performers that are thin. I am also trying a little harder to maintain a LMB population not big enough to easily eat BG that I want to eat myself - my theoretical upper limit on LMB size is 15" or 16". I have a soft spot for the largest bass (19" +) but the 17" - 18" bass are coming out more often from now on.

If I have a bunch of pictures still in the camera and need to see if there are any good ones to post.