Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Trying Rainbow Trout

Well I was canoeing the river the other day and came across a small pool that was separated from the river due to lower water levels of summer. In this pool were about a hundred trout 3 - 6 inchers. Being the big hearted guy I am I couldn't help but feel the need to rescue as many as I could. Needless to say about 20 5-6" rainbows made their way into my pond. I am hoping that they will make it through the summer. Surface temps in my pond reach the 70's, the bottom stays in the low 60's. I saw a few of them today and they seem happy and are eating bugs from the surface. I will keep my fingers crossed and keep you folks posted. Any advice from the trout pros out there?

Not sure if I'm a trout pro but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Seriously, sounds to me like the only thing you can do is wait and see if they make it through the summer. Just be aware just because the bottom temps are O.K. that doesn't mean there is enough dissolved oxygen through the summer.

Do you have any other fish in the pond?

Yeah, BG, PS, BHC, and a about a dozen 10"LMB. It's a 2+ acre gravel pit pond. I will keep an eye out for casualties over the summer.

Trout don't necessarily float up if they croak. Many die on the bottom and stay there. Additionally if some do float up they may be removed at night or really early in the morning by other animals and you will never see them.

Thanks Cecil,
So far I have seen a few aggressive surface strikes on various insects by the trout. Guess I will have to try to catch some trout next year to see if they survived.I will update when that time comes.

Surprise surprise while fishing for Bluegill and pumpkinseeds! Turns out what I thought were baby trout (last summer)were actually coho salmon! I caught a couple the last couple days a 12 and 15 incher. As I pulled them up, I noticed they looked a little different than trout: forked tail, more slender jaw line, sharper teeth, and a dark tongue. I kept the 15" for the plate, meat is very pink. They obviously survived the summer temps this year in the pond and seem to be growing well. Any one know anything about landlocked salmon? I will try to get some pics in the future.

Very cool!!!!!!!! I'd bet if they weren't accidetally put in with fish you stocked, that the parents swam into your pond during an overflow event and spawned. Could they have entered from an upstream pond?

What information are you looking for in particular about landlocked salmon?

I guess I would like to know what size do they usually reach? How long will they live without venturing into salt water?

Rainman, I'm sure they were put in by someone. My pond is an excavated gravel pit. There is a chance that during a great flood that the creek that borders my property could enter the pond, but haven't seen it yet even though we've had some real gully washers the past couple winters.

Anyway I am excited to find out more about these fish. I will post any new info as I go along this new twist in my pond journey.

I think they will keep on growing as long as they have a good food source. They were stocked in lake Michigan to help control alwives, generations have never seen a drop of salt water. I think the state record is 20#, 2 oz.

Wow! Are they a more open water type fish or do they look for cover like bass? I am wondering how they will fit into the ecosystem. If they are more open water cruisers they should fit in nicely since that is an area of the pond not really being utilized. Thanks for the info guys, keep it coming.

From what I can remember when catching them in Lake Michigan, we trolled in open water, the depth depended on the temp. Chinook (or King) salmon tended to hang nearer the bottom. We could see them on the sonar coming up to look at the lures (the Kings). As for spawning, they travelled up the tributory streams to spawn in flowing water.

All I can add is that they taste great!

They only have a three year life span.

Thanks for the info guys. Cecil I kind of figured they might have a short life span due to their returning to spawn after 2-3 years at sea. Guess the same applies in fresh water, now how to make an artificial tributary?! ;-)

Most lake run Pacific salmon reach much smaller sizes in lakes and I would assume even smaller sizes in a pond. Most salmon require quite cold and highly oxygenated waters. It is quite rare they are holding over in your pond through the summer. What are the basic details of your pond? Size, depth, water source? Just curious... What forage fish species do you have present? I don't have much experience with Pacific salmon in lakes, but I am fairly familiar with Atlantic salmon, brown and rainbow trout. They mostly feed on midges and benthic invertebrates at smaller sizes and then begin feeding on fish after they reach 12"-14" in size. Which fish depends on the lake. In a couple of the bigger lakes I fish, they feed heavily on alewife and rainbow smelt. In smaller ones, it's mostly golden shiners and spottail shiners.

Do you have a photo of these salmon you are catching?

No pics yet. Pond is just over 2acres 18-24ft max depth. Fish include BG, Pumpkinseed, LMB, and BHC. Caddis, damsel, dragon, and may, flies are regulars through the year. It fills from rain and groundwater. Level fluctuates about 4-6 feet depending on amount of rain each summer. Bottom temps hover around 62 surface in the 70's. They held over the hottest part of this summer for sure, they were introduced in July 08 so two summers so far.
I forgot to mention that the 15 incher I kept had immature eggs developing. Maybe this will be their last fall of growth? Sea run silvers usually move into the rivers to spawn starting in October around here.

Very interesting... I'd love to see a pic of some of these "pond locked" salmon. I am very intrigued, that is for sure!

so cool.

I'd take a trip back to the river and see if that pool is there this year!

Well I finally landed another pond salmon. After a long dry spell, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever see another then wham! 2 in just a couple minutes. Attached is a pic I took with my phone. Seems that they made it through another summer.

When cleaning this one also had immature roe sacks. Hope they keep growing.

Very nice! How long was that fish... Very pretty!

Nice! What did you catch it on?

Very cool!

Have you been keeping records of pond temperatures? It'd be interesting to know what types of conditions they're handling.

Nice fish, do you use any type of aeration in your pond?