Eric,
I'm at the same latitude as Scott (Esshup). I find they do well in the local lakes but for some reason they can be hit and miss in ponds. Some ponds they do O.K. and others they just disappear.
It may be forage based (snails or lack there of), or predator based, but since we are near the northern most part of their range (Southern Michigan), and they seem to go inactive under the ice and prefer warmer climes, I'm thinking it may be they can't handle the quicker temperature drops of ponds vs. the larger lakes.
I've seen my 3/4 acre pond drop 10 degrees in one day, and with high winds with temps in the 70's it went from lightly ice covered to 50 F. from top to bottom! This can be stressful on any fish but perhaps even more stressful on a fish found more prevalently farther south?
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 01/12/10 10:35 PM.
