Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Shocking Survey

"1) only 1 red ear floated; 2000 were stocked three years ago along with the Florida bass
2) no large bass were observed in the survey even though I have seen them around the feeders preying on BG
3) no grass carp even though you can see them easily
4) three HSB even though you can see many of them at the feeders."

1. Did you stock 1-2 inch redear sametime as florida fingelrings? If so they could have ended up bass food? Hard to buy them larger due to lack of feeding success. Fish with worms on the bottom to see if you have more.
2. It is all on percentages, 10% of the pond with large bass, does not take much for 0 to show up in analysis.
3. Same answer, 8 grass carp. How many bass did you catch, Rough number in pond 200, so if you catch 10% that is 20 what is 10% of grass carp 0.8%,??? Again we catch them all the time but usually not unless there are about 15/acre or so.
4.Dave provide good answer not around shoreline and we usualy analysi mostly around shoreline.

What was size class breakdown of bluegill, in other words how many 1-2" 2-3", 3-4",4-5",5-7",7-9", >9". This tells me alot.

Same with bass, % of total capture of 10-14 inches?

Greg,

I appreciate your time on this especially since it is your business...I'm not sure I would provide free consulting on aerospace engineering, my profession.

Several folks have written to say this has been an interesting topic to them so in that vain, here's some answers for you to chew on:

1) All BG were stocked in Sept. (2 to 3 inches)followed by bass stocking in May three years ago.
2) understand the %
3) same
4) yes, what I was saying was that since the red ears are deep and were missed, the HSB were deep and missed, the grass carp moved to deep and were missed, couldn't it follow that the large LMB were deep and missed?

Probably a mistake, I didn't run the rws on the BG because there were so many at all sizes across the spectrum. Many 7 to 10 inch BG.

22 bass captured, 12 F, 10 M, 8 were 10 - 14 inches, 7 less than 10 inches, 7 above 14 up to 17 inches.

Thanks for the spreadsheet...that really makes it easy.

I did not mean wr on bluegill but, why the heck did the "shock guys" not do a size class distribution table on all fish captured. This is I thought a standard analysis tool that everyone in the business uses??

So would you say you had even numbers of bluegill 3-4", 4-5", etc.? It seems with the bass you had a staggering of sizes and that is a good sign.

Poaching might help explain some of the answers, I deal with that rarely. Also many, many times shocking only backsup of what the pondowner already knows. I think their money is in the "mgmt report describing results but also lots of specfic recommendatiosn to acheive their goals. IN your case you are self taught and many of these you would already know but most others get bad advice that I "try" to straightned out. I never heard back, did you/will you get recommendations, curious what they said. If you got a good rate just to shock then that makes sense.

Greg,

The answer is I got a good rate just to shock (no report included)...you know how an engineer is, don't you? They think they know more than they know...that's me, but at least I know that I think that way...confusing enough?

I thank you for your time and publicly praise you for educating us in the complexities of pond management.

Here's a way to know more about your pond put a
clip broad & pen down by your pond along with a ruler, scale & forms that reads:

ATTENTION FISHERMEN (POACHERS) in order to better the fishing at this pond please answer the following Questions:
NUMBER & TYPE OF FISH CAUGHT
LENGTH & WEIGHT OF FISH
BAIT USED (LURE TYPE & OR TYPE LIVE/DEAD BAIT)
DEPHT OF WATER & LOCATION LONG POND FISHED
DATE & TIME OF DAY & LENGHT OF TIME FISHED
NUMER OF MUDCATS, CRAPPIE,GREEN SUNFISH & UNKNOWEN TYPE OF MINNOWS YOU STOCKED THIS POND WITH FROM OTHER SITES YOU FISHED
This Info. will greatly Help the Management
(The owner who's footing the bill for these fish)
to better serve your Fish stealing ways
( ALSO please feel free to write down your name address & phone# and next time you plan to return.
thank you

You could also put a space on the form to ask if they prefer buckshot or rock salt.

Will,

I would do that, but I'm not sure some of these folks can read.

I feel better now knowing that pond management can even stump a rocket scientist at times.

It they can't read attach a shell of dove load and one of buckshot so they can just circle then.