Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Big Problem. What options do I have?

I just got back from fishing more in my 1/2 acre pond. I haven't had any luck fishing it for the longest time. I caught 2 small minnows that I couldn't identify. After a little running around to the fisherman of the family, we found out they are bowfin (dogfish). I know there are some people out there that are quite fond of them, but most people around here dislike them. From what I've read so far, they are very much a predator fish, and will eat most everything in the pond (including 250 bluegill minnows that i put in last fall). I want to get rid of them, but I dont want to chemically kill the pond out. What other options are there?

http://www.1upinfo.com/encyclopedia/B/bowfin.html
http://blackwarriorriver.org/bowfin.htm
WranglerMan,
The above links describe bowfin as a prehistoric fish capable of breathing air & can survive out of water for about a day. They are also longlived & have survived 20 years in aquariums.
Bowfin soup is suppose to be great for a hangover!
The Bowfin is not a fragil fish & I would bet would be the last species to die no matter what action you took. If you really want to rid your pond of them I would suggest draining, saving what you can of your desirable fish if you have somewhere to hold them & starting over. If needed it would be a good time to do maintenance ect while your pond was drained.
If your pond is creek fed though you will probably never be able to get rid of the fish entirely since some bowfin minnows will survive in the creek.
The Bowfin is a great fighter & I think is fun to catch.
Ric

Maybe you could manage the population by targeting them during spawning and prespwan. The males do build nests which might make for some good bowfishing. How did they get in your pond in the first place?

Sorry for the long delay, I was camping all last week. The Bowfin were there when I bought the property. Most likely from the neighbor kids, and I just now found out about them. I was able to transplant about a dozen 6" bluegill during the week... I'm also looking into getting some 8-10" bass... im hoping the bass will take out the smaller bowfin. I don't think draining the pond would be an option either... the pond exists from a high water table, I'm not sure if i could pump it out fast enough to make it worth while... Spearing season is open in Michigan, so maybe I can take out a majority of the adults. I'll keep you posted.

have you positively identified an adult yet? Central Mudminnows look like a young bowfin. I have had great luck using a big thumping spinnerbait for larger bowfin. They are brutal on your equipment though. Use a leader and 10lb+ line. They can survive with little O2 due their ability to gulp air. Their presence could be a sign of past fish kills.
Robert B

I have not been able fish out an adult bowfin, which is what a few people told me to do before getting too worried about it. I checked out that central mudminnow and by the looks of the pictures I found, this is the fish I have. I've never actually heard of it before. I have been able to pull out several minnows just using a bucket. I have never read about them being used as a forage for bass. I'm planning on stocking bass this weekend (about 50 5"-8"), and let nature take its course. I've read bass prefer the longer cylindrical shaped fish as apposed to bluegill anyway. If I see lots of growth by this fall, I might harvest a few to get the population down a touch before winter.

If infact, there was a fish kill before I bought the property last year, what could I do to prevent this from happening again? I could probably talk my wife into a windmill for aeration, would this be the best way to go? My pond is only 10ft deep and there is no electricity hooked up yet. We plan on moving out there in about 3 years.

A Koenders windmill from Canada seems to be the best out there right now. The diffuser that comes with one can be upgraded for better O2 transfer and water movement. I could hook you up with one, or there are many more sellers associated with this site. [email protected]
Robert B