Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Evaluating my freshly stocked pond

I began stocking my pond mid Spring. I was wanting to put FHM along with my CNBG but could not locate any FHM. May 12th I released 1100 (1-3") CNBG in my 1.25 acre pond (Build thread: http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=216832)

I have been noticing a lot of activity along the water's edge the past two months. I can not tell if the BG have spawned or if it is minnows from a near by BOW.

We have been receiving a lot of rain lately and I noticed huge schools of small fish where run off is draining into the pond.

I snapped a few pictures with my phone, many of the fish had scattered when I walked up but I got a few in the pic.













I am thinking about setting out a few minnow traps to see what they are. I will post pictures of what I find. Is there any harm in doing this?

I may also set a few in the gully that runs down my property line (where I think the minnows may have come from) since I see many BG and LMB 4-6" fingerlings every time I walk down it.

A $5.00 to $10 trap sure answers a lot of questions. Just about any bait seems to work for me.

I set out a few at noon today baited with purina sports fish chow. I checked at 6 this evening and had a dozen or more in each trap. I took some pictures with the good camera so they would come out good. I will post them in a little while after I get to a computer. I am fairly certain they are Blacktail shiners.

After looking through the pictures, it is not a blacktail shiner.

Here are a few pictures of what I am seeing all along the banks.






When I checked one of the traps before dark, I found two 1-1.5" CNBG and a few large tadpoles.

I'm goung out on a limb here and saying Gambusia.

CJ????

I just did a google images search and I believe you are correct. Are they a good thing? I have huge schools of them from 1/4"-2" long along the entire perimeter of my pond. Should I still stock FHM before the bass (having trouble locating them) or are these a good food source along with the BG?

Looks like Mosquito Fish to me.

Yup, mosquitofish/gambusia... I would still stock FHM.

Thanks, will do as soon as I can find some.

In mid-summer and during hottest weather fish for stocking are hard to locate. Check around and a fall or early spring stocking should still be okay. Gambusia don't get very big and what you are catching are breeding adults. They stay near the surface where they get most of their food items - msotly small hatching insects such as mosquito larvae. Male Gambusia stay smaller than the females. They are good forage for 2"-6" bass. Larger bass waste a lot of energy eating Gambusia and use them mostly when other forage is lacking.

You may be able to find some FHM at the bait shops but you will want to inspect them very close to make sure you do not get any "bonus" fish. This would at least get a few in the pond.