Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Removing GSF from a pond

Here's a groundwater only pond that is supposed to have RES, YP, FHM, GSH and SMB in it. The forage fish were stocked 2 years ago and the YP a year ago. Just as we were getting ready to stock the SMB, we found a huge population of 1"-5" GSF in the pond. The owner didn't want to chance stocking the SMB in the pond, so it's drain, rotenone, and start all over again.

A Fyke net survey showed almost 0 recruitment from the RES, most likely due to the GSF. Another pond on the property, stocked at the same time as this one, but without GSF, has great RES recruitment.

The pond was about at the 50% full level due to the drought in the area before pumping started. It's dropped 13" so far. The pump is a 16,000 GPH 3" semi-trash pump. I reconfigured it to run from a 6 gallon external fuel tank, so it will run 10-12 hr at a time vs. the 2-3 from the little tank that is on it.

The innertube is to float the suction end of the pick-up hose. Less sand and other nasties run thru the pump that way. It's pumping the water into the woods in the background, and the water is running away from the pond.

The bigger YP and RES that are found will be transferred to another pond before the rotenone is applied.






More cover will be added before the water fills the pond.


I think it's a good thing that the pond is getting killed. I saw a couple of larger fish cruising the shallows and was able to catch one.....


How they got in the pond is anybody's guess, but I think they were bucket stocked. Not a good thing for a SMB pond! No sign of them were seen in the pond before a week ago when I noticed a larger fish chasing minnows up near shore.