Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations A dead fish

I found a dead trout floating in the pond yesterday. I was really surprised, as I thought they were all gone two months ago. From it's state of decomposition I would guess 2 to 3 days old. However, I am wondering if it is possible that it died a month or two ago and it sank to the bottom, then surfaced. Seems like the turtles would have at least dove down and pulled it up. Could it have stayed that well preserved if the pond's bottom wasn't oxygenated?

Yes, it most likely held on as long as it could and then took the dirt nap, er.....uh....final swim.

Certainly cold water slows down decomposition. However sometimes a trout will find a cold spot and almost shut down it's metabolic needs and try and tuff it out. So perhaps the fish just couldn't hang in there any longer? At least that is what one biologist told me. I was told that lake trout of all species are good at this.

That said, although it is an inanimate object, I recently retrieved a net that had been laying on the bottom for at least 5 years when I drained the big pond. It's in better shape than the same net I've been using.

We had six trout survive last summer in a non-aerated, eight foot deep pond that dropped over a foot during the summer. Cooler temps rolled around and they started eating. They fed all fall winter and spring and then stopped eating as the water warmed. They survived until the first week of July this year when our nieces and nephews spent the day and evening playing and swimming in the pond. That evening three of the six were found at the top swimming lethargically and subsequently died. I hope that you still have some alive that will surprise you in the fall.

Thanks guys. I want to be hopefull that some trout may make it thru the summer, and by finding this one I don't want to be fooled by the fact that it may have died months ago and just surfaced.

Do you have turtles? My dead trout didn't make it a half a day and the turtles had started to tear them apart. If you have turtles I would not think that they would have left your trout alone regardless of whether they were on the bottom or not. But maybe the turtles don't go down into the anaerobic water either. Anyway, keep us posted!

That's why I was a little confused about finding this dead trout. I have LOTS of turtles. Dozens of Painted turtles, and at least two snappers. I also have 50 CC. I am glad I threw in the boat to go check it out, because from shore I was thinking it was a dead CC. Seems like the consensus here is that it most likely died in the last few days, but very strange that nothing took advantage of it. And yes, seems like the turtles would be able to go down into the anaerobic water.

Well to my surprise, I caught a RBT tonight. So, that answers my question above, that they have survived till at least today. I was fishing to sample sizes of BG and I caught it. Wish I hadn't at this time, but I guess it can't be helped.

Now it forces me to rethink any plans of aeration. I figured they are living only because I do not have any yet.

I am not sure about NE Ohio, but here in VA, this has been a very wet cooler than normal summer. It has certainly kept water temps far cooler than they often get in the summer... Could definitely help the trout out a bit.