Comments:
1. I don't like Potamogeton pectinatus (Sago "baby" pondweed) quite as well as APW (Amer Pondweed aka Longleaf Pondweed Potamogeon nodosus) because P.pectinatus-Sago tends to grow deeper and denser than APW. Fish have a harder time hunting in Sago compared to APW. Although both are beneficial fish habitat plants. IMO APW provides overall better fish habitat than Sago.
2. If you have separate ponds consider using one of them for the walleye-YP and use the larger 3.5 ac as a bass-BG or bass-GSF-HBG pond. Consider first using SMB-(HSB?) with the GSF-HBG as I have found the SMB-HSB will perform better with HBG-YP than BG. After 5-10 yrs if the pond is not performing add the LMB-BG and the pond will gradually transform into one dominated by LMB-BG. This way you get a wider fishery management experience. Then you can decide which species you prefer for future pond renovations and re-stockings.
3. YP will initially perform better as far as rapid growth if you start with pellet trained stockers. As the YP population ages more and more of the offspring will tend to revert to non-pellet eating fish unless you make a concerted effort maintain high numbers of pellet eating fish.
4. Ponds especially deeper ones (12-20ft+) always tend to perform better overall long term if they are aerated. Best way to determine how well your ponds are mixing due to wind action is to measure the water temperatures every foot deep during early to mid August. If you see rapid temperature decreases of 5F-8F between top and bottom then thermal stratification and usually bottom anoxia is occurring. Aeration should then be seriously considered.
5. Pellet feeding and aeration often go hand-in-hand because the regular addition of pellets increases pond productivity and almost always causes decreased water quality due to increased algae/plant growth, decay, and higher biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Ponds with higher BOD tend to have more frequent fish kills due to periods of low DO. Low DO often occurs during summer's long stretches of cloudy weather and cool rains. Low DO in winter is caused by excess dead plants and extended ice and snow cover. Shallow northern ponds are most prone to winterkills.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/11/14 09:59 AM.
