Some fish growers think the weeds are beneficial by creating natural filtration allowing more fish biomass to grow, however these ponds are pellet fed ponds vs predator based pond as you are creating. Harvest in the weedy ponds is by first using a herbicide such as diquat to burn down the plants. The other option that I think will work is to drain the pond rework the bottom so you have a flat deeper area to act as a sump. When you want to harvest, draw down the pond so only the sump has water and seine that area. Ideally you want to drain the pond each year to make sure all the fish are removed including any invaders such as bullheads and sunfish who tolerate winter kill well. Any fish present when fry are added will eat lots of WE fry. Draining the pond will also allow the bottom to dry out, organics to be decomposed quickly and lime to be added to help stimulate (proper alkalinity) the next plankton bloom.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 10/14/14 01:27 PM.
