The kids were super excited today! Ice out was on wednesday and Friday was nice so they wet some lines. The worm and hook only was bouncing on the bottom a little bit and in came a perch! They only caught 2 on Friday before supper. Then today they tried again and the fish were a little more cautious. We switched from worms to stubby steve pellets and got 2 perch and a goldfish. The one perch was nice, and fat, probably ready to lay eggs. The other one was smaller.
The perch went in last spring, they stocked in a range of mostly 4-6" and most closer to the 4-5" mark. There probably was a stray 6 or 7" in there. I'm assuming one of the larger ones did a great job of cleaning the pellets off the bottom or eating the FHM. I don't see any minnows at all yet. There are supposedly GSH and FHM but the perch may have taken out most of them. There are crayfish but they went in during the late summer and probably won't have young till this spring.
So great to feel that solid, stout, thick-torsoed perch in my hand!
The water must have warmed considerably since ice out was Wednesday and we did have some 60 degree days. Today was above and sunny in the afternoon. Water temps on the east and the west side of the pond was both 49 degrees.
I have limbs out on all four sides of the pond and we'll see where the eggs go. I'm guessing they will drop them tonight, or very soon judging on water temps and how they looked (ready to pop!)
Many thank to Bill Cody for helping me get them in the pond and teaching me about their ancestors from Lake Erie. You hold one in your hand and it is amazing to think what their genetic heritage is.
One question for the experts. If I wanted to transfer perch to another smaller pond, would it be safe to take the fertilized egg strand and place it on a branch in the new body of water? Or better to net 1-2" baby perch and transfer those?
Tummy view:
Side view:
Close up. Hard to believe it may have been only 5-6" last year this time!
