I fought them hard at my old pond. they are easy to catch in the streams near your pond especially if you have beaver dams. they use the same crossings as beavers. they are extremely hard to catch in open water such as the pond. That is not typical of them making a large splash when they dart under water. it would be great if that was a case of mistaken identity and it was actually a beaver. i had tons of beavers right below my pond, but only saw one get in there and it was right after a large rain event.
from what i observed it was mainly the bluegill that took a hard hit in the pond. i think the bass may be too fast. they wore my bluegill out.
i eliminated them anyway possible!!
