Fishing is not the goal, but I am curious is you comment is based on pond size or running out of smaller fish? I'm completely ignorant when it comes to "managing" fish population and growth.
I hand feed in the mornings just after dawn over coffee and again at dusk over bourbon... you know, the way nature intended it. I live a short drive from a fishery, so restocking minnows is not more drive than going to get a burger. I am not really focused on growing giant fish in a tiny, tiny pond, but I do want to learn for when I have a larger acreage pond. My wife and I are opportunistically looking for a couple hundred acres further from any major city to use as recreational property. At least one larger pond or a great site to build one is one of my criteria, so this knowledge would come in handy eventually.
Thanks! Clayton
Originally Posted By: Bill D.
Thanks Dragon! I think the pond will be full of stunted SF in not too long. Maybe ok if fishing is not the goal.
Last edited by KapHn8d; 11/15/1709:53 AM.
96.85840735 percent clayton... the rest is just pi.
You could put in a single 9" LMB at some later point, maybe next spring, to help keep the sunfish numbers down.
With only one you would not have to worry about recruitment and getting too many LMB. A single LMB might not totally control the BG, but it sure would make a good dent in them in that size pond. Plus you could name it as it soon would grow to a large size and look like Moby Dick in among the other fish.
Edit: for some of the newer members, they may not have noticed one of our very own PBF members featured in that video known to us as gar king but on YouTube is known as the Fish Whisperer.
Haha! That McNugget video was hilarious. I like the idea of adding a LMB later... just figured any more than one would be a sure way to vacuum everything else out.
I also really like the albino CC idea... and have actually looked for where to get a couple, but have not been successful. Apparently, they are opportunistically snatched up as soon as they show up at fisheries. I asked the guy I bought my SF and minnows from and he acted like they rarely saw them...
I'll keep lookin'
/c
96.85840735 percent clayton... the rest is just pi.
There is a mostly-dry creek that runs through my property. I say mostly dry because there are parts of it with pools that hold water for months without evaporating out, but the creek only runs after regional rainfall. I have a bridge in my yard to cross the creekbed and there is a pool area downstream of the bridge that holds water until it evaporates out. I noticed some tadpoles in that pool and took a net down to see what all I'd scoop out. Turns out, there were a decent number of young crawfish in the pool. I probably scooped a dozen or more in the 5 minutes or so I was there... which I tossed in my little mini-pond.
I looked for some data on county records where I live (Grimes county) and it seems the recorded species in Grimes are: Cambarus diogenes (a.k.a. Devil Crawfish), Procambarus clarkii (a.k.a. Louisiana Swamp Crawfish or Red Swamp Crawfish), and Fallicambarus houstonensis (a.k.a. Houston Burrowing Crayfish).
The latter seems to not only be IUNC listed, but also ONLY exists in 8 counties in Texas ( Liberty, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Grimes, Harris, and Walker). This is really interesting to me.
Are any of you savvy enough with crawfish identification to point me toward how I might tell which of the species I stumbled onto today? I probably won't see the ones I put in the pond anytime soon (if ever), but I may be able to grab another few from the temporary pool in the creek tomorrow for a closer look.
Just throwing it out there in case someone may know...
Cheers! /c
ps. still no luck on sourcing a couple albino CC... still looking
96.85840735 percent clayton... the rest is just pi.
Fishing is not the goal, but I am curious is you comment is based on pond size or running out of smaller fish? I'm completely ignorant when it comes to "managing" fish population and growth.
I hand feed in the mornings just after dawn over coffee and again at dusk over bourbon... you know, the way nature intended it. I live a short drive from a fishery, so restocking minnows is not more drive than going to get a burger. I am not really focused on growing giant fish in a tiny, tiny pond, but I do want to learn for when I have a larger acreage pond. My wife and I are opportunistically looking for a couple hundred acres further from any major city to use as recreational property. At least one larger pond or a great site to build one is one of my criteria, so this knowledge would come in handy eventually.
Thanks! Clayton
Originally Posted By: Bill D.
Thanks Dragon! I think the pond will be full of stunted SF in not too long. Maybe ok if fishing is not the goal.
Sorry for the late reply Clayton. I just saw your post.
My thought was simply that BG are prolific and produce huge numbers of offspring per season. Without a predator to keep their numbers in check, they can tend to over eat their available forage and stunt. Right or wrong, I think of it in pounds of fish a pond can support. For example, if your pond can support 100lbs then it could be 200 8oz BG or 800 2oz BG. IMO With no predators, the BG population will move towards the stunted 800 or more. Adding food could work for a while to get the fish bigger but the pond only has so much capacity to process waste before the water quality will degrade.
No need to apologize what-so-ever, Bill... I am just trying to learn and I appreciate any little nuggets of wisdom and experience I can get... no timeline or expectation at all.
I get what you are saying. I sort of relate it to my father's high fenced ranch where they support more deer (mostly exotics) than the land can naively support by supplemental feeding (protein, corn, etc). A pond is probably similar in that there is a natural equilibrium that you can push a little with feeding, but it will always be tugging toward the natural balance.
Since growing trophy fish isn't really my goal, I'm ok with however it works out. I have a lot to learn when it comes to how to manage the populations so there is a win-win for the fish and for me.
I appreciate you...
Cheers, Clayton
Originally Posted By: Bill D.
Sorry for the late reply Clayton. I just saw your post.
My thought was simply that BG are prolific and produce huge numbers of offspring per season. Without a predator to keep their numbers in check, they can tend to over eat their available forage and stunt. Right or wrong, I think of it in pounds of fish a pond can support. For example, if your pond can support 100lbs then it could be 200 8oz BG or 800 2oz BG. IMO With no predators, the BG population will move towards the stunted 800 or more. Adding food could work for a while to get the fish bigger but the pond only has so much capacity to process waste before the water quality will degrade.
Keep in mind I'm not a pro...just my 1 cent
96.85840735 percent clayton... the rest is just pi.
Random thought this morning, but just wanted to share... I go out with my coffee in the mornings and toss some feed in, sit back and enjoy watching the fish eat and some quiet time next to the pond. I have noticed slowly, as the CNBG have started to grow a little, they are popping the top of the water more violently to eat. The minnows are all still just grazing along the surface like hungry hippos, but these sunfish are hit and run... anyway, it makes me smile. I'm enjoying watching the fish settle in and am really looking forward to next spring/summer temps when they spawn. Ponds are great.
96.85840735 percent clayton... the rest is just pi.
Can you post an updated picture now with everything matured? I have a very limited are to put a pond on my property and am very interested in your set up. Thanks
Can you post an updated picture now with everything matured? I have a very limited are to put a pond on my property and am very interested in your set up. Thanks
Sure. Here is a recent pic coming into fall this year.
96.85840735 percent clayton... the rest is just pi.