Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Hybrid Striper in high water events.

Hey guys my three acre pond had about a foot or less of running water over the emergency spillway last night for roughly 4-6hrs thanks to yesterday's storms. I'm wondering if I should be worried about losing the hybrid stiped bass I stocked. Last year's class fish are 14"+, and this years are roughly 8". I checked the spillway several times, and didn't see any fish in the flow. The guy I buy them from says I should be in good shape. What are your thoughts? I am a worrier by nature.

How big is the waterway that your spillway empties into?

If it is generally a trickle, then as the water flows subside, your HSB might work back up to your outlet. Especially if you have a decent stilling pool there.

I have no clue about them escaping the pond, but was hoping that if some did, then you could estimate their numbers and perhaps net some to return to their pond home.

Good luck on your HSB recovery project!

It flows over my dam, roughly 20' into another lake, so no chance of recovery. Just curious as to how likely a total escape was?

I have virtually no experience with water using my spillway.

From what I've heard, certain fish are more prone to have thoughts of 'escape' from a body of water than others.

For instance, Grass Carp are supposedly prone to escaping.

I wouldn't worry too much about the HSB. All you can do is wait and see.

I agree with Sunil.

There have been a few threads on Pond Boss about fish escaping, and I vaguely recall that a few species seemed more likely to travel than others.

Since stripers and white bass are both generally "open water" species, then I hope your HSB have the same tendencies. I suspect they would tend to avoid moving water. Further, since your rains were NOT during the spring spawning season, perhaps they just stayed in a school in the middle of your pond?

Fingers crossed that you give us a follow-up report in the spring saying that you still observe both of your year classes of HSB!

I have stocked my lake with some wipers, the 1st year after a high water event I did catch some below the dam. I did catch some in the lake for the next 2 years and then nothing. My lake overflows 2 to 5 times each year. So in my own opinion I would say they will go with the water but not all of them. But repeated overflows you will lose some fish, so you need to stock more than you think you need.

Thanks! This is only the second time this has happened in the three and a half years that I have owned the pond. After the first, I thought it was a rare occasion, but obviously not. I'm currentley making a removable netting system for the spillway.

Abaggs,

Do you live at your pond property?

I have seen reservoirs fed by small creeks get their spillways clogged by trees and flotsam that came in during huge rains. One almost had the dam get over-topped.

Priority #1 for the emergency spillway is to save the dam. I like your idea for Priority #2 to save your HSB.

However, I think you need a way for you to manually release your net if it gets so clogged with debris that the water level keeps rising. However, if you are not there, perhaps you can make a "break-away" net system? I have seen ranchers do that where they have fence lines that cross creeks. The fence survives the creek rising most of the time, but in a serious flood bringing trees and debris, a section of the fence breaks away. Better to repair your net system every few years compared to repairing your dam even a single time.

We are on the same page. This system will be easily removable, and yes I live at the pond so monitoring it will be easy. Large debris and clogs shouldn't be an issue. The only two times this has happened, it has been relatively clean water going over the spillway with very little debris. I'll take pictures of the finished product it's looking really cool and easy.

Is your spillway "air gapped" from the waterway connection to the downstream pond?

There have been several threads where undesirable fish have gone upstream into managed ponds during flood events.

I believe esshup? has documented GSF being prone to moving during even shallow water flows over land.