Catch rates can be difficult to analyze in ponds. They are used in large recreational lakes where large data bases {many fishermen, large lakes , many days and times} are kept to gauge the perceived satisfaction of public fishermen on the mgt. practices employed . Did they result in satisfied fishermen ie higher catch rates or is it only perceived. Enough data and you will know the answer and you will also reduce the error rate in the data collection. Apples to apples you know.

Many things can effect catch rates especially in small ponds . Time of day , DO , weather , temp., the baits used , fishing pressure , the amount of noise made by a boat or its crew , genetic or conditioned catchability of the fish , and on and on. It is great to take and keep the data for long term comparisions in a pond but it is hard to analyze with out much more info. I do think that most fishermen/pond mgrs. intrinsically have a feel for their catch rates . They will however proabaly be different for each fisherman on the same pond.

Here is an example. Catch rate on a small long {avg. width 50 yards}lake--12 acres total about 1.5 bass per hour. On one end of lake is an open area total area on this end 4 acres, same avg. catch rate. In Aug. often the catch rate is .1 -- you can fish all day without a bite. That end of lake was rotenoned many fish killed only a few bass many shad and rough fish. No fish left even the bowfin , gar, carp etc killed . Went back to check the area 8 days later { lucky I took a rod}.While rowing in I saw a large bass race accross the surface . Time to fish ? In 11 casts over 20 min. period I caught 9 bass over 5 lbs. no other fish and no small bass. In next hour not one bite . There should not have been any bass there that soon after rotenone. No shad seen at the time. Any one care to explain what happened and why. ewest