Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Flying Bass

Early this year I added 20 Female LMB to my 1/4 acre trout pond - for the summer action and entertainment. I don't have a lot of LMB experience, but it has been a treat to see how differently these fish behave - as compared to trout.

This evening I saw something crazy. (In the pic below you'll see a patch of cattails that I left in my pond - all pond edges are lined with weed barrier and field stone down to about 4 feet except this patch of cattails.)


I was working on some pond edge improvements (across from the cattails where you see the blue sun screen in the pic below) when I took a break to 'ponder the pond.'


Suddenly I heard a quick staccato wap-wap-wap-wap-wap, and I saw a bass jump out of the water and flicking its tail literally bounce on top of the water for about 25 feet then dive instantly to the bottom. Before I could wrap my feeble mind around what could cause a top predator to act like a 2 inch shiner, a bigger bass did the same. Shot out of the cattails wap-wap-wap-wap-wap and just flicked across the water. That fish did not want to be in that pond. Thirty feet later in the middle it dove and disappeared.

Flummoxed, I stood silently considering what I'd seen when an otter (might have been a mink - looked to be about 30 inches long) popped out of the cattails and loped across a patch of grass to disappear in the undergrowth of the woods. That sucker had been there the whole time I was working. I moved to about 20 feet of the cattails when that otter's kit (I assume because it was somewhat smaller at about 20 inches in length) jumped out of the cattails, one-hopped the rocky edge and dove into the water without even a splash. Ten seconds later it popped out of the pond - didn't even have to climb - and loped into the underbrush as well. I saw no fish in their mouths.

Wow. What a rush. My friend recommends that these predators die of sudden-onset lead poisoning or equivalent. But I really don't mind. I have Blue Herons that are frequent visitors and the trout seem to do okay.

What is the experience of the group in quantifying loss? The pond has (had?) about 180 trout - last year's already reaching about 18 inches. Plus the 20 LMB females. And TONS of shiner minnows (very fun to see the LMB attack them on the surface!)

So two questions. First, does your experience with the otter presence mean more fish loss than say 25%? Second, has anybody every seen LMB act like baitfish and pop out of the water like shiners being chased to the surface by Stripers?

Bass are a great addition to the pond, btw. Their summer activity is a delight.

Otters have a pretty bad reputation with PMs here, basically that they will eat every fish they can get a hold of (and they're very good at getting a hold of fish) and then move on after a pond is virtually empty.

On a positive note, that's a very pretty pond (and house, yard, etc.).

NE Mason, from what I've heard here on Pond Boss, if it's an otter, it will clean out the pond of all of your fish. I don't know that you can compare them to GB herons.

The first step might be to identify this animal for sure.

There is a good possibility that these things live in those cattails. Getting rid of the cattails may be necessary, but I can't say for sure at this point.

A breeding population of otters is a serious threat to a pond. The larger fish will go first. One thing for sure - those LMB did not run for cover because they were glad to see the otter. That should tell you something.

Thanks for your replies.

I talked to New Hampshire F&G Wildlife Services. A biologist said that neither mink nor otter populations are endangered - although they have a clear reduction in habitat. So in this case I can trap or remove at will. She encouraged accommodation during most human/wildlife encounters, but recognized that the only likely accommodation in this case was to enclose the pond with an electric fence. That is not an option I care to pursue.

She also confirmed what you have said, that the pond full of healthy fish is such an attractive feeding opportunity that they will continue to prey as long as it is available. AKA few to none of the fish left.

She recommended a conibear body trap, over the leg or live traps, if I make the decision to trap.

I think I'll do it. And assuming success, I will update/post pictures for the good of posterity.

I've never even seen a wild otter so have hesitated to post. I rarely kill anything that I don't eat unless it becomes a problem. Rattlesnakes in the yard or around the ponds are a problem to be eliminated but the ones out in the pastures aren't.

My general thought is that I'm the top predator in my ponds and make all final decisions. If anything threatens my fish and thus me, it has to go. And quickly.

Hi NE Mason. You've got a pretty pond and property there. I agree that trapping the otters seems like the logical decision in your case, especially because your fish (at least the bass) aren't reproducing.

This thread made me wonder if the amount of submerged structure in a pond might influence the success of wild predators. My impression is that most ponds don't have anywhere near the maximum recommended amount of structure. I'm thinking that fish congregate around structure in large part because it makes them somewhat safer from predation.

In a common situation like a pond with overcrowded LMB, an otter or two might actually help the pond owner by thinning out the population. Maybe a pond with heavy structure would work like musical chairs; the fish that hold positions in the structure are safer and the ones left out in the open are more likely to get eaten. In that case when the population is thinned to the point where all of the fish can find cover, the predators wouldn't have the same success rate. Maybe a balance could be reached like what generally happens in nature.

The vast majority of ponds seem to end up with fish populations that become excessive. I want to fish when I feel like it and not turn it into a chore. I would be happy to have the help of some native "fisherman" if their success was proportionate to the fish population.