Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - First experience with Cormorants

Saw a Cormorant in my pond yesterday for the first time. Up until now, GBH and Egrets are the only water birds I have seen with any regularity. Well, this thing was fishing in the middle of the pond standing on some small limbs from a sunken tree. His feeding spot was about 40 feet from my feeder. Up until yesterday the fish were devouring their normal 2 second afternoon TH feeder ration with great abandon, and in fact, I had been hand throwing them an additional 3 or 4 solo cups of mvp as well. Water temps are about 65 here now. Well, I happened to be standing there when the feeder went off (about 20 minutes after the cormorant left) and for the first time ever, not a single fish showed up to eat! I could not believe it. Eventually, about 5 minutes later a very small group started eating a pellet here or there, but 99% of the feed just sat there untouched. Obviously the cormorant must have spooked them and I guess they all headed for the bottom. Is this common behavior when cormorants come around? I just have never seen anything cause a total shutdown like that before. Even in 28 degree weather I would still have feeder activity. Learn something new everyday with this pond!

Oh, and this morning when I rode out to the pond, there were 4 cormorants feeding! From zero to 4 in one day! Not good.

I once, many years ago, came upon a dead cormorant with a 14 or 15 inch common carp lodged in its throat. Greedy bird took too big of a bite.

Carp are good for something!

I'd be interested in baiting a hook with an appropriate sized fish and placing the bait out there where the cormorants commonly fish. Or setting up something like a gill net right in the area the birds favor.

It would really be too bad if you weren't able to get out to check the net or baited line often enough, wouldn't it?