As some of you know my main biggest pond is all female perch and male bluegill, and I hatch my yellow perch in a smaller pond on the property. (Back left pond)



I've been giving my males to Esshup to put into his pond to avoid the risk and stress of keeping them in cages where they could potentially escape and add male yellow perch to the all female perch pond. At this time I don't have a pond for them.

Had a great time in sunny 55 degree temps and took back 13 males to the hatchery pond, and released at least as many females back into Esshups's pond. Even caught one large channel cat which Esshup will post later.

A male yellow perch:



A female yellow perch:



Some of the 13 live YP males in the cooler ready to head back to the hatchery pond.

Good photos - that male looks pretty healthy to me - and beautiful coloration. Female looks pretty gravid wonder how far from dropping we are?

Esshup's looked like another week away at least. Bill Cody says he's already seen 5 egg strands. I will check mine tomorrow.

My females have been taking hydrated pellets off the surface good along with some bluegills.

Beautiful place you have there, Cecil!

I call them dinner

Wait till you see the females that will come out of my pond this week and the big male gills. There should be lots of 14's (Yellow perch females) as I just caught one off the pier to check on them. Really bursting with eggs all of a sudden. I have lots of free labor coming out to catch them and a list of taxidermists that are ready to buy them. The help will even measure, weigh, and catalog for me just to have the chance to catch big gills and yellow perch. Imagine that!

I had to use redworms today as the floating minnow bucket I tied to a pier on one of the back ponds is missing. Must have sunk for some reason? Can't imagine it was stolen as it's never been an issue here. It's not under the pier. My neighbors don't even fish.

Anyway, first two fish were brute bluegills at in the neighborhood of a pound and a half give or take. Didn't bring a bucket or the camera. Was just going to catch a perch or two to check on egg development, as I prefer to sell them when they are at full development. So I released them instead of freezing them up.

Thanks!

Cecil, I just got back in. That one Female YP that you caught I think was 12"-13".

I'll get the pictures uploaded to photobucket and posted tonight.

If you tied a good knot on the bucket, then it still should be there.

Want me to put out another bucket for you on the trailer? You can run to Stanley's Marina for Fatheads if you want to catch more YP from the pond tomorrow. Call them and see if they have 'em. They are 2 miles North of me. 574-586-2223.

You sure you know how to do that

Yes, it's just slower than well, you know what.

Scott 13 will be enough. No need for another minnow bucket. Rope apparently came off at the bucket. Thanks for the offer though.

I need to get back and get some taxidemy done. I've been having too much fun with pond stuff.

One of the YP that Cecil caught. He seemed to be doing a much better job catching the males, and I was doing better catching the females.



Here's that CC that Cecil caught. Look at the mouth on that thing!! (The CC, not Cecil.) I'll pull it out of the cage and take some measurements on it. I don't know if it was one of the stockers from Spring 2009 or an earliler stocking. I fin clipped all of the 2009 stockers. None stocked after that.

That picture of Cecil and Cat is EPIC!!!!!!!!!!

Scott has the prettiest CC I have ever seen.

If I had any say in the matter, you wouldn't be seeing very many more pics of them. I want them out!!!

Cecil should have posed that fish similar to the one of yellow perch above. The CC and CB1 appear to be at odds and not sharing quality time together.

Bill,

Been a while since I held a live catfish. Not only do they not do anything for me but I have fond memories of what the spines do to your hands untangling them from gillnets when I was a biologist aid for a summer.

Yeah, he wasn't none too keen on picking it up.

I've been stuck my more YP than by catfish/bullheads.

There's a reason why I bring a landing net down to the pond when I fish it. You never know what will bite.

Beautiful YP. How old would you guess they were?

At least this time it looks like Cecil has combed his hair in the last few weeks.

Yeah how about that!

So, did the CC go back in the pond or was it dinner?

It was put in a cage to be turned into fish nuggets.

I've found a couple good ways to pick up catfish..

First method on a hook attached to jug, cut off hook over livewell.

Second method fish net..

Third 22 bullet (not recommended in boat another story there)

Fourth and last 4 prong frog gig..