Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Northern Pike after nine months

Today I decided to drop a line in the pond for the first time this year. Less than five minutes later I had landed a beast I didnt realize was even in my pond.

Last May I planted a 21" northern pike from a local creek. He was a typical skinny hammerhead, but I wanted something that would be big enough to produce a great fish story and a fish capable of hammering on small bass to keep them in check. I never saw the fish again all summer, not even knowing if it survived at all.

Well after nine months of pigging out on my YP, LMB and BG this fish has added more than six inches of length and tripled in weight. It is pushing five pounds now and by next year at this time probably will be over 36 inches and approaching trophy size.

Luckily my daughter didnt see it or she would not swim in the pond again lol.

That is awesome!!! You have to love the toothy critters!

It may eat all your brood stock (12 to 14 inch LMB and 6 inch BG and 10 to 12 inch YP. Keep and eye on that over sized hammer handle.

Great looking Northern Rex, I can almost hear the theme to jaws.

I had 3-4 LMB over 15" at the end of last summer and probably a half dozen fat 12-13" LMB. I think they are safe from this pike but everything else in the pond is fair game, which is fine with me. I would rather have a lot of BG and a few large LMB and pike than a trophy BG pond, as I would like to eat a lot of BG myself.

I am afraid that my YP will be the big losers in all this, as I add about 25 of them every year but I dont think they will ever take.

Why do you think the yellow perch will be the big losers?

Walt would be proud...

Impressive

Did the pike go back in?

Not sure why you don't think the YP will take hold.

The YP have LMB and the NP preying on them. I have already noticed a decline in YP numbers even though I stocked 25 more last spring. I will stock another 25 this spring but if they dont start making lots of babies soon they wont be around long.

I have stocked more YP than anything but I have yet to get a spawn. I have stumps, Christmas trees, and always put branches in for the egg strands to hang on but have not had luck yet.

Rex you should check with Cecil and see if he has anymore of those big yellow cows.

I had my pond for about (4) years before I even knew I had YP.

I've since stocked maybe 50-100 over the past 5-6 years, and I have a lot of them. I also have a lot of predator fish, but no pike.

Well I dropped a pole in today and within five minutes I caught a 10" female YP with so many eggs in her they were coming out her mommy parts. I will see if I can bring in a couple more. Hopefully this spring I get a good spawn because I know the LMB and BG will be spawning.

That is a healthy, fat with eggs or perch NP. If you catch it again next year and it is over 30 inches you will know it's a girl. Even at 27" I am figuring female, with the big belly being eggs. She would have to be pretty ravenous to get to 38" by this time next year. I have noticed that NP seem to favor winter and cold water, but you gotta admire their mean, nasty, bad attitudes for sure.

Rexcramer, how big is your pond? Thats pretty impressive.

Unfortunately the only big ones I would sell at this point are males and I'd have to slaughter 55 of them to ship any out of state. I'm not sure I even have that many big ones on hand right now in the cages. Once I get a few hundred backed up in the cages that is a possibility if anyone is interested.

I think I'm going to start selling many of my annual production YOY BG and YP and sacrificing 60 out of several thousand is more bearable, although the damn testing for VHS is a couple of C notes for each lot.

I'm not interested in hauling but Rainman has expressed an interest in both species. Hopefully we can work something out that is mutually profitable and be able to provide some fish for some of you. I have no interest in competing with my good friend Dr. Bruce Condello (as if i could LOL), so I will stay out of his territory if he is offering the same. I doubt I'll be producing that many fish actually. Any I sell will be extra I don't need.

I still say you have more in the pond than you think, and I doubt if the northern will wipe them out. Yes the largemouths and northern will keep their numbers down but that may increase the average size for you.

yo rex, nice fish....what AP said

Cecil your just too darn honest.

And I don't want to end up in hot water with the feds or my state!

I can keep a secret if you can... HAHA

It would be your duty to report me.

Its pretty small, just under a 1/2 acre, but deep with a 20' hole.

Cecil you are right, I caught my first triple header last night, two perch on a perch rig and then they got tangled with my jig which also had a nice perch on it. I pulled the jig up and got all three at once and all were over 11 inches and ver healthy. The best thing was none of them swallowed the hook either so they all swam off just a little disoriented. I have no size classes in my perch right now, just big and bigger

Good! So you'll pull off a spawn this year most likely.

Isn't it special how you wonder what you have after stockings? You know, you've put YP in but have not seen or caught them?

Then bang!!!