Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations IF IT WERE MY POND I'D.............

OK Guys give me your "If it were my pond I'd......."

Pond size : 10 acres. 20' Deep at dam. No structure. Visibility 10'+ even in the summer. Pretty thick southern Niad in the coves. Built in 2006. (All confirmed on forum)

Here is how I've gotten to where I'm at,

Purchased July 2010. Did nothing but fish it that fall.Previous owner said the only fish in it were some HBG from another of his ponds his sons transfered. Which Fishing it seemed to confirm. Always caught 100's of GSF and HBG. Nothing else.

First thought was I'm going to kill this and start over but not until we move here full time.(maybe 2015) That being said I let a friend put 50 BC off a fish truck in fall os 2011. Thought it would be fun for a few years until I kill it. At that same time I transferd about 25 LMB (6-8") from my pond to the 10ac. pond.

I added 30 GC fall 2012 to try and help with the Southern Niad.

Fast forward to the present. Getting 50 +or- SMB from Cecil.(Forgot to mention Pond is 20mi. North of Louisville, Ky.)

So the question is......(yes there is a question coming)

What can/should I do now? I really dont want to kill it now in light of everything up to this point. Was planning on also adding some HSB at some point. I could trasfer some adult BG and RES from my other pond. Im really concerned about my forage base.

My goal is really just the shear enjoyment of fishing and eating the fish from the pond. Wanting it to be self sustaining as much as possible. I'm not feeding and dont have aeration at this point. Might do both at some point but (2 Daughters in college right now) just not in the budget in the near future.

So.....Let me have it (the good, bad and ugly truth).

Thanks in advance. And let me be a lesson to all. Have some patience and think a little longer before you make decissions on your pond.

R&R, you mentioned killing it in the future, but the more you do now, and the better shape you get these 10As in, the harder it is going for you to do it. In 2-3-4 years you can have this BOW in pretty darn good shape - especially if you goal is just for fun and food. If it were me, I'd either kill it now (which would be real expensive) or I would start improving now with the intent of enjoying now and for the future. I don't think I'd put in those LMB & HSB and then kill them when they are 3-4 lbs. That would be tough. Just my opinion, but I'd try to make it work. One other thing - to kill off this 10A lake, you would have to drain most of it. Do you have a good water source to refill?
Do you have any pictures?

rmedgar, Yea I really dont want to kill it now but I'm not sure what direction to go now withtrying to get my forage base up ???????

Left side




Right side(dam)

That is a beautiful place.

+1

whoa....
now that is one pretty place & has some knockout home sites.

Yes the more fish that you put in it the harder it will be to kill it. However on the plus side after 5-8 yrs you will have learned a lot and more of what you want after you renovate it. The combination of HBG-BG-BCP-LMB-cecil's SMB & grass carp will give you an education about fish combinations and which ones you prefer. Since you have a big mixture of fish you might as well add some HSB this year as 4" to 8" stockers so they get some size before the other predators get large. This fishery will teach you a lot in the next 5-8 yrs. Keep us advised as to the progress. I am especially interested in how well the smallies survive and maintain their status in this mixed fishery without their welfare of pelleted foods.

WOW! That is beautiful set up. I couldn't tell from the picture but where did you say the T-Boxes were located

Appreciate the comments guys.

Bill, Do you think It would be worth trying to stock Fingerling BG and RES at this point or just a waste of money?

The LMB have spawned and the stockers are up to 3-4lbs. The BC are 10-12".

mnfish, The t-box will be right out the back door on the far left. Next to the Zip line, goose blind,shooting box,water slide,blob, dock,fire pit...........

Beautiful!!! Have you thought about hiring a professional to do an evaluation and propose a plan? I don't think a consultation would cost very much and would definitely give you a better idea of what you have and what you need to do to get where you want to get....

I'd grab a six pack and a fishing pole and just enjoy it.

First thing I’d do is start scrounging for material to build artificial cover for the forage fish. Enough to make 2 acres of it. Sound like a lot? Yes, it is, but it’s what you need if the only cover in your pond is the Niad. Right now, the predators have the upper hand chasing their prey around in a bathtub. That's why they grew so fast. They will over eat the forage base quickly. The underwater plants are the only cover, and they disappear in the winter. Place the cover near spawning areas, in deeper water near the spawning areas where the fish stage pre and post spawn, and in deeper water where the fish will be hanging out in winter. The cover will also help congregate the fish to make catching them easier.

I say scrounge because you need to spend as much $$ as you can on forage. Talk to Cecil about getting some YP from him too. They’ll help with the forage base for the SMB.

Then I’d put in at least 100# of GSH. They will hang out in more open water, and hopefully you can get them established in the pond. I think you only have this year for a window to get forage established with the predators in the pond. Wait another year and you’ll be scrambling for a long time – speaking from experience here. Both in the amount of cover in the pond and the amount of forage fish vs. predators.

With 10 acres, at BG stocking rates for new ponds at 1,500 – 2,000/ac you have a lot of catching up to do. Stock as many 5”-6+” BG as you can, even transferring them from another BOW providing you can positively ID each one. With LMB that size, BG under 6” could be food for the LMB. I would also stock as many 3”-4” BG as your pocketbook allows, realizing that some will be eaten. Even if 50% of the smaller BG survive, you are going in the right direction.

Don’t worry about the Niad this year, or even next year, concentrate on structure and fish. The Niad can be spot treated, but right now think of it as cover for YOY fish.

If it was my pond, I’d wait until next year to stock HSB. I’d concentrate on the forage fish base first.

Now, all that was said because I KNOW what’s in my pond in regards to fish by either a electroshock fish survey, or a fyke net survey. I’d have a rough idea if I were just going off of what I found if I was fishing the pond, but I’ve found that many more fish will NOT bite than will.

If a fish survey hasn’t been done, then “if it were my pond” that’s the first thing that I’d do.

I’d also concentrate on catching and keeping all the BC that I could, and initiate a slot limit on removing LMB until you can verify that your forage base is up to snuff

Sue , Thanks, You may recall designing me a system. Still on the wish list.

For Sue and esshup any WAG as to what a survey runs $$$$

esshup, I do have a lot of stuff already scrounged. been working 95 miles from home for 2 1/2 years and I live 45 minutes from the property(yes I am whining) just seems like not enough time. Starting pole barn ASAP. also. But its in the works.

Would it be worth my while to set some fish traps in my 3/4 acre pond to move BG and RES. ?

gallop, you hit the nail on the head as far as "goals".

I want to try real hard not to overthink and or let the whole thing consume me..........(ooops...too late.)

Yes, I do ~ I'm not sure about the cost of a survey, but I'm sure Scott can let you know. And I totally understand the cost aspect with your kids in college! Mine will be there in a few years! Yikes!

esshup,

Don't know much about GSH. How prolific are they at spawning? can they get out of hand? Etc.......

On the slot limit are you saying remove LMB in the 10-12" range only?

Thanks Rob

How prolific depends on how much spawning area they have. Northern LMB can eat them even at their adult size, and the YOY up to and including sub adults can feed YP, SMB, younger LMB, BG and BC.

What size and how many LMB to remove will depend on your fish survey, based on the forage base. If it's as light as you said it is, I'd remove every LMB that was caught until the forage base was built up. But, it's a guess at this point until you know where you stand in regards to your forage base.

GSH inhabit more open water, where BG inhabit water that is shallower and closer to shore. The GSH will also help if you decide to stock HSB, they inhabit the same area of the pond.

IF IT WAS MY POND I WOULD....... i would first get an electrofishing survey to see whats in there for sure and at what sizes. There may be fish species in there that you may not know of. I would make sure i had enough bass either LMB or SMB given the size of the pond. Typically 40-50 per acre is recommended. Then i would focus on the forage base BG,FHM,GSH,TFS (although TFS may have die offs in winter) and/or crayfish. Management of the gamefish depends on your goals later (such as harvesting). If the Grass carp eat most of the Naiad then i would put in artificial habitat structures to provide refuge for smaller juvenile forage this will also improve recruitment into the system. I would start a feeding program with a texas hunter fish feeder with game fish chow (has multiple size pellets for multiple sizes of fish). Then install aeration to provide adequate dissolved oxygen for the pond. Then i would enjoy my pond as much as possible and show off my fish pics!!!

Wow that's all I can say. That is one sweet looking pond!!! Dang it man I don't even know where to begin with that. I can't get passed the view and thinking about that pond being mine..... That's a lot to take in itself! You truly are blessed with such a nice piece of land my friend!!

RC

I feel the same as RC,that is a slice of heaven you have there.


If it where my pond I'd focus on structure and forage while leaving enough time for fishing with a cold frosty beverage.

Mike, Everthing you suggest is deffinately on the agenda as time and budget allow. I feel like I have made some bad decisions (letting friend put crappie in) thinking I "WAS" going to kill it and not wanting to go that route now.
"Enjoying and posting pics" IS a priority.

RC.
Thanks and I truly am blessed!!!!

Robert
Thanks, "Structure and frosty beverage" Got it.