Hate posting with iPhone but first ribbon (s).. At pond now, 53 surface temp and I can verify 2 fairly large ribbons strung out through my tumble weed structures. About 12:27 photo period if I use yesterday’s data.
in the early spring if you are seeing 3" to 5" small yellow perch those are almost always YP from the prior year spawn. A lot of those 2.7"- 3" are likely males although some could be slower growing females. The 4"-5" could be mixed males and females; that year class could easily have some larger individuals 6"-7". I've seen some 4" YP with eggs at one year old.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
I took a couple ribbons and put them in a fish tank with a bubble stone back on 3/19/21 just to see if anything would come of it since there seemed to be a quite a few ribbons in the pond.
WOW WOW!!! JIMS SVT that is so awesome to see. What clear pictures and the blue background really helps.
Bill C, or someone else can you explain what we are seeing in those pictures? The black spots in the 3rd picture are all eyes forming? I can't see I can see that in my pond but the water clarity isn't that great. I need to study my egg strands and see if I can expect swimming YOY yet!!
Jim what day would you say you saw the formed fish in the eggs yet? 3-19 they went in the aquarium so was it a week later you think?
Looking back we reported ribbons on the same day so then in theory my eggs should have hatched and little YP should be swimming all over in the pond right now !!
Canyoncreek...I was checking in them everyday and never noticed anything till yesterday. So I must’ve missed a day or two of checking on them. They must be in different stages a Couple days apart but the looks of some in eggs with just eyes, some formed and some swimming. I looked back and they started laying ribbons on 3/16/21. I put them in the tank on 3/19.
Yes, if I was a biologist and getting into pond management here in MI I would turn everything upside down and try to guide all my clients to never put LMB or Bluegill or any type in their pond. If they want to catch hundreds of stunted LMB and bluegill then there are dozens of lakes all around 'managed' by the DNR that offer that opportunity. Why would you build those some conditions on your own dime in your backyard? I read on the forum that the only way to really manage LMB in these circumstances is to cull LMB like mad until you are culling 15 and 16" sizes to really get trophy results. Here in MI you can't even cull a 12 or 13" bass in a public BOW without breaking the law. So lakes are full of skinny 11-12" LMB
There are plenty of cold water forage options and YP, WE, SMB, chain pickerel, NP make great cold water pond predators. Outside of the YP, the other predators all naturally control their own population by not finding it preferable to reproduce in the average size northern territory pond. The YP happily reproduce and the above mentioned predators are really fond of eating the young YP too.
RES don't overwinter well this far north but again, if I could be a pond manager/fish truck driver, I could replace the panfish void perhaps with a hearty hybrid of RES or could try to create my own sustaining population of pumpkinseed for stocking.
But yes YP are a very hearty, vigorous, pellet eating all purpose predator and forage type fish. They control my smaller snails and insects and are always ready to bite the kids hooks. This year we may have a real nice YP dinner too.
Jim I'll study my ribbons today. I thought you were doing these pictures over several days time but it makes sense that all the ribbons right now are in different phases of maturation.
Finally spotted a ribbon. Photo period for 3/29 was 12:32:13. 57.2° F surface temp, 47.3° F @ 8'.
Augie I just added 3 to 5" yellow perch a couple weeks ago and Curtis Harrison told me at the time that we were trying to get them in the pond in time to spawn yet this yr but hearing everybody else, and a lot of them farther North then us, seeing ribbons already for a week or two I figured we were too late but with you seeing some ribbons currently maybe we were able to get them in in time. He told me the same thing about my bluegills 2 yrs ago in May, and I thought he may be full of it but by golly he was right on, in about three weeks those bluegills were spawning big time.
All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
There's LOTS of eyeballs in that skein!! Good work on taking the pictures and good work on getting them to spawn in the aquarium.
CC, Lord willing I will be spawning Pumpkinseeds this year.
Good work, I love it when you are always just a little ahead of the curve! I see a great future for this endeavor of creating a good supply of pumpkinseeds for us northerner pondmiesters. We just need to get the education out there! Keep us posted please!
I pulled in a ribbon and inspected it closely, a few of the eggs have turned bright white (no fertilization per Dr. Perca/Bill C) but none of the other eggs have black spots for eyes or anything that looks like life in it. Just a blob of clear jelly yet. Maybe a little more time, the weather has been cold, the nights frosty, and more wind until Easter.
Also managed to snap a 110 Conibear on my hand, not once, but twice, while I was trying to figure out how to set the doggone things. lol
Better to learn your lesson on the 110 vs the 330's. You will get the hang of it pretty quickly! It's much worse when your hands are freezing cold!! Trust me on that one. LOL
Thanks Esshup! I was out of town for a few days so today was the first time I was at the pond in 3 days, not sure how long they've been there. If I zoom the picture up on my phone I can see little sets of eyes.