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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,387 Likes: 607
Lunker
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OP
Lunker
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,387 Likes: 607 |
Bill - That was exactly what I feared would be the case on survival rates.
You seem to have a good answer for every question that is plaguing me. I would like to have you plug a USB cable into the "fishing knowledge" part of your brain and just download it all to a DVD for me!
Until that technology gets perfected, I guess we will all just have to get our learnin' using the wonderful PB Forum resource.
Thanks to everyone. Rod
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,750 Likes: 295
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,750 Likes: 295 |
Yeah, the only thing that keeps me happy is that it's the same pond.
I do have SMB recruitment.
On a side note, recruitment of most any species (like Cody was saying) is not necessarily hard to achieve. It's actually seeing the fry or YOY that takes the time.
You've got to spend a lot of time just watching, 'cause if you don't, you'll be sure your efforts failed.
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,799 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,799 Likes: 68 |
TJ - Thanks for taking all of the time to write up your experience and "walk me through" your learning curve. What year was your initial stocking?
You don't mention your WE. I would think they would thrive on a population of stunted BG, since they have trouble swallowing the bigger ones.
Did the introduction of BG end the recruitment of YP? Do you have small numbers of good eating-size YP?
Finally, how are the RES doing? Did they get started in your pond before the BG got started? Do you now have a few large RES? Initial stocking of forage [BG, FHM, GSH, Crayfish] was Fall 2008. YP and RES followed in Spring 2009, SMB and HSB in Fall 2009. HBC stocked unintentionally Fall 2010. WE stocked Fall 2011. BG will be utilized as forage by my predators, but they prefer in this order I think: Pellets GSH YP That leads me into another issue: Lack of YP during angling surveys. The population has been hit I'm assuming as I used to catch a dozen 10-12" YP through the ice or on jig/crawler combo year round. I think I've still got some bruiser females [13.5" caught this Spring], but their YOY are being hammered hard by WE, SMB, HSB and HBC. I've also noticed that my BG and GSH routinely outcompete the few YP I see in the pond. They just aren't as aggressive and might be marginalized by the more aggressive fish. So, that's two strikes against them. I'm going stock advanced fish once I finish growing them out, but am also dedicating a .4 acre pond to female YP, male BG, and male RES only to provide a trophy fishery. I may have to learn to live without YP in the main pond fishery without supplemental stocking. Caught a 11.5" RES in early Summer - pond record. I don't target them often, but assume they are performing their role well as I have not witnessed any parasites on my fish. When I catch one I consider it a bonus and a blessing.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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