Regenerative Ranching Runs Downstream
Land management decisions have consequences – both good and bad – for your ranch’s watershed and the health of your bodies of water.
Noble Rancher Articles
Fish category
Dead Fish in Summer? Low Dissolved Oxygen Is Usually the Culprit
One of the most common calls we get during late summer regarding pond management is about a pond full of dead fish, and the owner wants to know what happened. People are worried the water has been poisoned and is unsafe. The vast majority of time, the fish kill is a result of low dissolved oxygen levels in the pond.
Seine Surveys Provide Insights About Fish Populations
A seine survey is a relatively easy way to learn about fish populations in impoundments and streams and to help improve management decisions. Seining is one of several fish survey techniques, which also include hook and line fishing, electrofishing, scuba diving/snorkeling, cast netting, gillnetting, hoop netting, fyke trap netting or fish trapping.
How to Properly Stock and Manage Channel Catfish
Channel catfish is one of the three most commonly stocked fish species in Southern Great Plains (largemouth bass and bluegill are the others). Properly managed channel catfish provides an enjoyable sport fishery with relatively predictable results.
Funnel Trap Fish Survey
Funnel trapping provides useful information about fish species present in a pond and likely provides the best option for pond managers to evaluate the presence and abundance of small catfish such as bullheads. Also, funnel trapping is useful for catching live bait for hook and line fishing.
Fish Population Renovation During Drought
If your pond is low due to drought conditions, this might be the perfect time to renovate poor or marginal largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish populations or eliminate undesirable fish such as bullheads, common carp, warmouth and green sunfish. If your pond is dry, you will need to make plans to deepen it before stocking fish next spring when, hopefully, it’s full again.
Fish Pond Water Quality: As Simple as Chemistry 101
Water quality is one of the most overlooked aspects of pond management – until it affects fish production.
Controlling Aquatic Vegetation with Grass Carp
In many situations, the use of grass carp is an economical, long lasting, and effective option. However, grass carp are not appropriate for every pond. Whether grass carp should be stocked in a pond or not, depends on the goals for the pond.
Hook and Line Fish Sampling
Hook and line fish sampling combined with summer seine sampling can tell a pond manager quite a bit about the fishery in a pond. Good hook and line samples involve more procedures, more measurements, and more records than normal fishing trips.
Bullheads
Bullhead catfish provide many hours to enjoyment to anglers, especially beginning fishermen. However, they compete directly with channel catfish and sometimes cause water turbidity problems.