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.
Water quality is one of the most overlooked aspects of pond management – until it affects fish production.
When trying to manage an impoundment to be a productive sport fishery, water quality is one of the most important considerations. The first step in avoiding detrimental water quality problems is to manage a watershed well and keep undesirable fish species, such as common carp or bullheads, out of your pond. However, when problems arise, here are a few ways to diagnose and treat the problems.
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.
During spring and summer, many people become concerned about plants growing in their ponds. This concern may or may not be justified, because aquatic plants are desirable for many pond management goals. Lotus (Nelumbo lutea) is a conspicuous emergent aquatic plant that frequently grows in local ponds. Lotus has several other common names such as yoncopin, water chinquapin, yellow nelumbo, pond nut, rattle nut and duck acorn. Lotus has large, round, entire leaves that float on the water or perch above the water. A lotus leaf does not have a slit unless it is torn. The flower is large and pale yellow. The stalk bearing large seeds bends over in the fall, and the large holes in its flat surface cause it to resemble a shower head. It typically grows in water 1 to 6 feet deep and seldom persists long in water deeper than 7 feet.
Seine sampling a pond is a relatively easy way to learn quite a bit about fish, amphibian and invertebrate populations in a pond. Anyone willing to get wet and learn a few fish species can do it. The best time to seine sample a pond is during the summer months – June through September. At least three locations should be seined in each pond; however, more samples generally provide better results, especially in larger ponds. Try to avoid seining spots with wire, sticks, rocks, excessive vegetation or water deeper than 5 feet. Each seine sample should cover a quadrant shaped area.
Appropriate water quality is fundamentally important for fish and aquatic plants, and muddy water limits production of both. Ideal clarity for largemouth bass and bluegill production in ponds without substantial vegetation is 12- to 30-inch visibility, with primarily phytoplankton turbidity. Turbidity is cloudiness caused by suspended or dissolved material. Sport fish also perform well in clearer water when substantial aquatic vegetation is present. Ideal clarity for aquatic plant production is generally greater than 36-inch visibility.
We receive several summertime calls from fishermen asking about fish infested with parasites. Most often, they are concerned about identification of the parasite and the safety of eating parasite infected fish.
A box type parallel bar barrier over a pond’s overflow pipe protects the overflow pipe, the emergency spillway, and the fishery. It functions as a trash guard that prevents large debris from flowing into and plugging the pipe. It deters beavers from plugging the overflow pipe. By allowing the overflow pipe to function properly, it minimizes erosion in the emergency spillway caused by excessive water overflows. It prevents harvestable size fish from leaving the pond through the pipe. It does not allow grass carp over 8 inches long to escape through the pipe. It prevents adults of undesirable fish species from coming in through the pipe.
Pond fencing helps reduce erosion and improve water quality where livestock create bare banks and trails along a pond.
