HaHa HaHa:  0
Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 11 to 16 of 16

Thread: Fish in neighborhood pond all stunted

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    MO
    Posts
    980
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default


    A lot of guys worry about fishing out a pond, when the opposite is usually true, especially with Crappie. Gotta keep fishing pressure on them or this sort of thing will happen.

    Start thinning them, keep everything you catch. Toss them on the bank or transplant them to another pond. The other option is to kill them all, and start over.

    One of my favorite 3 acre ponds is filled with 12-14" black crappie, so a good sized population can be attained with good management.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    WV
    Posts
    1,615
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    We had a decent size pond while growing up,many kids and older folks would fish the pond,but we couldn’t keep up with the bluegill population.Dad finally resorted to draining the pond,letting it dry up,and restocking.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Springfield, OH
    Posts
    2,234
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I've seen ponds like this turn around quickly, just by adding untreated pallets and laydowns for minnows and small baitfish to spawn and hide in. if there's no cover in the lake then small fish are easily taken out of the food chain and fish eat what is available. You can also cull as many of the small Crappie as possible until the baitfish population can establish itself...but it comes down to whether you want to put all that cover in the lake!
    I honestly can't figure out why people go to the expense of building or owning a lake and not keeping up with it???? I've seen guys build nice lakes and add no cover, then they can't figure out why the lake turns over after a few years, or why fish overpopulate and stunt???
    Keitech USA Pro Staff
    Thanks Lowellhturner thanked you for this post

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    2,327
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I believe these ponds were created to control runoff as much as they were to be fishable. They are approximately 35 years old and our neighborhood is pretty rural, with very low homeowner association fees. Maybe 1% of our homeowners ever fish the ponds so there is no interest in putting funding into them to improve the fishery. They are not hard to get to, but also not easily accessible, and don't have any amenities like a pier or dock or a road to get close to them to launch a kayak and thus attract attention and encourage use. Anything that happens to improve them would be a grassroots effort by me and my neighbor.

    They do have a number of trees that have fallen in to them to provide some cover. They also have some very shallow upper reaches, almost swampy, that baitfish can thrive in. I'm going to put my kayak in them soon to map out the bottom and any structure. I might put some structure in it like pallets if I don't see any. Good idea.
    Small Boat Pro Staff

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Blood River, KY Lake
    Posts
    434
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Turn all them little crappies into crappie cakes, or coon food, they will get bigger if thinned out.
    2017 Ranger RT188C Shadow Grass Camo
    Mercury 115 Pro XS
    Crappie Novice

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Springfield, OH
    Posts
    2,234
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by wasabi View Post
    I believe these ponds were created to control runoff as much as they were to be fishable. They are approximately 35 years old and our neighborhood is pretty rural, with very low homeowner association fees. Maybe 1% of our homeowners ever fish the ponds so there is no interest in putting funding into them to improve the fishery. They are not hard to get to, but also not easily accessible, and don't have any amenities like a pier or dock or a road to get close to them to launch a kayak and thus attract attention and encourage use. Anything that happens to improve them would be a grassroots effort by me and my neighbor.

    They do have a number of trees that have fallen in to them to provide some cover. They also have some very shallow upper reaches, almost swampy, that baitfish can thrive in. I'm going to put my kayak in them soon to map out the bottom and any structure. I might put some structure in it like pallets if I don't see any. Good idea.
    Yep, shallow water with no cover is just a bird or small animal feeding ground...minnows and small baitfish need cover to survive and build a population...and normally any dense wood cover is best! The wood with attract the zooplankton etc to feed the minnows/small baitfish/fry also.
    Keitech USA Pro Staff
    Likes Lowellhturner LIKED above post

Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

BACK TO TOP