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Farm Pond Management
Introduction |
Managing Fish |
Liming |
Fertilization |
Feeding Fish |
Calendar |
Drawdown |
Calculations |
Balance Key
Fishing
Fishing and harvest are critical to good pond management. To ensure a balanced fish population, release all of the bass that are caught the first and second year of fishing. In most cases, after the first year of fishing you can remove as many bream as you desire without harming the population.
For bass and bream ponds, begin fishing your pond two years after the initial stocking of bream. This will be in the fall, after the original stock of largemouth bass has spawned for the first time. To ensure a balanced fish population, release some of the bass that are caught during the first, and possibly the second, year of fishing. In most cases, after the first year you can remove as many bream as you desire without harming the population.
By the third year, harvest 15 pounds of bass per acre per year from ponds that are not fertilized. In fertilized ponds, this number will need to be doubled. Harvest primarily small bass less than 13 inches, and release intermediate-sized bass (14 to 18 inches). This will ensure rapid growth of bass, an adequate number of bass for reproduction, as well as control of the bream. Underharvest of bass leads to bass stockpiling and slow growth of bass, which is a common problem in Mississippi ponds. The biggest mistake most pond owners make in managing their ponds is they do not harvest enough bass and bream from the pond. This leads to crowding and slower growth of their bass.
If you want quality bream fishing, remove 45 pounds of bream per acre per year.
Although less common than bass underharvest, removing too many bass can lead to bream crowding. When bass are overharvested, the remaining bass can no longer eat enough bream, and the bream become overcrowded and grow very slowly. Once bream become overcrowded, bass reproduction is reduced or stopped completely.
Keep a record of fish harvested, and ask others who fish the pond to tell you the number and size (at least length) of bass and bream they remove from the pond.
If the pond is also stocked with channel catfish, spread the catfish harvest over three to four years. Channel catfish may reproduce, but offspring usually do not survive because of bass predation. Restock with channel catfish when 60 percent of the originally stocked catfish have been removed. In a bass and bream pond, it is necessary to restock with 8- to 10-inch channel catfish fingerlings to ensure the bass do not quickly consume these fingerlings. Do not overstock catfish, since overstocking leads to poor growth and possible disease problems as well as excessive competition with bream for food.
Management Options
After the second year, you must decide the kind of fishing experience you want the pond to provide. A bass-crowded condition commonly occurs in Mississippi ponds where bass fishing is primarily catch and release. In such ponds, most bass caught are less than 12 inches long with poor body condition, and the bream are hand-sized and in good condition. If you want large bream, a bass-crowded pond will produce these results. If you want good fishing for both bass and bream, follow the harvest recommendations in the Fishing section. This management situation is suitable for most ponds. Trophy bass fishing will require careful protection of certain sizes of bass, usually through a protective slot size limit, and also harvest of most of the smaller (less than 12 inches) bass to prevent them from becoming crowded.
Determining Fish Balance
Seining—the use of a net to capture fish—is a quick and easy way to determine the condition of your pond, and an investment in a good seine is highly recommended for all pond owners. A 30-foot seine that is 6-feet deep and made of ¼-inch mesh works well. You can purchase it from any net maker. Attach the seine ends to wooden or metal poles to make handling the seine much easier.
Check balance using a seine every year in late-May to July. During this period, both bass and bream have reproduced and the young are still small enough to be caught effectively using the seine.
Fishing the seine is easy. You can use a “swinging gate” or perpendicular haul in several areas of the pond to capture young fish. Just make sure you keep the weighted line of the seine on the bottom at all times, or the fish will escape under the net. Make about five hauls around the pond, and then compare your catch to the balance key to determine the condition of your pond.
You can also determine balance of bass and bream by close examination of your catch through fishing. This is much easier if you keep good catch and harvest records throughout the year. Make sure to use a variety of types and sizes of lures or baits. When fishing produces large numbers of small bass and large bream, you probably have an overpopulation of bass. When only a few large bass and many small bream are caught, the pond is probably overpopulated with bream. Good catch rates of both bass and bream of all sizes indicates the pond is in balance.