How do fish get started in a pond ?

[MossRoad]

Could be. One pond is rain fed and the depth varies considerably. The result is the shallow-water vegetation takes a real beating and no doubt decomposes when left high and dry for too long. The other pond is always full and has a deep area that would not freeze anywhere near the bottom, but of course it is completely iced over. That pond is fed by ground water and surface drainage.

Larger lakes and ponds that are steam-fed probably have some water with a bit of oxygenation flowing in under the ice all winter. That could certainly make a difference.

I ice fish a small farm pond every few years. Some years it is full of nice 8" bluegills. Some years its completely dead. You drill a hole and a foul smell comes out of the water. What happens on this pond is that in extreme winters, it gets thick ice cover and heavy snowfall, there is no oxygen. The weeds die and rot and that fouls the water. In spring, the water is crystal clear and there are no fish. As the water gets oxygen after the ice melts, the weeds recover, the fish move back in from surrounding ponds through channels and the process starts over.

Perhaps the pond you're looking at has no good source of consistent oxygen, so any fish that would start in it never get to live past a year through winter. Your state biologist should be able to analyze it for free and give you suggestions on what is really going on, how to stock it, improve it, etc...

 

[oosik]

MossRoad, what you are describing is called - winter kill. I get that effect every 12-15 years here in my pond and its 5 acres and 80 feet deep. Thick ice cover, heavy snows, cold spring and an overabundance of aquatic vegetation. I've never heard of eggs sticking to any type of waterfowl but I have many times seen seagulls land on my little lake and, for whatever reason, disgorge small fish. I've also seen good lakes ruined by fishermen dumping a bucket of live bait back into the lake when they are finished fishing.View attachment 348371 This is my little lake as seen from the kitchen.

 

[dave1949]

I ice fish a small farm pond every few years. Some years it is full of nice 8" bluegills. Some years its completely dead. You drill a hole and a foul smell comes out of the water. What happens on this pond is that in extreme winters, it gets thick ice cover and heavy snowfall, there is no oxygen. The weeds die and rot and that fouls the water. In spring, the water is crystal clear and there are no fish. As the water gets oxygen after the ice melts, the weeds recover, the fish move back in from surrounding ponds through channels and the process starts over.

Perhaps the pond you're looking at has no good source of consistent oxygen, so any fish that would start in it never get to live past a year through winter. Your state biologist should be able to analyze it for free and give you suggestions on what is really going on, how to stock it, improve it, etc...

Thanks,

I didn't make either of those ponds with the idea of having fish. Gary sort of led the discussion in that direction when he said "your problem is" :laughing: I was just adding my observations to the pool of experiences. I see ducks and geese on them now and then, but no fish.

For whatever reason, I really doubt there are fish eggs hatching in those ponds. I never see minnows in them. I think I would if they are present, even if they wouldn't survive the winter. Or, maybe there are but in such small numbers, and not every year, that I just don't see them.

The beaver pond probably would hold fish if they were transplanted there. It is fed by a small stream, but that stream begins as a piece of 2" PVC sticking out of a hillside spring about a mile above the beaver pond. It collects surface and ground water as it runs down hill. No fish coming from there.

There are minnows in the stream that drains from the beaver pond but they would have to be Olympic-grade jumping champions to get over the beaver dam and into the pond. That stream ends in a boggy pond about 2 miles away. I've always assumed that is the source of the minnows, from fish that go up the stream to lay eggs.

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks,

I didn't make either of those ponds with the idea of having fish. Gary sort of led the discussion in that direction when he said "your problem is" :laughing: I was just adding my observations to the pool of experiences. I see ducks and geese on them now and then, but no fish.

For whatever reason, I really doubt there are fish eggs hatching in those ponds. I never see minnows in them. I think I would if they are present, even if they wouldn't survive the winter. Or, maybe there are but in such small numbers, and not every year, that I just don't see them.

The beaver pond probably would hold fish if they were transplanted there. It is fed by a small stream, but that stream begins as a piece of 2" PVC sticking out of a hillside spring about a mile above the beaver pond. It collects surface and ground water as it runs down hill. No fish coming from there.

There are minnows in the stream that drains from the beaver pond but they would have to be Olympic-grade jumping champions to get over the beaver dam and into the pond. That stream ends in a boggy pond about 2 miles away. I've always assumed that is the source of the minnows, from fish that go up the stream to lay eggs.

Is there any other aquatic life in that pond? Weeds, crayfish, etc....

 

[jerrybob]

I've seen fish live on land.....I think we were visiting Finland at the time.

 

[Soggy Bottom Outdoors]

Okay here's my experience from stocking 6 newly built farm ponds over the past 30 years. The Ky Dept of Fish and Wildlife recommend Channel cats, largemouth bass and Hybrid bluegill only. Unless the pond is several acres in size crappie(black and white) will over populate pretty quick. I use a "put and take" management. If I take a 100 cats out I put 100 back, from a fish farm ONLY. None from a river or a neighboring pond. Less chance of a disease transfer. The thing about channel cats is, if they don't have anything to nest in(tires, log piles, holes in rocks, etc)they wont nest. My newest pond was dug in Sept '04 and stocked april '05 no reproduction yet. The hybrid bluegill are for the bass to feed on of course. A hybrid bluegill is a cross between a green sunfish and a bluegill. It is commonly stated that they won't reproduce which is false. They will but 98% of the resulting cross is male.........not much to reproduce with. Let me also say that this is how I manage my ponds, you can do yours as you see fit. But once a pond is stocked incorrectly it is very difficult to "unstock" it.

 

[dave1949]

Is there any other aquatic life in that pond? Weeds, crayfish, etc....

Yep, water loving grasses, a few cattails, lots of frogs and tadpoles. Don't think I've seen crawdads around here. Turtles ought to show up but haven't.

 

[MossRoad]

Hmmm... very interesting. Have your state biologist out for a free visit.

 

[DaveOmak]

For that we owe Cooter a big thanks.

Another possibility is Accelerated Evolution. This often occurs in scummy spots frequented by lower forms of life.
Pond Scum can quickly evolve into an invasive species and occupy the whitehouse.

That makes a lot more sense than a "Post Turtle"... I'm a believer..

 

[oosik]

Whoa!! Its good everybody is keeping a good sense of humor here. These abnormal methods of population of ponds makes me want to put the ol' shot gun right next to me bed at night!!
I agree with you DaveOmak. I was raised in Omak - - 1948 thru 1960. The town has sure changed since I lived there!!!