Are The Fish Stunted Where Did They Come From?

[Christian M]

I fish an old rock quarry that became a lake when the company hit an underground stream. There are 2 ponds next to eachother. The one we fish is gin clear, but the other, which is deeper and aqua blue, holds no fish.

The pond we fish has almost no cover, just a few patches of reeds along the bank. Also, since it used to ne a quarry, the only way to fish it is down steep dropoffs. I could be fishing 5 feet off the bank & be in 15-20' of water, with the max depth being 34'.

There only fish I've caught in this lake are LMB & black Crappy. In 3 years the largest being one about 5# that was spawning. The only forage is golden shiners & crappy. The bass on average are about 1lb, for every fish over 2.5lbs I have to catch ten dinks.

Are the fish stunted because of a lack of competition & forage? Also how did so many fish get in there? Its a 10 mile off road drive to the lake.

[Sam]

Too many bass for the pond to support.

 

If you can harvest some of the smaller ones it will allow the remaining ones to grow larger.

 

Please have permission to fish the pond and to take the smaller bass to dispose of properly and not throw on the bank or in the woods.

You may want to double check with your New Jersey fish and game commission about the smaller bass and how to help the pond become a better fishing location.

[Sam]

To complete your query, I would think someone stocked that pond many years ago.

 

I doubt the aquatic life came via the underground stream.

 

What do you guys think?

[Bluebasser86]

Seems like it takes a lot of years for those rock quarries to become fertile enough to support enough forage to produce numbers of bigger fish. You could try removing a bunch of the smaller bass to allow for more food for the other bass to grow larger. Doesn't sound like they are stunted though, usually if a pond has stunted fish they all look like almost exact copies of one another with almost no larger fish. Usually fish are either transplanted into a place like that by someone or they got in there from another body of water during a high water event. 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Birds can also transport fish eggs from one body of water to another on their feet. My guess is that they were stocked though.

[BigMoneyGrip]

Know also that the crappie and bass compete for the same food. I'd start by getting rid of the crappie. I hate them fish. And notice that crappie is spelled with CRAP.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

Know also that the crappie and bass compete for the same food. I'd start by getting rid of the crappie. I hate them fish. And notice that crappie is spelled with CRAP.

Slab crappies put up a good fight, and pound for pound are better fighters than largemouth IMHO. They're just a fish and if they're out-competing the LMB for forage then maybe the bass need to step their game up and stop letting the CRAPpie push them around.  Good luck eradicating a pond of crappie, btw. 

[Christian M]

The pond has been there for about 2 decades, so I figure when the quarry flooded, workers transported the bass. The underground stream is just a source of fresh water running beneath the pine barrons.

By lack of competition I meant too many bass. From what I've studied and experienced, the more diverse the population of fish in the water ( excluding invasive species), the healthier the overall ecosystem.

Im thinking the bass are stunted because most days ill catch upwards of 15-20 bass and not one of them will be over a pound, however I could be wrong. Once in a blue moon ill catch a big bass, but not often.

Unfortunately its illegal to transport fish without the proper permits. The good news is there are rumors circulating about the state taking over the whole area and turning it into a state park.

We will just jave to wait and see. For now I prefer the challenge of fishing more pressured lakes.

[NBR]

Check with your local DNR. They probably know more about the lake than  you would think possible. If the state is thinking of taking the lake over you can be sure they have a pretty good handle on the lakes status.

 

I am norht of you by several hundred miles; 5# bass are not that common here nor in NJ. I have fished from the everglades to northern Canada and 1 pound bass are the most common everywhere.

 

IMHO unauthorized planting should result in loss of fishig rights for some years.

[Christian M]

Check with your local DNR. They probably know more about the lake than  you would think possible. If the state is thinking of taking the lake over you can be sure they have a pretty good handle on the lakes status.

 

I am norht of you by several hundred miles; 5# bass are not that common here nor in NJ. I have fished from the everglades to northern Canada and 1 pound bass are the most common everywhere.

 

IMHO unauthorized planting should result in loss of fishig rights for some years.

 

Ill definitely try to see what the deal is with this little lake. I wrote to the county DNR last week regarding the poor condition of a local lake, within an hour they wrote back saying they have no jurisdiction over private or township owned municipalities, but would pass my letter on to the proper channels. If the rumors are true they will definitely have the scoop on the lake or point me in the right direction. 

 

What gets me about this lake is that every 1# fish looks like a carbon copy of the last 30, and the 5# bass was the only one I've ever seen there, also a good potion of those #'s were eggs. 

 

I don't agree with transporting fish either...too many inherent risks. The only time I did this was when I released my pet bass into a local pond, he was extremely healthy and I had no choice. Hurricane Sandy killed our power for 11 days.