Pond Management

[buzzbaitfool12]

I got a question that really festers this time of the year...I live on a 200 acre lake that has crappie, bream, bass, and catfish..The lake is about 12 years old..i have fished this lake for about 3 years with some good success..However I have been told that 6 years ago the lake was great for catching good numbers and big bass a good bit..We have had our days when we have caught alot but nothing like what we have been told..The question I have is this..our lake this time of the year gets fished alot with people who take out 100 to 200 crappie, bass, and bream each time they go..Is it me or how many fish can you eat..are these people trying to feed an army but taking this many out ..Am I just being to over zealous in thinking that this lake could be fished out or is this helping the lake removing this many..Any thoughts would be appreciated..Is there anyway to regulate or should I just sit back and watch people again destroy a good resource..Any input good or bad would be appreciated.. :-/

[Cujo]

Yikes!  for a 200 acre lake that is a lot of fish being removed.  Of course the fishing is going to change over the years, but that is at an alarming rate.  New lakes will usually always have good fishing, but once mother nature starts to work and a stable ecosystem gets establish fishing can change.  Plus the fish start to learn different baits and can stop hitting as regularly.  What kind of state regulations do you have?  Are there specific regulations for this lake?  It is a good management practice to remove some of the fish.  This will help over population issues.  Has the state ever surveyed the lake, via trap nets, electro fishing?

[fishizzle]

There may be a poaching hotline for you to call if they are breaking rules.  It would be in your states angler guide.

I don't like when people overfish like that...if you're so hungry go but a pound of pasta for $1

[buzzbaitfool12]

It is a private lake, so I have no clue if state regulations factor in..Evn though I am catch and release only,I am not opposed to someone catching fish to eat, I am just opposed to someone who thinks catching as many as they can catch 2 and 3 times a week is ok..I think that anglers need to use common sense and not greed when it comes to fishing..when you continue to pull that out dont get upset when there are no more to catch..

[hamer08]

The numbers I usually see recommended for harvest rates are 10-20 lbs of bass per acre per year and 50-100 lbs of bluegill. Although some very productive and fertilized lakes can support 3 times this amount.

New reservoirs are typically more productive than 10+ yr old lakes. Because alot of the brush, timber and cover dissapears with age, which limits recruitment of new fish.

Is this a private or public lake?

[hamer08]

Since it is private, you'll need to work with the POA to encourage better management of this resource. This may be a tough sell in an era of tight budgets. Maybe you can help by organizing cover building projects (xmas tree drops, etc) with POA approval. Another good strategy would be to encourage catfish recruitment (add spawning resources) and make a good catfish lake for the food anglers. Catfish and bass don't impact each other too much.

[5bass]

I'd be surprised if you dont get a satisfactory answer/solution in this thread but in case you don't, just Google Pond Boss. He'll be able to answer ANY pond management question you can throw at him. He also has written articles for this site which can be seen in the articles section.  

[Cujo]

You should definitely bring this up with the lake association or its board of directors.  Need to get a management plan together for the entire lake ecology.  Yeah, Bob Lusk, with Pond Boss Magazine is an excellent guy to acquire information from.  

[fishizzle]

Yeah the assoc. would love to have that info.--they are on the board to protect the lake--bring pics to them if you can

I don't know if there are different classifications for "private" but the state does have jurisdiction on the private lakes that I fish.

I know this because I've seen them hand out tickets.

[tyrius.]

Is this 100 to 200 fish per person three times a week?  I'd like to find that lake!!!  

Anyways, as far as I know the state DNR will still have jurisdiction.  Isn't it the same as hunting on private land, you still have to abide by the limits set by the DNR?

[BirdNestBen]

sounds like they are drastically reducing the fish population... Personally, I never keep bass, unless it's going to help a small lake out by keeping some smaller ones.....  I've seen large lakes down here in Texas nearly fished out by overharvesting......... :-/

[Ghost minnow]

Hey Buzzbait,

That's WAY to many fish being taken out in that period of time!!!

Give Brad Metzler a call at Pond King. He'll be able to give you the info you need quickly.

Shaun

[clipper]

The crappie need to be harvested to keep their numbers down.  I understand they will overpopulate a small lake and hurt the other fish species if not kept in check.  The bass can not stand that kind of fishing pressure and I don't know about bluegill.

[Bob Lusk]

Fellas,

There are several principles at play here.

First, anyone who takes 100-200 fish from any lake at any one time needs a spanking. 'That's an ethical problem. It's greed. For this principle, lake size doesn't matter.

Secondly, a lake so large as 200 acres will have a bounty of fish at some point. A fishery tries to be dynamic, changing all the time. Proper harvest of the bounty allows the dynamics to change in a positive way. For example, a 200 acre lake can easily produce 5-10,000 crappie ranging from 9-15" plus all the young of the year. If some adult crappie aren't harvested, the bounty becomes their young. The most extreme example I have seen was a 40 acre lake which had an estimated 170,000 white crappie, average length 4", average age 7 years. That's not the dynamics we want. So, the 200 acre lake definitely benefits from harvesting a reasonable number of crappie, bass and bream. What needs to be determined is what does "reasonable" mean? I suspect a well designed 200 acre lake with plenty of habitat for all species could yield 2,000-4,000 crappie yearly without being overfished.

The third principle at play is for the HOA to define their fisheries goals. If their goals are focused on producing quantities of fish for the masses to catch, expect the lake to be overfished and most of the fish will be small. If their goals are to have a balanced fishery, then their harvest regulations need to be monitored and enforced. In my experience with private lakes, game wardens come when they are invited rather than when they are needed. In that case, it's up to the HOA to make and enforce the rules. Most don't have the infrastructure or the backbone to enforce their own rules when it comes to fishing.

The fourth principle to understand in this case is what Nature does when a lake is overfished. Let's stay with the deliquent who continues to take 100-200 large crappie, sunfish and bass each trip in the spring. He is catching those fish, especially crappie and sunfish, when they are concentrated to spawn. His window is short, maybe three weeks. But, a handful of people fishing this way can deplete the majority of fish this size during such a short period. However, they won't catch all the fish. The remaining fish will reproduce and try to replenish the missing population to fill the gaps caused by overfishing. Bottom line is this...it may take two or three years for the fishery to respond and become as it was, but with crappie, it can happen. With bass, they are less likely to be overharvested because they tend to not concentrate the same way as crappie and sunfish. Believe it or not, in 200 acres, small bass are usually not overfished. Big ones? Yes. Not small ones. They grow so fast and are so resilient they can replace themselves fairly quickly.

Here's my "take home points" for this scenario. If I were the biologist for this HOA, I would fight for the fishery to protect it against greedy anglers and do whatever I could. I would even confront the fishermen myself to explain to them the ethical issues. Second, I would learn that fishery and define its bounty and allow proper harvest to take place. Third, I would focus on the goals of the people and compare those goals to what the lake allows in terms of fish production. Then, we could have a game plan.  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Bob, open invitation,...come fish my lake for a week and think out loud.

I have a fully stocked bar and I'm a heck of a cook. ;D

Pleeeeease? ;D

I fish a fantastic lake but it has the potential to hold the record with a few tweaks.  I just don't have the education to know what those tweaks are,lol.