SPORTFISH POND MANAGEMENT

INSERVICE EDUCATION WORKSHOP

Louis A. Helfrich

Fisheries Extension Specialist

Virginia Tech

(540) 231-5059

 

 
INTRODUCTION
  1. Status of sportfishing
  2. Economics
  3. Boom in aquaculture
  4. Opportunities in VA
  5. Habitat, biota, man
Farm Pond Values
  1. Crop irrigation
  2. Livestock
  3. Flood control
  4. Fire protection
  5. Property value
  6. Swimming/boating
  7. Wildlife habitat
  8. Sport fishing
  9. Fish farming
  1. CHARACTERISTICS OF IDEAL PONDS
  1. Size
  2. Depth
  3. Bottom Soil
  4. Shoreline slope
  5. Watershed size
  6. Drain type
  7. Inlet
  8. Surface runoff
  9. Livestock
  10. Wild fish
  11. Fertility
  12. Water supply
  13. Water level
  14. Water quantity
  15. Topography

 

  1. HABITAT MANIPULATION
  1. Water quality (DO, pH, T)
  2. Fertilization/liming
  3. Weed control
  4. Water level drawdown
  5. Artificial structure
  6. Aeration
  7. Feeding
  8. Fencing
  1. FERTILIZATION DISADVANTAGES
  1. Unnecessary (pasture ponds)
  2. Expensive/timing
  3. Unpredictable bloom
  4. Weed growth
  5. Oxygen depletion
  6. Fish kills
  7. Uniform treatment schedule
  1. FERTILIZATION CONSIDERTIONS
  1. Objectives (food, trophy)
  2. Type (liquid, inorganic)
  3. 10-40 pounds/acre
  4. 8-12 applications/yr
  5. Water clarity
  6. Flow rates
  1. LIMING
  1. Acidic conditions (pH, 6.8)
  2. Soft water (Alk 20 mg/l
  3. Soil test lab
  4. Slow growth, low survival
  5. Fine Ag. Limestone
  6. 1-2 Tons/Acre/5yrs
  7. Acid rain

 

  1. SUPPLEMENTAL FEEDING
  1. Unnecessary
  2. High harvest (club/fee)
  3. Muddy, small catfish
  4. Catfish & bluegill
  5. Concentrate harvest
  6. Stimulates plankton
  7. Feeding stations

 

  1. FEEDING TIPS
  1. Hand/Demand/Auto Feeders
  2. 15 minutes to eat
  3. Maximum 15 pounds/day
  4. Regular schedule & spot
  5. Stop eating = feeding
  6. Hot/cold = feeding
  7. Overheating = oxygen/weeds
  1. FISH FEEDS
  1. Nutritionally complete
  2. No substitutes
  3. Pellet size
  4. Sinking vs floating
  5. Dry, cool storage
  6. Medicated feeds
  1. WEED CONTROL ALTERNATIVES
  1. Watershed management
  2. Biological (carp, mussels)
  3. Harvesting
  4. Drawdown
  5. Dredging/deepening
  6. Shading (aquashade)
  7. Chemicals
  1. OXYGEN & AERATION
  1. Adequate level (5 mg/l)
  2. Role of green plants
  3. Flush & spray
  4. Drain bottom water
  5. Paddlewheel aerator
  6. Monitor/estimate dawn lows
  7. Wastes, plants, feeds
  8. Destratification
  1. WATER LEVEL DRAWDOWN
  1. Balance & weed control
  2. Forage susceptibility
  3. Expose weeds/eggs
  4. Water loss problems
  5. Reliable refill source
  1. ARTIFICIAL STRUCTURE
  1. Cover (fish’n tree)
  2. Concentrates harvest
  3. Navigation, seining
  4. Vertical ribbons
  5. Spawning boxes, barrel
  6. Cage refuges
  1. MUDDY WATER DISADVANTAGES
  1. Limits 02 production
  2. Increase temperatures
  3. Suffocates eggs/insects
  4. Slows growth (visual)
  5. Reduce carrying capacity
  1. CLEAR WATER PONDS
  1. Fence out livestock
  2. Inlet sediment trap
  3. Berm and terrace banks
  4. Shoreland cover crops
  5. Gypsum, Lime 500#/ac
  1. LEAKING PONDS
  1. Soil selection
  2. Soil testing lab
  3. Compacting
  4. Bentonite, local
  5. Plastic liners
  6. Chemical sealants
  7. Burrowing animals
  1. WATER POLLUTION
  1. Soil erosion
  2. Livestock wastes
  3. Fertilizer runoff
  4. Pesticides
  5. Toxic wastes
  6. Acid rain & drainage

 

 
  1. AQUATIC LIFE
  1. Stocking
  2. Species/forage
  3. Balance
  4. Fish kills
  5. Diseases/parasites
  6. Drugs/chemicals

STOCKING CONSIDERATIONS

  1. Objectives (food/sport)
  2. Rotenone reclamation
  3. Free fish
  4. Hatchery vs wild fish
  5. Cold, cool, warmwater
  6. Hybrids
  7. Nuisance fish

STOCKING TIPS

  1. Eliminate wild fish
  2. Prevent immigration
  3. Stock ASAP/seasons
  4. Correct species
  5. Sizes (fingerlings/adults)
  6. Numbers (surface acres)
  7. Certified hatchery
  8. Acclimate/transport
  9. Supplemental stocking
  1. HYBRID CHARACTERISTICS
  1. Hybrid vigor (heterosis)
  2. Energy = growth ¹ reproduction
  3. Sterile males
  4. Fast growth
  5. Aggression (harvest)
  6. Avoid stunting
  7. Pellets, shallow water
  8. Examples
  1. HYBRID BREAM
  1. Interspecies/interstrain
  2. Size selection
  3. 1000 hybrids
    1. fatheads

100 bass
  1. New or renovated ponds
  2. Trophy bream/fee fishing
  1. POND BALANCE
  1. Seining & catch records
  2. Seining for recruitment
  3. PSD = % size distribution
  4. Quality size bass = 12"
  5. Quality size bream = 6"
  6. PSD – quality size/total
  7. Balanced = bass 20-60%; bream 50-80%

 

  1. FISH, WATER & WEED SAMPLES
  1. Expensive service
  2. Telephone
  3. 24-hr express
  4. Sick not dead
  5. Frozen on ice/preserved
  6. Foil wrapped
  7. 1 quart/plastic
  8. Commercial labs
  9. Dry press weeds
  10. Slime identification
  1. FISH KILL CAUSES
  1. Suffocation
  2. Pollution
  3. Algae toxins
  4. Post-spawning stress
  5. Senility
  6. Disease & parasites
  7. Starvation/injury
  1. FISH KILL SOULTIONS
  1. Prevention (capacity)
  2. Emergency aeration
  3. Dilution (flush/drain)
  4. Thining
  5. Removal
  1. FISH KILL INVESTIGATION
  1. Date/name/location
  2. Pond size/area impacted
  3. Water source (upstream)
  4. Extent of kill (numbers)
  5. Species/sizes
  6. Agriculture practices
  7. Photo evidence/witness
  8. Zooplankton test
  9. VA Water Control Board
  1. DISEASE & PARASITES
  1. An ounce of prevention
  2. Kills are uncommon
  3. Symptoms
  4. Wild vs Hatchery fish
  5. Injections/dips. Vaccines
  6. Medicated Feeds
  7. Diagnosis difficult, $$
  8. Grubs – Clean Cook

 

 

  1. ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR
  1. Loss of appetite
  2. Distribution
  3. Erratic swimming (whirling)
  4. Discoloration, spots
  5. Sores, bleeding, tumors
  6. Weakness, listlessness
  7. Sick fish = act/look abnormal
  1. POND PROBLEMS REVIEW
  1. Unbalanced populations
  2. Fish kills
  3. Fish disease & parasites
  4. Water needs
  5. Muddy water/livestock
  6. Leaking ponds
  7. Burrowers
  8. Predators
  9. Nuisance Animals
  1. HUMAN ELEMENT
  1. Expectations/objectives
  2. Multiple-use
  3. Food/Trophy/commercial
  4. Investment level
  5. Survey questionnaire
  6. Pressure (harvest)
  1. LEGAL REGULATIONS
  1. Private vs public waters
  2. License requirements
  3. Creel & size limits
  4. Commercial permits
  5. Permits (striper, carp, exotics)
  6. Wild fish/endangered species
  1. FEE FISHING CONSIDERATIONS
  1. Recreation (people) business
  2. Courteous operator
  3. Easy access
  4. Quiet, scenic/shade
  5. Water/restroom/parking
  6. Safety/life saving
  7. Bait/rod rental
  8. Continuous source/catchables
  9. Rates/liability

 

  1. SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE
  1. VA Department Game & Fisheries
  2. Soil Conservation Service
  3. VA Water Control Board
  4. Commercial Water Quality Labs
  5. Aquatic Weed Identification
  6. Commercial Water Quality Labs
  7. Organizations (TU, VFA, BASS0
  8. Pond Consulting Firms

i. Web sites