# Managing A Pond



## silkystud21 (Jul 13, 2003)

Re-doing a pond of that size would take time and money, but boy would it be worth it in the end. I used to have a bunch of perch in my pond when i was younger but the bass pretty much took care of them. If you re-do the pond and want all perch, dont stock largemouth. If you want bass, try smallmouth. My buddy has perch and smallmouth in a small pond behind his house and they seem to get coexist well. 

You said it might take a few years to see a difference in the bluegill pop. This is true, but if you get to the bass early in the spring, this will allow more bluegill fry to survive and at the same time reducing the spawning of bass. In a year or 2 you should see a rise in the bluegill population. Im sure there are more bluegill in there than you think, the ones that have survived are hiding in the depths or weeds. If you know where the bluegill spawn in the spring and summer, this should give you a good idea of how many are in there. 

Like people have said before, you might want to contact a fisheries biologist or your local DNR, or maybe even a fish farm (Imlay City fish farm might be the closest for you.

If you want some cover, go around and pick up old christmas trees and toss them on the ice where you want them. 

Where are you in Saginaw? Im about 45 minutes east of saginaw.


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## bucko12pt (Dec 9, 2004)

If you want bluegills and perch, I'd think long and hard before you put walleye in your pond. They are twice the predator that bass are. They are the only 
potential pond fish that I know of that won't eat fish food. They rely strictly on live fish, and lots of them. I would talk to a fish biologist for sure before you put them in your pond, if you want a variety of fish in your pond.

For fish structures, I poke a bunch of limbs in a cement block and then cement the holes. My fish love them. For big fish structures, take four pallets and nail a 4' 2x4 upright in each corner. Slip a cement block over each 2x4, then stack another pallet on top of it. Repeat this step one more time, with a final pallet on top. Nail each pallet to the 2x4. If you have access to a metal banding machine, band around the whole thing 2-3 times. Stuff brush in between the blocks and pallets, so bigger fish can't get inside easily. We cut a 5x5 hole in the ice and lower them down with two ropes looped underneath and a guy on each corner. If you just drop them, they may land on their sides.

We made several dozen of these two years ago and installed them where we fish on Lake Leelanau (with DNR blessing and permit if you're wondering). We put them in groups of four with about 10-15 feet between each one. If you dive on them in the summer, they are full of small fish. Plus you have a never ending supply of lures. I'd tell you where they are, but you know what that would mean!! Just kidding, I'd tell anyone where they are. You just can't use them unless you take a kid with you.


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## GlacierFreak (Feb 14, 2005)

I am new to the fisheries and wildlife program at State and I just had a guest lecture on this exact issue. Luckily I was awake for this one. Playin Hooky was right that it is more difficult in the north to have ponds with great populations of more than one fish. It sounds like you have more then enough weed cover for the fish. Weeds can become a huge problem very easily though. Supposedly weeds are supposed to be sparse... 18 inches apart roughly. In fact in the lecture the prof said that cat tails are bad for fishing ponds because they spread quickly. He actually said to cut them off at ice level this time of the year. You might want to save a few though in this case for the gills. Shallow water with lots of cover is what promotes their population growth, but gills can be a very tough fish to manage. They have a tendency to overpopulate and stunt easily. I definatley would take some bass out to take some of the predators away but it might be a tough battle to balance. If there was some sort of small baitfish population you could introduce it might take pressure off of the gills, and maybe even help the perch. I am fairly busy w/ class and work but if you had some specific questions you needed answered I could try to track down some faculty to ask. It will help you for obvious reasons and give me a chance to meet more of the faculty. PM me if you would like and goodluck.


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