NEW IDEAS FOR THE OLD FARM POND

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

A NOTE ABOUT NICHES

Before you begin to dabble with stocking alternative species of fish, it's important to have a clear understanding of how the typical scheme works. The bluegill, the smaller of the two members in the classic farm pond community, is stocked in greater numbers than the largemouth bass. As a panfish, the bluegill provides the bulk of the catch and serves as a food source for the bass. The bass, then, provides more exciting recreational fishing while acting as a predator, controlling the bluegill population so that stunting of these rapid reproducers doesn't occur. However, this theory works well in practice only when the pond owner aids the bass by regularly harvesting the bluegills. Furthermore, as long as the fish are reproducing naturally in the pond, this rule will hold true . . . regardless of what species are added or substituted. So although it may be more challenging to pursue the larger fish, you'll find that the key to maintaining a balanced population is to harvest a far greater proportion of panfish than predators.

Alternative species, therefore, may be predators (occupying a niche corresponding to that of the largemouth bass) or panfish (filling the role of the bluegill). There is also a third possibility: the addition of forage species—fish intended not for human consumption but as a supplement to the predator's diet—into the system. With this basic farm pond scheme in mind, let's start at the top of the food chain.

PREDATORS

Smallmouth bass(Micropterus dolomieui): The most frequently considered substitute for the largemouth bass is this close relative. In fact, many anglers actually prefer to stock the smallmouth bass because of its superior taste and sporting qualities. But while the largemouth is content in water temperatures of 80 °F or above, the smallmouth requires a cooler environment ... and since the majority of farm ponds reach temperatures in the 80's during summer, many efforts to maintain smallmouth bass in home-scale operations have failed. If your pond stays consistently cool during the summer, however, you might want to stock this species.

Catfish: In much of the U.S., the best supplemental species to the largemouth bass are the catfishes. And by far the most widely chosen species is the channel catfish ( Ictaluruspunctatus ), simply because it's an important commercially cultured fish, so stock for it is readily available. The blue catfish (Ifurcatus ) and the white catfish (Icatus ) are said to be easier to catch on hook and line, while the flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris )-though not as tasty as the other cats—grows to an extreme size and can be particularly helpful in controlling excess populations of forage fish.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print