Giant pond troubles

[navycornhusker1]

Hello eveyone,

I am new to the site, but hope I am doing this properly. I was seeking help/advice on an outdoor pond on our property. It is a true pond, no man made equipment currently helping it out. It is about 6 feet deep, 40 feet long, by 40 feet wide with a clay bottom. The problem is that it is exceptionally murky. Murky might not even cut it - muddy is better. You cannot see beyond the first couple inches of the water due to the muddiness. This was not the case a few years ago. The pond is populated with blue gill, a couple bass, and some grass carp to keep the algae down. The culprit in my opinion were a couple catfish my brother through in to "keep the pond clean." I think they are stirring up the bottom on a continuous basis. Does this sound like a reasonable assumption? If so, what is the best method to get the catfish out? Someone recommeded a modified minnow trap, but this sounds rather archaic to me, but i cannot come up with anything better - can yall? Thanks
Lance and family

 

[navycornhusker1]

Sorry for the poor spelling - I am getting old.

 

[Guest]

and some grass carp to keep the algae down.

Bingo. Carp are messy, they eat all the submerged vegitation, and generally make a mess of things. Submerged vegitation is what keeps algae down, not carp or any other fish.

I have no pond to rival yours, so my opinion comes from being a fisherman and observing some lakes that I used to really like, till they were over run with carp. They went from pretty good, to pretty bad jus from the carp constantly digging up everything.

 

[navycornhusker1]

No kiddin

Wow, I hadnt thought theyd be responsible. I figured the cats. Hmm... well any suggestion about getting them out? They dont exactly jump on hooks, darn it. Thanks

 

[Guest]

Sorry, I have no experience with big ponds or grass carp, other than what I related above.

Who knows, I could be completely wrong!

I would suggest contacting your state Department of Natural Resources. I guarantee they would be waaay more help than I am.

Best of luck to you, let us know what else you find out. BTW, very good first post, you did everything properly, very good explantation of your situation, and a straight-up quaestion. Speaking for myself, don't worry about spelling

 

[sumphead]

Sir, I too have a large pond. Only much larger. It is nearly a full acre and it is fed through normal runoff. It is nearly 12 years old so it is quite mature with large bass and catfish and more bream/bluegill than my kids can catch. Outdoor element play a large role in clarity. If it rains it is cloudy for a day or too. I have to agree that the carp is probably guilty in a pond that size. Add a decorative fountain if you haven't already. it will clear the pond up quite a bit as well as put oxygen into the water. But more importantly it will keep insect (mosquito) populations down. As for catfish; channel cats won't help a whole lot on the algae problem. If algae becomes an issue a few lbs of copper sulfate you can buy at almost any home imrprovment store will not only clear the algea but also the water. (don't be alarmed if your water turns a slight blue color). I buy mine from a tractor supply farm store and use it twice a year with no impact on my fish. On a side note in a pond even as large as mine, you have to watch the bluegill population. They can grow in numbers FAST and eventually hamper the population growth of your other species.

 

[sumphead]

OH Yeah, and a pond that size will never be crystal clear unless you have a concrete bottom and the fish themselves may not be to blame at all. But if it is indded your carp I have no idea how to get 'em out!! Sorry, I hope anything I've added has helped.

 

[William]

Snorkle with a fishnet is about the only way I can think of to get them out..

 

[RogerMcAllen]

They get huge, you could probably just harpoon them. Local regulations shouldn't apply as it is a private pond. The only problem might be the cloudiness would prevent you from seeing them.

 

[AtodaJ]

Happy fishing!?!

http://www.carp.com/article.php?article_id=7&search=catching+grass+carp

 

[Crow]

http://www.wildlifemanagement.info/fish_pond_management.htm

Try this list of articles from various extension agencies, etc. There's an article from Ohio State Extension's office titled "Muddy Water in Ponds: Causes, Prevention and Measurements" about half way down the page.