Structure Fishing 101
By Paul Crawford
If there has been any real revolution in fishing over the last 20 years, it’s been “structure fishing”. Bass fishing as a sport, depended on shallow water “bank beating” since it’s inception. Over the last 20 years, it has become fashionable to wander off shore in search of more and bigger fish. Much has been written and discussed, but there still seems to be some confusion over structure fishing, even among the pros, and the majority of the fishermen have just become off shore fishermen, not structure fishermen. Let’s look at what we mean by structure fishing, and some of the tricks of the trade.
The definition of structure is a change in bottom contour, (I.e. depth), which results in an irregular feature on the bottom of the lake. Now just about any quick change in depth results in some type of structure, a hump, point, ledge, or something. The biggest misunderstanding seems to be the definition of “quick”. Quick is a relative term. In a traditional reservoir, this could be anything from a vertical drop to a gentle slope dropping 5 feet over a 30 yard distance. In a natural Florida lake, where it may normally take 1/4 mile to change depth by 1 foot, it may be a 6″ deep channel running through a 5 foot deep flat, or a two foot drop over 30 yards. Where ever you find it, structure is another edge in the underwater world, and we all agree that fish just love edges.

Let’s spend just a minute talking about what structure isn’t. Structure isn’t a weed bed on a flat, or an isolated stump, or a brush pile. All of these things are “cover”. A weed bed may constitute a different type of edge, both of the weeds and of the bottom composition, but not structure. Wood, whether natural or man made, is just some place to hide. Likewise, a feeding flat is a place, not a structure. We all have seen times when fish are on the flats and relating to cover. Even during those times, there will still be some fish around the surrounding structure. Even on days when the fish are straying away from structure, they generally won’t go that far if they don’t have to. Learn to recognize structure and it can narrow your search for fish dramatically.

Now that we can agree on what is structure and what is cover, we can also agree there are times when one or the other seems most important. Deep structure without cover can and does normally hold a few fish, but generally not a great concentration, at least of bass, (catfish and crappie are another story). And we blow by miles of shoreline or shallow water cover every trip that doesn’t have a concentration of bass. But put the two together, and you generally will find the fish stacked at least some of the time. The trick then is to know the other variables and be there at the right time. And every once in a great while we can find that honey hole with both structure and cover that have fish all the time, at least until we fish it out and have to find another one.

Types of Structure

We can define structure types by the relationship to the surrounding depths. The basic component of structure is the ledge. A ledge is simply a distinct change in depth. In a southern reservoir, this might be a drop of 5 feet over a twenty foot slope. In Florida, it is most times a drop of 6 inches to 1 foot over the same twenty foot slope. A ledge, by our definition, is a fairly straight line of depth change. Start putting some noticeable curves along the lip of a ledge, and you get other structure. A point is a protrusion of shallower water along a ledge. Surrounded by deeper water on three sides, it is the most recognizable and often the most productive type of structure. The opposite of a ledge is a cut. A cut is an indention in the line of a ledge with deeper water surrounded by shallow water on 3 sides. A hump is nothing more than a ledge that wraps around on itself, or an underwater island of sorts. A hump has deeper water on all sides. The opposite of a hump is simply a hole, literally deep water with shallow water on all sides. There are several other types we can talk about, but these are the basic types.

We now have our basic definitions, but we need to put some size restrictions on them, else everything is some type of structure. For instance, the main lake body could be seen as a hole, or simply a round set of ledges. We need to decide which one because we’d like to fish the structure differently depending on which type of structure we call it. As a reasonable guide, let’s look for just a second on how fish use structure. Structure, what ever it’s form, is a type of underwater transportation system. Fish generally follow a narrow depth getting from one place to another. The advantage of using structure edges is the deeper water provides an immediate escape route if you happen onto something much bigger than you. Now just like any road, fish rarely live right in the center lane. More likely, they will be just off one side or the other, which is were the cover part comes in. In any event, for our purposes, the extent or limit of a useful definition for a structure is the depth change itself and the reasonable area adjacent to the drop where fish will wander off to feed. In the case of our hole, a fish might reasonably wander out, say 100 feet into the hole without loosing the advantage of the edge for chasing shad. So, if we assume both sides of hole are good for 100 feet, then anything that is over 200 feet wide, at it’s narrowest part, isn’t a hole, just two separate ledges. Similarly, if a hole is too small to make use of each side, you have a ditch or a depression, not a hole. Each of these other cases may be useful, but for our discussion, they aren’t holes. Apply all of the same comments to the other structures: points, humps, cuts, etc.

Cover and Structures

Even with our size restrictions, we still have a tremendous area to work. But we can narrow the odds by putting one additional restriction on our prime structure. We already said we’d like structure with cover, but let’s now say we want the cover to end along the edge of our structure. A point with a grass bed is good. But if the grass bed happens to end right at the edge of the point, then the point is great!

Weed beds in particular are excellent types of cover to either change types, or stop all together right at the lip of the structure. A ledge may have heavy grass in say 10 feet on the top edge, while have either a different type of grass or, even better, no grass at all at the bottom edge. If you work the outside of the weed bed, you actually are working three edges at the same time, the vertical edge of the grass, the edge of the weed bed, and the depth change of the structure. Add a small point or cut in the straight ledge, and you have 4 or 5 edges. This is the kind of high percentage spot worth spending hours to find.

Standing wood is another case of cover at a structure. When you are fishing an old road bed or creek channel and the wood suddenly stops at a particular depth, you get all the advantages of the structure and the cover. I have found it necessary to be careful with defining wood on a ledge. Where you have creeks or roads, you a likely to also have hills or mounds. In this case you need to find a structure on a structure. Just because to the bed runs at a consistent depth, the top edge will, more often than not, rise and fall over mounds or small hills. A gentle slope up an underwater hill may concentrate the fish at a single tree because the depth is 6 inches different than the surrounding trees. If you don’t know what depth, it can be frustrating. On the other hand, a slight mount in on one side of a bed can act as a magnet for every fish in the area not actively hunting. Find an area with several of these mounds and you’ve got your honey hole. Depending on the local botany before it was flooded, you may be able to spot these mounds by looking for a specific type of tree which grew only on a mound or down in a cut. A perfect example is willow trees that would tend to have grown lower and closer to the water level of an old creek than say the surrounding oak trees. Cypress trees are another sure tip off of a change in structure level. You’ll read many times about a tournament won fishing a specific type of tree. More than likely, it wasn’t the wood type that made the difference, it was depth that type of tree was growing in before the lake was built. For more habitat ideas look at fishiding.com. the industry leader in artificial fish habitat and fish attractors.

Water Temperature and Structure

We’ve now established looking for a structure with cover, it’s time to chose among all structures with cover that ends at the structure edge. This will depend on several variables, water clarity, weather, season, stratification, temperature, etc. We could try to consider everything, but for starters, there is an easier way. Most of the changes can be interpreted as water temperature. Like any other generalization, it doesn’t work all of the time, but for 80 – 90% of the cases, it works just fine.

The general rule of thumb: “The Colder the Water, The Steeper the Drop.” Pretty simple, and it works. During winter and early spring, look for the fish to relate to a steep drop into deep water. This might be from 5′ or from 20′ into a deep hole, but the fast drop is the key. The fish will move during warmer periods to the upper shelf to feed and may suspend over the hole during those blue bird cold fronts. During summer and well into fall, look for a gentle slope into deeper water. The fish may range a couple of hundred yards from the structure but at least some will be on slope for most of the year. The only tough part about this is they may actually move deeper to feed and return to the slope to rest. But again, for the most part they will move into the cover for feeding while the bait is on the bottom.

Everything else being equal, we still don’t know at what depth we should look for our structure. In the Florida Chain Lakes, with different water clarity in different lakes, you can still find structure, with cover, the correct type of slope, and the correct contour in just about any depth. The tie breaker is again water temperature, just not surface temperature anymore. The most productive structure, all things being equal, will be where the structure tops out at the same depth as the thermocline. A thermocline, for those not normally worrying about those things, is a physical layer between two different temperatures of water. This normally exists when the lake is “stratified”, or during the summer when there is little movement between the upper and lower water layers. In this case, the cooler water will remain below the warmer upper layers. In the fall, as the upper water cools, it will normally fall within the water column, causing a lake to “turn over”, normally tough days to be fishing. Anyway, a structure near the thermocline with appropriate cover, can be a gold mine for fishing.

There are several ways to find a thermocline if one exists. The most obvious, and the most trouble, is to lower a temperature probe and look for a dramatic, (3 – 6 degrees), change in temperature. An easier way is to use your depth finder. A thermocline will reflect sound waves if the temperature change is great enough. Move to deep water and place your unit in manual mode. Increase the gain, (sensitivity), until you see a solid or broken line in the middle of the water column. If your depth finder has the little fish symbols on it, this may take the form of a line of fish around a particular depth. As you move the boat, this line may move slightly up or down, (a foot or so), but should remain pretty close for a given area. Find structure at that depth, and you should find fish. By the way, during the dog days of summer, you may find 2 or 3 thermoclines at the same time. Generally, the fish won’t be below the lower one, (commonly about 25′ in Florida). If you have 3 or more thermoclines, (more common on reservoirs where water 50′ plus is the rule), fish the middle one.

Fishing Structure

The absolute most important thing for fishing structure is your depth finder. A depth finder which can mark in 1/10′ or in inches is ideal for this application. Also, you’ll find it more comfortable if your depth finder is mounted on the bow with the transducer attached to the foot of the trolling motor. If you have only one depth finder, mounted on your console, then keep in mind the depth being shown is for the stern of the boat, not directly under you and your trolling motor. Get to be best friends with your depth finder, for structure fishing, it’s the most important piece of gear you’ve got.

Most of the time, you’ll find the majority of the fish on the top lip of the structure. The rest of the time, you’ll find the fish suspended just past the lower edge at approximately the same depth as the upper edge. Boat position is the key to effectively fishing the structure. Run up and down your structure a time or two and get to know the rate of the slope and where it bottoms out at. Position the boat so at a full cast length, your lure is about 10 over the top edge while holding the boat in deeper water. Keep the boat at the same depth as you follow the contours of the structure. If you find a narrow cut, back off and fish the bottom of the cut as well as moving in and fishing the surrounding lip. If you move over a point, make sure to go back and fish the normal edge line across the top of the point as well as following the point out into deeper water.

While you’re fishing the top of the ledge, don’t forget the deeper side of the boat. Every 6 or 8 casts, turn around and heave one out into open water. Make sure you monitor your bait on the drop, that’s were the bite will be for suspended fish. Pay particular attention to suspended fish around the ends of points and at the corner of flats. More to see in the fishiding news page

After you’ve finished a run on a structure’s top edge, if it still looks promising, make another pass fishing the bottom edge. Position the boat as close as you can to the top edge, (where you’ve just fished), and use your bait to “feel” you way along the bottom edge. If the cover stops on the top edge, many times a different scattered grass, limbs, or simply trash will pile up on the bottom edge. If you can’t feel anything, and when all else fails, you can count down your lure and get a pretty consistent feel for the depth you’re fishing. This is also the pass you’d like to fish straight across points and cuts looking for fish suspended in the middle. In general, this deep water pass will also be your best bet of sticking that kicker you’re looking for.

If you think there are some suspended fish in the area, try a long Carolina rig. Instead of simply pulling the bait along the bottom, pop the bait up in the water. As the sinker drops, the bait will actually whip upwards and you can effectively cover 6 or 8 feet off the bottom. In these situations, expect a very light bite and give the bait plenty of time to float back to the bottom before the next jerk. It won’t be unusual to not feel anything and simply have a fish on when you raise your rod. You can increase your hook up ratio by gently raising the rod tip and feeling for pressure before jerking the bait off the bottom. This is a prime example of the wisdom of the adage, ” The Jerk’s Free”.

There are a hundred other ways to fish various structures, and there are many more variations of the structures themselves. We’ll look in future articles at the more specific structures and techniques, but this pretty much covers the basics. Give structure fishing a try and I think you’ll like the results. Like most other techniques, it more a matter of confidence than anything. Given the right situation, structure fishing can open up a whole new world of schools of fish and big bites! See you off shore.

POND BOSS Magazine is the world’s leading resource for fish, pond and fisheries management information including discussions on muddy water, raising trophy fish, fish feeding, building a pond, algae control and more. Check us out at www.pondboss.com or contact Bob Lusk, the Pond Boss himself, at 903-564-5372. His books, Basic Pond Management, Raising Trophy Bass and Perfect Pond, Want One, may be purchased by calling 800-687-6075 or ordering online at www.pondboss.com

DAWN OF A NEW SEASON. POND MANAGEMENT IS ABOUT TIMING – BY BOB LUSK
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 5:27pm
Water temps, not dates, the real key

Remember Forrest Gump? He was running along a lonely stretch of highway, minding his own business, when he steps in a pile of nature’s fertilizer. Forrest looks down, then back at the front guy in the crowd behind him, and says, “It happens.”

In the world of pond management, “it” sure does. Let’s examine “it.”

Beginning late each winter, extending into spring, then deep into summer, I get the same questions, from different people, sometimes in different states, but roughly the same questions about their fishing ponds.

Example: “I fertilized my lake, and nothing happened. The water is just as clear as ever.”

Or, maybe this one: “I followed label directions, fertilized the right amount for my pond, and bottom weeds have taken over.”

No pretty green water, no plankton bloom in their fishing ponds.

What happened? “It” didn’t work.

What gives? Is “it” the fertilizer? Or, maybe the water? Was “it” applied correctly? Was the compound properly distributed throughout the pond, then allowed to fully dissolve into the water column, the way Pond Boss says to do “it”?

There’s an old adage for real estate people that relates to the three basic principles of the property — location, location, location. In pond management, “it” is “timing, timing, timing.”

You can add fertilizer to your water, applying at the proper rates, the proper N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) mix, until you are blue in the face, and never get a bloom. This is especially 1 if you were to fertilize during the coldest spell of the winter. Timing. The right pond management technique, perhaps, but it was used at the wrong moment.

As you plan for the New Year for your favorite fishing pond, the new growing season, start putting together your basic pond management strategy for the next 12 months. In Texas, the Agriculture Extension Service provides excellent information in the form of a calendar. Trouble is, on any given spring day, the temperature at the southern tip of the Lone Star state may hit 85 degrees, while the folks in Amarillo, located in the middle of the Texas Panhandle, may be shoveling snow off the sidewalk. So much for a pond management schedule dictated by pages on a calendar.

Instead, let water temperature be your guide. Check the Pond Boss display ads for catalog distributors and buy a good thermometer. Then use it to check water temperatures on a regular basis.

Don’t get too concerned about the mechanics of this, whether you take the temperature six inches below the surface or 3 feet deep, just make sure to place the thermometer in approximately the same place each time in your fishing pond.

If you can’t be at your pond all the time, check temps as often as possible. Write your findings in a notebook. Watch your pond temperature patterns, and keep notes. Two or three years of sound temperature record keeping will put you in the pond management driver’s seat.

Here’s how: Let’s say, for instance, that at 45 degrees, you start noticing the onset of filamentous algae growth in your fishing pond. Write that in your notebook. At 55-60, fish began coming to your feeder. Make a note. At 62-68, bass went on their spawning nests. Two weeks later, baby bass are seen in schools, around the edge of your fishing pond. Write it down. All of it.

Those little facts will help you achieve pond management goals next year, and the year after, beginning with the first hint of filamentous algae, which tends to get worse as water temperatures rise. With all biological activity that occurs in your fishing pond, there is a direct relation to water temperature.

Take plankton for an example. Desirable plankton blooms, adequately fed, will not thrive until water temps in your fishing pond are consistently above 60 degrees. That’s not to say you can’t find plankton in winter. You can.

But, to properly feed baby fish in your pond, 60 degrees is “it.” Sixty is the trigger point.

What about feeding pelleted fish food like Purina Aqua Max, you might ask? Different fish respond to different temperatures. When your temps hit 50-55 last Fall, channel cat eased away from the fish feeder, into the murky depths of your fishing pond to hunker down in a big school. But, your feisty bluegill probably came to the fish feeder even as temps dropped into the lower 40’s.

I often get asked about stocking fingerlings in a new fishing pond. When should you introduce fingerlings to a new environment?

With our pond management clients, we urge fishing pond owners to avoid extremes. Both hot and cold can be stressful for handling fish. Oh yes, fish can certainly survive their extremes, once they arrive in the fishing pond. But getting them from the hatchery to your pond can be tricky during really hot or really cold. Transport fish during warm or cool times.

Here’s a simple temperature “calendar” to bring pond management techniques to a sharper focus:

Temps below 32 degrees

Ice. Aerate northern ponds, if possible, and keep snow cover off clear ice. This is a great opportunity to prepare brush piles, rocks, pipe, or other materials on top of ice, where they can sink, after thaw, for your fish cover.

32-42 degrees

Do not expect fish to feed. Warmwater fish are too sluggish, trout feeding is minimal.

42-48 degrees

Macrophytic aquatic plants are dead. Good time to install cover into barren areas. Be sure to put cover in mid-depth areas of your fishing pond, relatively near shore.

48-55 degrees

Bluegill will feed, especially if conditioned to fish food pellets. Filamentous algae begins to grow around fishing pond edges, especially during warm afternoons. Peak trout feeding temperatures.

55-58 degrees

Channel catfish come to life, and begin searching for food. Bluegill activity escalates, Bass begin moving from structure. Filamentous algae thickening. Trout active.

58-62 degrees

Fertilize fishing ponds with clear water! Do not dally. Bass begin showing signs of nesting, preparing crater-shaped spots, 4-6 feet deep, 18 inches in diameter, for spawning. Filamentous algae in full growth stage. Begin checking for plankton bloom 5 or 6 days after fertilizing, as temps continue their Spring rise. Time to begin stocking fingerling fish into new ponds, or adult fish for corrective stocking situations. Trout still active and growing. Crappie on nests.

62-68 degrees

Worldwide, this is prime spawning temperature range for largemouth bass in your fishing pond. Plankton blooms beginning to color the pond water. Measure pond water visibility, shooting for 18-24″. This is still a good time to fertilize your pond. Redear sunfish and bluegill begin preparing and sitting on nests. Trout active and growing. Cattails begin to grow, along with peripheral reeds. Watch for beginnings of rooted aquatic plants underwater in your pond.

68-72 degrees

The bass spawn wanes, with schools of baby bass beginning to appear. Bluegill are on nests. Plankton reach optimum growth. Measure visibility in the fishing pond. Rooted plants growing, cattails and reeds tall. All fish feeding well.

72-76 degrees

Keep measuring pond water visibility; maintain plankton blooms. Watch for plankton bloom beginning to darken from bright green to an olive green. Cattails and reeds reaching maturity. American lotus and select lily pads begin to show themselves. Peak operating temperatures for all warm water fish. Heavy feeding, both natural food and from your feeders. Young of the year bass, bluegill and redear can be observed. Channel catfish beginning their spawning rituals. Monitor plankton bloom, keep goals in sight. Trout tend to become sluggish.

76-80. degrees

Trout are dead. Warmwater fish on full feeding throttles, fish growth rates max. Rooted aquatic plants maturing, still rapidly growing. Filamentous algae beginning to disappear. Plankton, when fed properly, is thriving. Watch for plankton bloom color to shift from olive green to a greenish brown. Be careful when boosting your pond algae bloom with fertilizer. Use maintenance doses, only. Keep checking visibility; use maintenance doses of fertilizer as pond water visibility increases beyond 24-30 inches. Floating plants such as duckweed, azolla, become noticeable. Good time to begin treating unwanted vegetation. Be sure to have stocked fingerlings by now.

80-84 degrees

Warm water fish are active, and plankton tends to grow quite rapidly. Do not over-fertilize an overactive plankton bloom in your pond. Measure pond water visibility, watch as plankton bloom color changes. When plankton shifts to a brownish/ green color, it has shifted from mostly phytoplankton (plant plankton) to zooplankton (animal plankton). Zooplankton blooms rapidly deplete their food source, phytoplankton, and then the bloom will “crash”. Zooplankton run out of food, zooplankton die, and sink in your fishing pond. Pond water rapidly clears. Either feed the algae bloom, or let it crash, you choose, based on your pond management goals. By now, baby fish hatched in your fishing pond are reaching fingerling sizes, and clear pond water makes forage fish available to bigger predator fish. But, remember, clear water lets sun penetrate deeper in the pond water column, expanding rooted plant territory.

84-88 degrees

Be wary of fertilizing your fishing pond. Better to under-fertilize a lot than over-fertilize a little. Biological activity, especially microbes, in water, reaches most rapid life cycle movement in warmer water. Fish metabolism beginning to slow, growth rates reaching summer doldrums. Vegetation reaching maximum growth rates and penetration in your pond.

88-92 degrees

Even warmwater species begin to hunker down in their “survival” mode. Limited feeding times, fish get sluggish. Vegetation at maximum coverage. Watch pond water chemistry, especially plankton blooms more dense than 18 inches visibility.

Above 92 degrees

Check your pond’s plankton. Drink lots of fluids. Be wary of chemically treating excessive aquatic plants. Killing too much vegetation, too fast, can devastate your fishery. Oxygen depletions are most common.

Our friend Forrest would say, “Timing is as timing does.”

Humans seem to rely on a calendar, but nature doesn’t always oblige, and her “work schedule” varies greatly from region to region. Observe pond activity, and train yourself to rely on the thermometer.

Rethink your annual pond management schedule to coincide, not with readings on a watch or even a calendar, but with temperature levels. It’s nature’s way, and it should be yours.

POND BOSS Magazine is the world’s leading resource for fish, pond and fisheries management information including discussions on muddy water, raising trophy fish, fish feeding, building a pond, algae control and more. Check us out at www.pondboss.com or contact Bob Lusk, the Pond Boss himself, at 903-564-5372. His books, Basic Pond Management, Raising Trophy Bass and Perfect Pond, Want One, may be purchased by calling 800-687-6075 or ordering online at www.pondboss.com

CATCH AND RELEASE OR SELECTIVE HARVEST? – BY DR. RICHARD O ANDERSON
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 5:33pm
Dr. Richard Anderson is a legendary fisheries biologist who helped develop relative weight tables of fish that today’s biologist use religiously. He resides near Houston, Texas.

Grandpa told me a long time ago. “If they’re big enough to bite, they’re big enough to keep.” I’ll always remember his philosophies. He grew up in an era where fish were for food more than fun.

I’ll also never forget the time my wife caught two bass on the same plug, undernourished fish chasing anything that hit the surface of the pond. Such fishing memories are priceless.

The philosophy and approaches to management of fish populations in ponds have changed a great deal since the good ole days. We have a much better understanding of fish population structure and dynamics because of research on fishing ponds in the Midwest.

Should I keep this fish or put it back? For some people, largemouth bass have become a sacred cow and the answer is obvious. Catch and release has been a benefit to the quality of fish and fishing in many larger and public lakes.

But, this is not so in most private lakes and ponds. In lightly fished lakes and fishing ponds there is often a surplus of eight to twelve inch bass.

It helps to make an educated decision about which fish to keep or release if you know the fish population structure: e.g. length-frequency distribution of bass and panfish. The index of size distribution is called “proportional size distribution” or simply “PSD.”

Specific lengths of fish define “stock,” “quality” and “preferred” sizes. For largemouth bass these total lengths are eight, twelve and fifteen inches: for bluegill these lengths are three, six and eight inches. The index is determined as a whole number as the proportion of fish longer than quality size in stock. If ten largemouth bass longer than eight inches are caught and two of those are longer than twelve inches the PSD is 20: if no fish are caught longer than 15.0 inches the PSD-P is 0. Angling is an excellent way to estimate population PSD of bass.

Tracking PSD is an excellent way to keep a running tabulation on the progress (or lack of) of your fish populations. PSD is a useful tool for a lake or pond manager to make decisions when (and which) fish to harvest.

However, size of bluegill caught by angling does not reflect fish population PSD because few or no fish as small as three inches are caught. People just don’t fish for tiny bluegill. When six to eight out of ten bluegill caught are quality sizes the population PSD is probably between 20 and 60. Consider this a well-balanced population of those key panfish. When few or no bluegill longer than six inches are caught, the PSD is likely less than ten; fish are probably stunted with slow growth and high natural mortality. Only the smallest of age-4 survive to age-5.

The number 3.0 to 5.9 inches long can be in the thousands per acre. In several Midwest fishing ponds with a bluegill PSD less than 10, total weight of bluegill was three hundred or more pounds per acre i.e. carrying capacity for bluegill. With an increasing PSD there was a decline in bluegill standing crop such that when PSD was about 60 bluegill biomass was about 150 pounds per acre or 50% of carrying capacity.

With lower standing crop there is little competition for food in the fishing pond and individuals grow faster, live longer and some reach preferred size. Adequate predation by bass of quality size can reduce numbers of stock and quality size of the fishery down to hundreds per acre and a PSD of 60.

When the PSD of largemouth bass is less than 10 they may also be stunted and few survive to age 5. Their condition or index of well being called “relative weight” (Wr) is probably less than 90. This common fish population structure can result from a twelve-inch minimum size limit or a preference to keep bass of quality size. The PSD of such fish populations can be increased with selective harvest of bass less than twelve inches while releasing all bass of quality size. This process is called, “selective harvest.” Maintain that selective harvest until the proportion of fish eight to twelve inches long is equal to those twelve to fifteen inches long. With these proportions the Wr of both fish size groups should be about 100, or the optimum value for growth efficiency: i.e. about three pounds of gain for each pound of fish consumed. When competition for food is keen and Wr is low, fish may lose weight or it may take five to ten pounds of prey for a bass to gain one pound. When there is a surplus of prey and Wr is well over I(X), growth efficiency is lower because excess protein is converted to fat.

All pond owners should spend some time keeping track of numbers and sizes caught by angling in their fishing ponds. Set up a spreadsheet in your computer and track each year’s catch records by plotting bluegill PSD on the vertical axis and bass PSD on the horizontal axis. Both scales should be 0 to 100. Estimate bluegill PSD by subtracting 20 from angling PSD unless numbers are near O or 100. For the records just keep track of the numbers of bluegill shorter and longer than six inches total length. For example-if three bluegill less than six inches are caught from your fishing pond and seven longer than six are landed the angling PSD is 70 (7 divided by 10 x 100) and the estimated population PSD is 50. All fishing ponds with bluegill and largemouth bass will be plotted somewhere on this graph.

Decide your pond management objectives. If you prefer larger bluegill, protect more bass and be satisfied with a PSD less than 30. If you prefer to catch larger bass harvest those less than 15 inches long and catch and release those of preferred size.

When the PSD’s of bluegill and bass in your pond is around 60, you have reached the balance of nature, the way these fish populations have evolved. About 40% of bass will be 8.0 to 11.9 inches long, 40% 12.0 to 14.9 inches long and 20% longer than 15 inches. Your fish population will be near carrying capacity for bass and panfish populations will be near 50% of their carrying capacity. In a typical Midwest fishing pond this could be 150 pounds of bluegill and 40 to 50 pounds of bass. This structure can be sustained by catch and release of all bass and bluegill.

You are likely to be dissatisfied with low ecological efficiency of mediocre fish populations of PSD less than 10 of both bass and bluegill. But, such fishing ponds are ideal to introduce your children or grandchildren to fishing. These hungry fish are much easier to catch than fish in well balanced populations.

Some of my favorite fishing memories are from a 35 acre private fishing lake in Boone County. Missouri. It was opened to fishing with a twelve-inch minimum length limit to prevent initial overharvest of bass. After two seasons, it was obvious there was a surplus of eight to twelve inch bass in the fishing lake. The regulation was changed to protect bass twelve to fifteen inches long, the first ever application of a “slot limit” on bass. Gizzard shad were also stocked, to help forage fish production. After two years, the Wr of bass of all sizes was over l00. Over the next five years the angling PSD of bluegill ranges from 50-90 and bass PSD ranged from 20 to 60. The regulation was considered a success for the fishery.

But, for those few years with bass PSD of 10 and Wr near 90, this lake was unforgettable for my family. My daughters were about eight and ten years old at the time. They were more into “catching” than “fishing.” There was a hatch of black caddis flies (Trichoptera) and bass were behaving like trout. Any cast near a rise produced a strike. I didn’t catch any fish that day. Didn’t have time. Only had time to unhook and release what they caught. Those memories, too, are priceless.

Maybe we should have kept those fish?

POND BOSS Magazine is the world’s leading resource for fish, pond and fisheries management information including discussions on muddy water, raising trophy fish, fish feeding, building a pond, algae control and more. Check us out at www.pondboss.com or contact Bob Lusk, the Pond Boss himself, at 903-564-5372. His books, Basic Pond Management, Raising Trophy Bass and Perfect Pond, Want One, may be purchased by calling 800-687-6075 or ordering online at www.pondboss.com

We made it home safe from the 600 mile drive to Big Cedar Lodge for the Pond Boss convention this past week. Many new friends were made as well as building and improving business relationships. These folks are all about enjoying all aspects of the great outdoors.

Allen warren was on hand to talk about the growing concern for our kids, missing out on all that the outdoors have to offer. He is spearheading a national movement to get outdoor education to be offered to our kids at school. The important traditions of spending time outdoors, learning and applying the skills of woodsmanship,hunting,climbing,mountaineering,fishing and camping, are just some of the skills that are not getting passed down to the kids.

All the information is available at www.isupportoutdoored.com for everyone to get involved. Celebrities and folks from all over the nation are getting involved to help. Please look into this first of it’s kind movement to ensure our future generstions have the oppourtunity to enjoy all nature has to offer.

Brad Wiegmann was also on hand to cover the event. His unique style of writing comes from a strong love for all things fishy. Brad is a freelance outdoor writer from Sprindale, Arkansas, who adds his photography skills to his writing abilities. He also has been guiding professionally for years, adding to his experienced eye for a story when water is involved. Here is a link to his site and the story hot off press:

http://www.bradwiegmann.com/pond-fishing/pond-management/577-pond-boss-iv-conference-a-expo-2011-whats-it-all-about.html

The fishing is great on Tablerock and we were lucky enough to catch a few. The weather was pushing 80 degrees, a far cry from what we came home to. A fellow friend and crappie nut from www.crappie.com gave us some spots to fish and they were dead on. What a advantage to have friends with a common bond of the outdoors offering their help to make our trip the most enjoyable possible. 

We caught a number of smaller male bass, staging for the spawn as well as a bunch of crappie to pack on ice to enjoy with friends at home. New places and friends to return to the next time we head south into the great state of Missouri. Thanks to all.

The family at Pond Boss is truly a passionate group of folks who love to be outside, usually around water. Many of the attendees came from the south where heat is a constant issue raising fish and aquatic balance. I can’t imagine dealing with water temps over 90 degrees, when we come home to a 2″ snowfall. Spend some time looking through the pond boss site and you will find topics and answers to all water related things and beyond. Countless folks are always on hand to reply to a question or concern, often with humor but always with a sincere desire to help. www.pondboss.com

The bite is on and the weather is great! This place needs a ton of fishiding artificial fish structure to hold these fish in tighter groups. With all the rock in Tablerock, some artificial fish structures would compliment all the other habitat that has been installed. Bass pro, along with the National fish habitat action plan have installed tons of structures already. Take a look at the newest products to hit the market for fish.  www.fishiding.com

We’re getting ready to drive down to the show on Tablerock lake in Mid April. We will have a display set up at the conference, showing all of the fishiding and structurespot products.

Many of the top names in the fisheries,  lake and pond management industries will attend the annual Pond Boss Conference in Ridgedale, Mo. on April 14-16th.  Bob Lusk, co-founder and editor of the famous PondBoss empire, will be on hand to talk to individuals about their specific management needs.

Speakers on hand will discuss everything from plants to pond excavation, fish stocking to aeration. If you have water, these guys know how to achieve any goals you may have. A wealth of information is available from these professionals, to speak with them directly for some of the best advice available anywhere.

A number of companies using and selling our products will also be on hand. Texoma hatchery Pond Management, Solitude/Virginia Lakes Management, Outdoor water Solutions are a few that will have displays to visit. Many other of our dealer firms will be sending staff to attend. This is the place to be annually, for the latest products, trends and techniques in the fish, lake and pond management industries.

My wife Renee’ and I will leave early to get a day and a half of fishing in before the show. Thanks to a member of crappie.com we have some secret spots hand picked, with favorite colors to use as well. We should hit the timing just right as the crappie and bass begin to spawn in predictable areas.

Come see us at the show, we will have lots of samples as well as some super show deals. Take a look at the pondboss site for more details and great information from the leaders in growing big healthy fish. pondboss.com

Pond Boss Convention Details

Fish need homes just like people do. Some can build their own fish habitat house and some hire a fish habitat builder .Here’s a little bit of background on how this idea to create artificial fish habitat has developed, as well as where we see it going in the future. Installing and creating additional fish structure has been going on for many years. We simply feel we have come up with a better way to save the fish and the environment.

Growing up in Northern Illinois, my dad started me fishing at a very young age. Although his father fished, he has never considered himself an avid fisherman. An Architect by trade, he was simply exposing his son to new things outdoors.

At age 7 Jacques’ Cousteau had my undivided attention saving the oceans and sea life, and there my passion lies, these 40+ years later.

Fast forward 20 years,  I’m president and owner of a General/Carpenter contracting business. Be your own boss they all say. Surely it would give me more time to fish right?

Housing in our area exploded, followed by steady commercial growth. We enjoyed what Dad and I agree, was some of the best 15+ years to be a builder. It was here in the trades, I worked with the materials that would come to be fishiding.com, Reclaimed Artificial fish habitat. Building houses for fish came next called artificial fish habitat.

As the recession took hold, our workload diminished. It was time to find another way to pay the bills. (and, did I mention still  fish around the world, bow hunt 90 days/season,Turke…)

As a builder, we had leftover vinyl material in every color, never enough for another job. Made us angry, taking up so much room in our expensive dumpsters. Then it hit me, this stuff would work great underwater and it’s keeping it out of the landfills. Algae will grow. Win-win right?

Next it was off to the professionals (and patent office), to see if it would be accepted into the industry as a safe product, and as widely used as we saw the potential. The wonderful news is the fish love it, with products now in 29 states and counting.

What started with the simplest idea and one fish crib model has turned the industry’s focus in the direction of reclaimed artificial fish habitat products, lasting for many years to come. Install fish habitat that doesn’t decay and break down, it only has to be installed once.

Trial and error, lots of siding, and more fishiding fish structure units in Wonder Lake. We continue to test and develop new textures, sizes and shapes of fish attractors for all types of needs. We film under water to see how the fish structure is being used, and what type fish habitat and size fish prefer different PVC habitat  layouts.

The biologists asked for something more dense, with fine strands to protect the smallest fry and larvae.

Something easy to transport and fit in the boat without the need of tools, weights or chains.

Products that don’t add to energy and pollution concerns.

Wide limbs to create maximum shade benefits.

These concerns have been addressed and resolved with utmost care and consideration.

This is only the beginning. This is Fishiding.

The market is vast, from saltwater to aquaculture, freshwat

er to aquariums and beyond. Fishiding.com will continue to reshape fish habitat, one bend at a time.

www.fishiding.com

Offering the most cost effective solution to artificial fish habitat. Helping save our waterways and fisheries, all the while being conscious of leaving no footprint from manufacturing. This is what we believe. This is for the fish.

Get involved, do your part in reducing our nation’s dependency on fossil fuels. Help America strengthen by buying and supporting products made here in the states.

Reclaimed fishiding artificial fish habitat is made in America with only American made materials. Support your local sportsman/women, for all God’s creatures in our woods and waters they work to protect.