Author Topic: Farm Pond Gills  (Read 10070 times)

Offline Stickhick86

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Farm Pond Gills
« on: Feb 17, 2019, 05:34 PM »
Need some help finding gills in a friends pond. It is less then a half acre pond with a max depth of 10 feet. Last season it didn't matter where I drilled, I was finding fish. This season, I can't even buy a gill. I have swiss cheesed the ice and not been able to mark a fish. I am the only one that fishes this pond through the ice. What am I doing wrong?
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to ice fish, have his wife mad for ever.

Offline Iceassin

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #1 on: Feb 17, 2019, 05:40 PM »
A half acre and 10' deep is really nothing more than big puddle. You say you're the only one who ice fishes it but what about soft water? Could be fished or froze out.
"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice."
 


Offline Stickhick86

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #2 on: Feb 17, 2019, 05:43 PM »
I'm only one that fishes it soft water as well. It is in a friends yard. He doesn't fish anymore so I just go up to control the gill population. I know I haven't fished it out.
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to ice fish, have his wife mad for ever.

Offline Seamonkey84

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #3 on: Feb 17, 2019, 05:51 PM »
Possible winter kill or something like pesticides got into it?

Offline Stickhick86

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #4 on: Feb 17, 2019, 05:52 PM »
Highly doubt pesticides. It is in a person's yard well away from where anything would be sprayed. They were there before ice up and now I can't find em
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Offline RyanW

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #5 on: Feb 17, 2019, 05:54 PM »
An underwater camera would answer lots of questions.
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Offline Stickhick86

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #6 on: Feb 17, 2019, 05:57 PM »
I tried my aqua vu, it is a pretty cloudy pond. Saw some largemouth in there but couldn't see the gills. Hope they all didn't die out. I know there were a ton in there late summer early fall. Not enough largemouth to clean em out either.
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to ice fish, have his wife mad for ever.

Offline Seamonkey84

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #7 on: Feb 17, 2019, 10:08 PM »
They may have switched to a night bite then. If you’ve checked all the depths and known spots Throughout the day, then try an hour before or till after dark and see how you do.

Offline Ice_Fly_Guy

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #8 on: Mar 01, 2019, 12:23 PM »
Try up in the mid-flats in the 4-7 foot area.  If it is a classic, upside down V-shaped farm pond, I have the most luck finding concentrations of fish in the mid-depth areas not anywhere near the deep side where the dam is.

Although they never really hit it, I often have a live minnow down just to garner some attention from the bluegills.

Another option is to try something really aggressive with rattles to get attention, like a Rapala Rippin Rap.  Use that to attract curious fish, then seal the deal with a normal bluegill offering.

Offline fishinator

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #9 on: Mar 01, 2019, 12:26 PM »
Otters? Wouldn't take them long to clean out a pond that size.
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Offline crappeye

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #10 on: Mar 03, 2019, 09:17 PM »
Yep otters got in a buddy’s pond and killed everything in it. They just ate the heads off. Don’t take em long to clean out a pond.

Offline Stickhick86

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #11 on: Mar 04, 2019, 08:34 AM »
I have never seen a wild otter in my life where I live.
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Offline Rugburn

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #12 on: Mar 04, 2019, 09:05 AM »
Had a similar situation in my pond yesterday. Vexilar was going bonkers and not one bite. My wife looks into the hole and sees these 1/2" long needle diameter larvae that must have hatched. The water column was filled with these and that must have been what was making the vex go nuts. We packed up figuring the fish had an all you can eat buffet going.

Offline Kevin23

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #13 on: Mar 04, 2019, 07:44 PM »
Theres no place to hide in a 1/2 acre pond really. They are either up shallow (could be on the edges in a foot of water if the pond has low oxygen and there is fresh water entering) or they are down deep. If you drilled the entire pond and didn't mark any, i would guess fish kill.
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Offline Iceassin

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #14 on: Mar 05, 2019, 05:03 AM »
Yep otters got in a buddy’s pond and killed everything in it. They just ate the heads off. Don’t take em long to clean out a pond.

Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Watched one go in and out of an old spearing hole about a half dozen times bringing out a fish each time... in less than 5 minutes.
"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice."
 


Offline Seamonkey84

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #15 on: Mar 05, 2019, 08:44 AM »
Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Watched one go in and out of an old spearing hole about a half dozen times bringing out a fish each time... in less than 5 minutes.
That just reminded me of this video, animals just don’t know limits or overfishing.

Offline hnd

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #16 on: Mar 18, 2019, 01:20 PM »
my guess is in late feb/early march, in a pond that small and shallow these fish may be starving for oxygen which means they'll be up shallow. 

we fished a 1 acre pond that was about 8' at its deepest point.  we caught all our fish right under the ice. 

Offline fishinjohn

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Re: Farm Pond Gills
« Reply #17 on: Mar 18, 2019, 02:00 PM »
That just reminded me of this video, animals just don’t know limits or overfishing.

That video is HILARIOUS

 



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