How do fish get started in a pond ?

[kevin37b]

We have several borrow pits from the interstate and a couple of abandoned sand quarries we like to crappie fish . They have no inlet or outlet of water , just rain or drought . They have not been stocked that we know of . One pond will have crappie and bass , but no bluegill . Another has bluegill and catfish , no crappie . How do fish get started in a pond ?

 

[smstonypoint]

Only what I have heard - fish eggs become attached to birds (egrets, heron, etc.) that then fly to the abandoned quarry pits. The eggs hatch and voila.

Steve

 

[AchingBack]

To the best of my knowledge, fish eggs become trapped between a ducks body, and the top of their feet when they take off from a body of water. When they land in the next pond, or lake, the eggs are dislodged, and replanted, so to speak.

 

[Jstpssng]

I had never heard of the "ducks moving fish eggs" theory until two days ago at our Thanksgiving gathering, yet here it is again.It may be possible but I suspect the quarries in the OP's post were transplanted in a more conventional method... i.e., "5 gallon pail".
There's even a term for this; "bucket biologist". ;-)

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Mother Nature is fairly resourceful; water does have a tendency to seek its own level, to run downhill and ponds, lakes and rivers do overflow from time to time. I would guess there are multiple reasons that life springs anew in a lifeless pond. FWIW, tornadoes and water spouts have been known to suck up fish, frogs, etc. and deposit them miles from their origin. My wife swears that her school bus was pelted with thousands of baby frogs one day; in her words, it was "raining frogs". I wouldn't rule out anything, including "bucket biologists", having belonged to that society once upon a time.

 

[dragoneggs]

I had never heard of the "ducks moving fish eggs" theory until two days ago at our Thanksgiving gathering, yet here it is again.It may be possible but I suspect the quarries in the OP's post were transplanted in a more conventional method... i.e., "5 gallon pail".
There's even a term for this; "bucket biologist". ;-)

Yeah! I wasn't going to be smart and say, 'Just throw them in' but now you mention it The bigger trick though is to have enough oxygen in the water and a natural food source for long term survival. That is also assuming the surrounding soil isn't toxic.

 

[dave1949]

Geese and ducks land on my ponds now and then, but I have yet to see any fish appear. There is no natural water path that would allow fish to get into those ponds. It wouldn't really surprise me if eventually some fish show up, but it's been four years now and nothing yet.

I think the frogs move in before the mud is cleaned off the excavator. :laughing:

 

[Gary Fowler]

Minnows and some types of bream will magically appear in ponds that have no inflow water (dikes all the way around). How they do it is always theorized by cranes, ducks etc, but they do appear in most ponds within a year. If you have had no fish in 4 years, your local wildlife must be extinct.

 

[dave1949]

Minnows and some types of bream will magically appear in ponds that have no inflow water (dikes all the way around). How they do it is always theorized by cranes, ducks etc, but they do appear in most ponds within a year. If you have had no fish in 4 years, your local wildlife must be extinct.

There is a lake with decent fishing three miles distant as the duck flies. I dunno. Could be climate. Our ponds have been iced over for two weeks now, and will be until sometime in April. The ducks are gone too, obviously. Not much chance of fish transfer from early November til April or May.

 

[Clint S]

You need to contact your Department of natural resource, like said above if there is not enough Oxygen and feed in the pond it will be a waste of time and money. You need a stocking permit here in NY and provide #'s to the DEC

 

[SPIKER]

Having personally seen Fish in mud holes after heavy rains (no fish lakes within few thousand feet at least if not miles) that is one way they can get there. I was a kid and played in pretty much every and any mud hole possible. There was a sever storm, we saw tornado overhead but not on ground. The rain was real gully washer and my sisters front yard suddenly was 4" of water & other side of the drive had maybe 3" of water in diameter 20 or so feet. Out of that hole I caught 3 crayfish and 2 bluegills less than 2" long ...

The other most likely is the bucket version of some one tossing them in after the lake water was up. I think at one point there was a stocking program for highway lakes to keep bugs down, it was mandatory to toss in bass and some form of pan-fish to control the water born insects like skeeters. Then I also know there are times when kids or adults will move a bucket or two of fish at a time and or done fishing toss out the minnows into the pond next door to start food source for bass or...

Mark

 

[Bird]

Minnows and some types of bream will magically appear in ponds that have no inflow water (dikes all the way around). How they do it is always theorized by cranes, ducks etc, but they do appear in most ponds within a year. If you have had no fish in 4 years, your local wildlife must be extinct.

Magically appear? Yep, it sure seems that way. When I was a kid living just northeast of Healdton, OK, we had a small pond that seem to fill up every Winter or early Spring, but would always dry up in the Summer. And when it dried up, there'd be a bunch of minnows, usually no more than an inch long and never more then 2" long. I always wondered where they came from.

 

[bindian]

Magically appear? Yep, it sure seems that way. When I was a kid living just northeast of Healdton, OK, we had a small pond that seem to fill up every Winter or early Spring, but would always dry up in the Summer. And when it dried up, there'd be a bunch of minnows, usually no more than an inch long and never more then 2" long. I always wondered where they came from.

Bird,
We had a wet weather duck pond, that would dry up like yours, that we would catch perch out of. Dad said anytime a bird takes a bath in the water, egg transfer can happen. Now I have perch growing inside a ditch culvert, that holds water on my property.
hugs, Brandi

 

[user.69169]

I can not believe all you people never heard of Cooter Fishseed. He's like a third or maybe 4th cousin of Jonny Appleseed about 5 times removed.
The Appleseed side of his family managed to steal so much free land working that deal of Jonnys where he planted some seeds and filed claim to the improved land Cooter's part of the family went to tossing fish eggs in every puddle thay could stumble onto so they could claim the water. They had big plans to go in the bottled water business, but they didn't ever think that them fish was gonna pee in the water, and the plan went belly up.

And that there is the truth cause my Momma said so over 50 years ago!

 

[jinman]

It seems to me that if zebra mussels can move from lake to lake and stream to stream stuck to boats and their trailers or in uncleaned bilges, that we shouldn't even be questioning the movement of fish that can actually swim rapidly once hatched and lay eggs with very sticky outsides. Of course, birds are the primary suspected carrier, but in areas of less than a mile between ponds, turtles, 'coons, and even deer who wade in shallows to drink could easily be the "bus service" between ponds.

 

[bindian]

It seems to me that if zebra mussels can move from lake to lake and stream to stream stuck to boats and their trailers or in uncleaned bilges, that we shouldn't even be questioning the movement of fish that can actually swim rapidly once hatched and lay eggs with very sticky outsides. Of course, birds are the primary suspected carrier, but in areas of less than a mile between ponds, turtles, 'coons, and even deer who wade in shallows to drink could easily be the "bus service" between ponds.

Makes sense to me.
hugs , Brandi

 

[kevin37b]

Interesting insights . Thank you .

 

[Gary Fowler]

There is a lake with decent fishing three miles distant as the duck flies. I dunno. Could be climate. Our ponds have been iced over for two weeks now, and will be until sometime in April. The ducks are gone too, obviously. Not much chance of fish transfer from early November til April or May.

I have seen literally thousands of shallow lakes in Alberta Canada that are lifeless due to freezing over solid in winter or at least enough that the organic matter decomposing literally suffocates any fish that may be in it. Could this be your problem?

 

[kg7il]

I can not believe all you people never heard of Cooter Fishseed. !

For that we owe Cooter a big thanks.

Another possibility is Accelerated Evolution. This often occurs in scummy spots frequented by lower forms of life.
Pond Scum can quickly evolve into an invasive species and occupy the whitehouse.

 

[dave1949]

I have seen literally thousands of shallow lakes in Alberta Canada that are lifeless due to freezing over solid in winter or at least enough that the organic matter decomposing literally suffocates any fish that may be in it. Could this be your problem?

Could be. One pond is rain fed and the depth varies considerably. The result is the shallow-water vegetation takes a real beating and no doubt decomposes when left high and dry for too long. The other pond is always full and has a deep area that would not freeze anywhere near the bottom, but of course it is completely iced over. That pond is fed by ground water and surface drainage.

Larger lakes and ponds that are steam-fed probably have some water with a bit of oxygenation flowing in under the ice all winter. That could certainly make a difference.