POND FISH and FISHING in ILLINOIS by A.C
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POND FISH AND FISHING IN ILLINOIS by A.C. LOPI NOT CHIEF FISHERY BIOLOGIST Fishery Bulletin Number 5 Illinois Department of Conservation Division of Fisheries Springfield, Illinois 62706 1967 Page Acknowledgements 2 Introduction .......................................................................................5 THE POND ITSELF 7 The Water . 9 The Food Chain 10 FISH FOR THE FISHING POND 11 Largemouth bass 11 Bluegill 13 Redear sunfish 15 Channel catfish 16 FISH THAT CAN RUIN FISHING 17 Crappie .....................................................17 Bullheads ................................................................................18 Carp — Buffalo — Suckers 18 Green sunfish ...........................................................19 Other fish ............................................................................ 19 STOCKING THE POND ......................................................20 WHEN AND HOW TO FISH THE POND 22 CATCHING FISH 24 Largemouth bass 24 Bluegill ........................................................................... 25 Redear sunfish 25 Channel catfish 25 MANAGING THE POND 28 Aquatic Weed Control .............................................................29 Harvesting and Controlling Bluegills 31 Destroying Spawning Beds 33 Water Level Fluctuations 33 Brush Removal ........................................33 Fertilization ......................................................................... 33 CONTENTS Testing a Pond's Fish Population 34 How to Determine the Condition of a Fish Population from the Fisherman's Catch 36 Correcting Pood Fishing ......................................................37 Draining ........................................................37 Chemical Treatment 37 POND PROBLEMS .......................................................39 Muddy Water 39 Muskrats ............................................................................... 39 Crayfish 40 Turtles ...................................................................40 Fish Kills ............................................................................41 Fish Diseases .................................................... 43 DEEP PONDS WITH COLD WATER 46 USING THE LITTLE POND ..................................................48 Small Ponds for Food Fish ................................................ 48 Small Ponds for Bait Minnows 48 DOLLARS IN YOUR POND 51 Fee Fishing Areas 51 Food Fish ............................................................................52 Frog Farming 53 POND SAFETY 55 SOME POND AND FISH FACTS ..........................................57 MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR FISH STOCKING 59 REFERENCE LIST .................................. 60 Kinds of Fishes and Their Identification and Distribution 61 Pond Construction ........... 61 Fisheries Management .........................................................61 Bait and Fish Propagation 62 Aquatic Vegetation Control 62 Frogs 62 Fish Farming 62 INTRODUCTION Ponds can be the biggest thing in Illinois fishing. By themselves, they may not look like much. But counted in the tens of thousands, these little lakes add up to a lot of water and a lot of fishing. In 1965 there were 62,627 ponds in Illinois (38,455 acres of water!) and about 1,200 new ponds are being built each year. The majority of these are not managed for fishing. They would be— if their owners knew what they were missing. Wise fishermen covet good ponds, for they mean close-to-home action with big bass, and stringers of fat, fighting bluegills. At a time when good fishing is so highly prized, and sportsmen want convenience and privacy, a good Illinois pond is the answer to a fisherman's prayer. Whether that fisherman is a freckled kid or a crusty old bass specialist, the pond means wonderful sport. But good fishing doesn't just happen. It's more than just building a dam, wating for rain, stocking some fish, and living happily ever after. Fish are a crop, and a pond must be managed and cultivated to provide good harvests. That's what this booklet is all about — making your pond a good place to fish, and keeping it that way. Good luck, and tight lines! 5 DU PAGE KENDALL WILL KANKAKEE LIVINGSTON IROQUOIS McDONOUGH TAZEWELL McLEAN FORD MASON SCHUATER LOGAN DE WITT CHAMPAIGN VERMILION ADAMS PIATT BROWN CUSS MACON SANGAMON ORGAN DOUGLAS EDGAR CHRISTIAN COLES CLARK ONTGOMERY CUMBERLAND CONCENTRATION OF PONDS INVENTORY OF ILLINOIS PONDS* IN 1965 Size Range Percent Of Total Area Percent Of Average Size (Acres) Number Total Number In Acres Total Acreage (Acres) 0.1 to 0.4 38,780 62% 8,469 22% 0.22 0.5 to 0.9 13,134 21% 8,238 21% 0.63 1.0 to 5.9 10,313 17% 21,748 57% 1.98 TOTAL 62,627 100% 38,455 100% *The Illinois Department of Conservation classifies all impound- ments less than six acres in size as ponds. 6 THE POND ITSELF Fish, like all other animals, must have suitable shelter and food for survival and reproduction. However, not all ponds can support game fish populations. To produce and maintain good sportfishing, the pond must be managed. Good fish management begins with proper shape and depth of the pond (pond design) and proper living conditions within that pond (water quality). Proper construction and maintenance of the dam and spillway are essential. The dam must be built so that it will not wash out or develop a leak, and the spillway should be designed to handle excessive amounts of water during heavy rainfalls and runoff. 7 The pond should be at least one acre in size when full. Smaller ponds are difficult to manage for any period of time. Their fish populations tend to be more unstable because any changes in fish numbers make a great difference in relation to total fish pop- ulation. Because of the proportionately smaller open water area, aquatic plants can seriously interfere with recreational uses of the pond and also provide excessive refuge for small fish, con- tributing to overpopulation and stunting. Summer and winter fish kills occur more frequently in small ponds because they are often shallow. Small ponds can seldom support enough fishing pressure to make management worthwhile, and they are likely to dry up or provide an unsuitable habitat during extended period of below average rainfall. The Department of Conservation will not provide 1 fish for ponds less than /2 acre in size. A maximum depth of at least seven to nine feet should be maintained in one fourth of the pond. It's even better if the greatest depth is from 10 to 15 feet. The water along the shoreline should be about four feet deep to inhibit the growth of shallow water plants. CLAY CORE MECHANICAL SPILLWAY STOCK WATERING TANK WATERING AND DRAIN PIPE The watershed of the pond should furnish enough water to keep the pond full throughout the year with limited overflow through the spillway. For most Illinois ponds an ideal is 10 to 20 acres of watershed per surface acre of water. To prevent the inflow of muddy water and excessive siltation, the watershed should be protected from erosion with permanent vegetative cover in waterways leading to the pond. No pollution of any kind should be allowed to enter the water from the watershed. Barnyard, feedlot, ensilage, and sewage effluents may kill fish by oxygen depletion or direct poisoning. (See section on fish kills.) It is highly desirable to fence the pond from livestock. Grazing activities tear down the shoreline and bank vegetation resulting in erosion and muddy water. Silt entering the pond settles in the basin and eventually fills it. Continuously muddy water water also ruins the habitat for fish because bass and certain other game species cannot see their food. Sunlight penetration, so nec- essary for the growth of plankton algae, may be limited. If water is used for livestock, it should be piped to a tank located outside the fence and below the dam. It should be possible to completely drain the pond in one or two weeks and a pond drainpipe and value at least four inches in diameter is recommended. The pond's water level can be lowered in the summer or fall (See section on drawdowns.) to reduce over- populations of small fish, to drain the pond when undesirable fish are present, for dredging the pond basin if siltation is excessive, or to permit complete fish harvest in a commercial minnow or cat- fish raising operation. The appearance of the pond can be enhanced by proper land- scaping that can also benefit wildlife. Multiflora rose or honey- suckle hedge can be planted around the pond as a fence. The dam, earthen spillway, and immediate shoreline should be planted to rye, fescue or Reeds Canary grass. Part of the shoreline can be sanded for a swimming beach. Shrubs, trees, and pines can be planted in small clumps around the pond inside the fenced area but about one hundred feet away from the shoreline. Orna- mental plantings can be used to add additional color and variety to the area. THE WATER A body of water goes through an annual cycle of temperature changes paralleling the seasons. When a pond is covered with ice the water at the bottom is about 39.2°F. Water is heaviest at this temperature. The colder water above is less dense and the lightest water of all (about 32° F.) is just under the ice. During the winter stagnation period the upper portion of the pond contains adequate oxygen for fish, but the oxygen in the deeper parts may be used up by the decaying of dead plants and animals. At this time the dissolved oxygen in deeper water may become insufficient for fish and other aquatic animals. Microscopic plants (algae) in the upper waters