# the beemoth pond



## beemoth (Aug 3, 2008)

A few pics of the pond & some perch I caught Saturday afternoon


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## kirkad (Aug 19, 2006)

how are the bass and crappie


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Nice perch Beemoth! Early spring perch are lots of fun especially when the other fish really haven't turned on yet. Your perch look like they've been eating very well this winter.

Try a Rapala Pop-R with a fly tied about 1' behind it. Pop, pop, pause and repeat. The perch seem to like it and you might even wake up a bass.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Not to many people can say they've caught perch on top water either  Nice tip Pondfin!


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## beemoth (Aug 3, 2008)

I'll try your suggestion PondFin
---after the perch spawn this spring they'll be hitting the deep fryer when I catch them in the fall. 
I don't have any crappie but do have some smallmouth bass which believe it or not I pulled one up through the ice on a small jig tipped with a worm.

Hey I was wondering cause I haven't tried it but do any of you guys use that dye to make your water blue?


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

The Pop-R really works like a bobber and the fly sinks. The perch I've caught this way came on the fly and were caught in Kiser Lake. I've found that early in the Spring the perch are often pretty shallow.

There's some debate if the dye promotes some plants while discouraging others and that by reducing light penetration you also reduce your bloom. I used the dye once. I can't say it helped or hurt anything. My wife likes the swimming pool look, I don't. It seemed like it made the fish harder to catch but it was more likely my poor fishing skills.

Add it if you like it, probably no big deal either way. Some of the dyes are better than others. Higher concentrations, blue/yellow dye instead of just blue, etc.


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## WillyB2 (Dec 28, 2008)

Nice perch and pond beemoth!! I have been disappointed in my perch. I stocked 100 3 years ago in the 6-8" range. They have not gotten any bigger. A guy on another pond site said I could have been sold fish that were stunted. I'm thinking about catching as many out as I can and starting over with smaller fish this time.


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## beemoth (Aug 3, 2008)

thanks for the compliment---I never heard that before about being "stunted"
you'd think that after 3 years they'd be at least 10 inchers by now.
my perch were fingerlings (2-3 inches) and introduced into a virgin pond in 2005 along with some shellcrackers and hybid gills and 25 lbs of flathead minnows. My pond is 19-20 ft deep and 1 & 3-4 acre. I'm betting my perch are doing well because of the deep water because I was worried that when I stocked them that everything i read gave a negative opinion of stocking perch in a pond. I took the gamble based on the fact that they are a lake fish and like deep water which my pond has. I had to decide on the risk/reward factor--------glad now that I took the risk
How big is your pond and how deep? I think knowing those 2 things will help figure out why you're perch are "stunted"
I bought off of Fender Fish hatchery in Baltic Ohio in tuscarawas county and you can google it for his website


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## WillyB2 (Dec 28, 2008)

I have bought a lot of my fish from fenders. Mr. Fender is a real character and I really enjoy seeing him each time I am there. My perch came from Jones hatchery near Cincinnati and they delivered them. My pond is long and narrow and I would estimate about an acre of water. Maximum depth would be about 12 feet. It is spring fed and that helps keep the temps down. Another issue I may have is too many predators and not enough bait. I may just decide to begin removing the perch and enjoying those fillets.


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## beemoth (Aug 3, 2008)

WillyB2

yeah I really like the "old man" at Fenders Fish hatchery he was very helpful to me because I told him I had a new pond with no fish and asked him for advice on stocking perch. He said with depth and size it shouldn't be any problem. I told him I wasn't interested in largemouth bass but some shellcrackers and gills 
If you have largemouth bass they're most likely eating your perch.
I have stocked smallmouth bass instead and my perch are doing ok with them


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