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Hi from a florida pond keeper

Started by Guest_Alspond_* , Aug 01 2012 09:54 AM

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4 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Alspond_*

Guests

Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:54 AM

I have several ponds for water lilies and have Sailfin mollies, flagfish, and gambusia.
The Sailfin mollies and the flagfish are fun to watch. Each Lilly pot become a flagfish nest territory.

1. Any suggestions for other species I plan to add some golden top minnows.
One pond is 900 gal and two are 2000.

2. Any tips for catching flagfish in a minnow trap. I'd like to be able to stock other ponds. Can't seine or dipnet because of the plants. I rarely catch flagfish in my funnel net trap. Although one day I did catch 7 flagfish in 3 pulls ( I think a male fish was chasing them into the trap )

Thanks al

#2 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:00 PM

I keep some florida flag fish in 100 gallon stock tanks in which I also grow a few water lillies. I have taken the plants all out and used a dip net on the ponds for 15 minutes andstill missed a few juveniles that survived the winter and grew up the next year in tanks I was "sure" had no fish. So you will never really be rid of them.

I have also kept some fundulus, including golden topminnows and they do well outside in ponds, but are not real visible in my experience.

I have been keeping Cyprinella leedsi (bannerfin shiners) outside this year and they are doing very well... I will tell you in the fall if I actually have more fish than I put in this spring, but I seem to ahve at least as many as we put in, so I am not sure if they are breeding but they seem to be thriving. And they are easy to see as they are in constant motion and really tear up the surface of the water if I drop some flakes in teh pond. They have been much more interesting in a small pond than I though they would be.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#3 Guest_Doug_Dame_*

Guests

Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:13 PM

2. Any tips for catching flagfish in a minnow trap. I'd like to be able to stock other ponds. Can't seine or dipnet because of the plants. I rarely catch flagfish in my funnel net trap. Although one day I did catch 7 flagfish in 3 pulls ( I think a male fish was chasing them into the trap )

The Suncoast Killifish Sociey's (SKS) field crew, which is a (the only?) defacto operating NANFA local chapter, made a field trip to and around the Richloam State Fish Hatchery a few years ago. They raise flagfish and crawdads in std outdoor hatchery ponds to feed to their breed stock gamefish. (Oh, the horrows!) Anyway, to trap the flagfish, they just put a conventional double-cone minnow trap in 6' to 18' of water, let it sit for 30-60 minutes, and when they pull it out if's loaded with flagfish. No bait or secret sauce. Of course, they're professionals, you can tell because they make it LOOK easy.

#4 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 01 August 2012 - 09:15 PM

Well there is a plan I did not think of... something that would just eat all or most of the flag fish... so the answer is red fin pickerel!

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#5 Guest_Alspond_*

Guests

Posted 02 August 2012 - 05:28 PM

Michael, Doug,
I appreciate the tips. I've been to the richloam hatchery. Just did the self guided tour.
Ok unbaited minnow trap caught 3 males flag fishs one each in 3 pulls of the trap and 3 pulls with no flagfish.
At least without bait the trap isn't full of Sailfin mollies.

The pickeral is a cruel idea. I have been on the verge of adding a bluegill to pick off the mollies and gambusia.

Thanks,
Al