FA!
FISH PONT) PROT)UCTION £ TI4FLUENCED
BY CL]MATIC CONI) IT 10143
!iJ.I4ø4
A THESIS
OGON STATE COLLEGE
in partial fulfil3nint of
the requirozients for the
degree of
MASTER OF SCfl!NCB
Jim. 1956
Redacted for privacy
Aesitant ?rofessor of Flah arid Game Management
in Charge of Major
Redacted for privacy
of fleparizueut of FISh nd C-ama Managoient
Redacted for privacy
Chajmn of $choo1ie Coiiitteo
Redacted for privacy
Dean oi Graduate School
Date theeia ts presented
Typed by Barbara Oakley
Ajn'i1Z7 156
ACKYVLED(EENT
Sre thanics
d appreciation is ex,resaed to Mr. C
Bond for assistance, helpful oritioisn, and ad'rioe in preparation
of this nanuscript.
Appreciation is extended to ltr, Ralph Grenfell and Mr. Andrew
L*ndforcs for cooperation in. naking scale esmplea aTailable far
analysis, Excellent laboratory facilities, made amilable by
the Oregon State Game tosnie.sion at Camp Aclair, were ixrluable
during this study.
AB1Z OP CONTENTS
Pag
I
METfOD8 OF DATA ANALYSTS
Farm Pond Questionnaire Evaluation
6
, . a a
.,
s a
6
a
6
7
a a a a a a
9
. a. a s
.
ClimologilData .*a.as.a* a......
Soalo Analysis
a
a
a
a
a
a
LIFE HISTORIES OP BASS AND BLUEGILL
a a s
a
a a j
.
.
Hsbits and Requirements of Largenouth Blok Ba
Habits and Requirements of Blugi1I . a a a a
Adaptability to Farm Pond Life . . a a a a
a a a
a a * a
a a
9
11
12
GIONAL PRFFFRENCE AND SUCCESS OF BLUEGIlL ANT) BASS IN
FAIN PONDS
a
a
a a
a
.
a a
a
a a a
a.
a
a
Results from the Farm Pond Questionnaire
a a
a
a
Suoeess of the Bluegill nd Base Stocking
TroutFarm Panda a a.. a * a asS S
a a
a
14
a
,
a.,
Combination5
17
MNAGE1TT OF TFIE BLUEGILL AMP BASS STOC1ING CIATION ,
Farm Pond Management Principles
Farm Pond Life Cycle a. . a
a a a
a
a a
a a
a
a * a a S
Balance of the Fish Population a a
a a a
Productivity of Water a a a a a a a a a a
Productivity of the Bluegtll and Bass Combixiation in
FarxnFjehPonds ..aw,aa.a,a5,.**
a
* a a. as * aa a a a.,
hrinPondrertilization
Stocking Ratios; Stocking Rates; and the 8ie of
Fishat Liberation,. a ...a..a.. . a.
PhysioaflyIJnauitedPonds .,.,,...,.,.,
.
.
The Closed Season in Warm Water Game
Fish Hanagement
Mortality of Young Bass and Bluegill
* . . a a .* a
19
19
a
a . a
a a .
a a
Chemical and Thermal Stratification of Ponds
Angling Pressure and the Results of Underfiehing .
14
15
a
20
20
22
23
24
28
31
32
33
36
38
CLT'ATIC CONDITIONS WFTCH AFFECT TCE SUCCESS OF FAR!
FISHPO1
... a S aa a
Effect of Annual
a
rature
Sunmr Temperature a a a .
Frostfree Period .,
.
a
a..
a
a
a
*0
s
a
a
a
s
.
a
a, a*
a
. a a
, a a
a
a
a
AnnusiRainfell .....,...,.,....,,,.
8rzerReinf1l a* a...
Ice Cover of Ponds
.aSqaa*aS*ss
*
a
a ..
AGE AND UGTU RElATTO!SflIP OP BLUEGILL AND BASS
,.
a
a
a
a
.
40
40
41
41
42
42
43
43
45
Rage
fl
BASS A]T) BLDGILL TN OREGON , ,
Lit4Wb
JLJZL
a a,..
Bfl3LIO(RAPllT
APNDIX
. S.
,
S
a
a
. . ,
55
a
50
a
*
a..... a.. p a
. .. .
. ...,-
5* . ... ..
Clin*tio conditions for Stwtes in the
CliL,).0 ConditiOnS for OT5OU a
a a
,0
. . .
*
St*8
a
a
s ,
a
Teratre Conditions for Oreon From 1950 to 19&6
Spotos Rec ra.ded for 3totki
Farm FISh Ponds
and S atmiriiç oL raa
,,,a
,,,..,.,
and Bluegill
Farm Pond Quostionaire
. ... . . ... s..,
.ntheie1ttes
a
a
*
59
66
69
78
78
80
82
88
8?
LIST OF ILLErSTEAT IONS
Fiure
3:
II
ITT
IV
Page
4
ifl ft fts pond in teot Co'mty,, Oraço
G.owth raes of )rgeit Uriok 1ez
fouratate . .
. . .
. . .
fl1ue1i soale
B'uegtil
oe1e
yj
4Ø auli
hovin three snnuli
4
tram
. * ,
.
:
54
.
. .
.
.
54
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE
Pate
FA. im PONDS m L2TALING 3AL&'ICE
I
SUCCE3S
2
P"11)UCTT7TTT I'?!? J]
PO1DS
3
4
. .. *
'E USE OF C
7
8
.
.,
. . .. .,. .. .,
...
24
ERCIAL INORGANIC F1ILIZER IN ?AR
.
EFflCTS (F PCT JWfTLIZAON ON
LANCE I
. a,*... .. ..
*
1
.
25
PAThI
. .... ,
MORTALITY OF !OUc,G BLUEGILL AND l'ASS T±EN STOCKED
T A NET
6
26
OF LLU$GTLL AKI) DABS Th
,
1rSHPOSITHEUN1TED3TAT!S
FIS}TPON..S
S
.
, ,
PO D.BT
a
a
*
a
.
a
a
p
a
38
a
G?OVE RATES OF 65 LARGOUTH BLACK BASS COLlECTED
Fn
FA1
POES, :AKEs flTD !SF&OTRS IN VESTERN
O1iGON .
... . . . ..,. 4... . .. .
47
GROWTH RATES 01 160 BU)EGILL COLLECTED FEO
LAKES, AND
SER'TOIRS TN
STERN OREGON
47
PONDS,
, i...
G1TH RATES OF 53 LARGEUTH LACK AS
COLIICTED
FR1' PONDS, LAKES, Afl) RDSERVOIR& IN TIlE WILLETTE
VALLEY
p
p p
a
a
a
p
p
p
p
p
p
* . p a a
p
p.
9
30
11
(P1T RAT'S O
*
48
S
*
PONDS,
.
,
GPTT?rU RATES OF 22 BLUEGILL COLI1CTED FR(1 LAKES
pp i.* p p p
-i
p pp *4ppp
VARIOUS
GROVITH RATES OF LARG1OUTh BLACK BASS FR(
CL1.ATTO AREAS OF OREGON
,
, .
, .
,
,
,
80
AGE AND LEIT GTE RELATIONSU IFS 0? BLUEGILL FROM
VARIoUS STATES
14
. a
a
GROflI RATES OF 138 BUIEGILL COLLECTED FR( PA1
LANES ANT' PSE1?7OIRS TN NE ILL!ETTE VALLEY
-
13
13&SS COLI2CT'ED
12 1LAPGFITN
FlLLA3OTThORNCOkT
GY''
J4j rj'
12
48
p
a
p pp p
5
p
p
p
p
51
p
AGE MID LEIGTH RELATIOUSBIPS OF LARG!1OUTH BLACK
DAS FI
VARIOUS STATES.,
a p
a a p p *
15
CLATIO
16
.CL.TIO CONDITIONS FO? OREGON , ., ,
iDITts FOR
*
T9E tiITEr STATES
, , , ,
.
52
78
, .
80
TABlE
Page
RTYJT1 CO1!TIO1S FOR ORE GO
17
C'TS
18
OP)?1) FOR STOCKPT
T.T19T'
'..L
19
AC
FRCt 1980 TO 1955
.,
82
,
8.
FAR FT$R P01108
.JJ
' j1
,ANT) 8PAN!1O OF BASS ANT) BLTIEGILL
S
S
S
., , .
S
PAW FISH POND PRODUCTION
AS INFLUENCED BY CLIMATIC CONDITIONS
Thousands of acres of new water are being added to our inland
water resource by construction of farm pomie. Farmers and ate ekmen
all over the United States are benefiting materially by the additIon
of a farm pond to their property. Water conservation is currently
Important to farm production, and 'will play a leading role in the
productivity of a farm or
ranch in future years
An adequate farm
pond is a reservoir for stock water, means for irrigation, safeguard
for fire potootIon, source of fish food, piece for relaxation and
recreation, and an excellent habitat for farm game.
Prior to 1935 farm pond
construction in the United States was
negligible, Fron 1935 to 1948 approximately 1,103,400 farm ponds
ware oonstruoted in the United States under inpervision of the Soil
Conservation Service (78, p. 295).. Many other snail fern ponds
were constructed by individual farmers or by groups of farmers,
This figure is about one hundred tines as many ponds as were con
stx*uoted during the entire two preceding centuries. By January,
1952, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that there would be
approximately 1,666,000 farm and ranch ponds In operation (2, p. 239).
The exact number of farm ponds recently constructed in Oregon is
not Irnown, Conservative estimates by several specialists at Oregon
St*te College working with farm ponds indicate that there are at
least eight thousand farm ponds in Oregon,
The reason for this isrge-.soale construction of farm ponds is
apparent, Our soils wexe being wssted away at an unbelievable rate,
aM it was qutte obvious to conservationists that various soil
ooniervatthn measures had to be taken. The construction of a farni
pond is a good soil conservation measure, and through the sffort
of several agencies the farm pond program nsterialized,
The 1nited States Departeent of £grioulture inittate
a program
orein farmers would be retburaed proportional amounts of the
initial eot for the construction of farm ponds on their land if
the pond was constructed under the supervision of the Soil Con-.
aervation Service. The Production and Marketing Mtinistration,
formerly the Agricultural Ad.jusiment Administration, is the agency
that aide farmers nd toeknien in their i,ond construction programs.
This agency, plus the Fish snd Wildlife Service and Stet
Oneervatton agencies, h*ve shared the responsibility of the recent
farm pond program.
This program started in the southesatorn and midwestern states,
and has now gpread to the Paoifio Coast States.
The construction
of these new inpouncbents provides a new habitat of thousands of
acre. for fIsh production that formerly dd not exist.
3y 1949,
629,500 sore. of new water area were added to our natural waters
by the construction of these farm ponds (78, p, 295)
With the
coning of this largescale construction of farm ponds, research
has been Initiated in various sections of the country to find
suitable fish for for
ond life,
The Fish and Wildlife Service,
State. Game and Fish Commissions, end experimental stations have
done much to provide farmers with suitable species of fish for
Most of the farm pond research has been started after 14O as
before then there was no great damand for fish suitable for pon4
life. The majority of research has been conduote& in the south
eastern end midwestern statei,
Important studies have also been
conducted in Michigan, Texas, and some Atlantic Coast States.
The farm fish pond is indeed a microcosm, hero a continuous
life eye1. is in effect with the desired end product being harvested
on a sustaiied yield basis, The preferred fish are the largemouth
black bees, Mierqpterus sa]xaotdee (Ioop.d,), and the bluegill,
Leomia macrochirus (Rafine.aqu,),
Thi° study deals a)most
exclusively with the two species mentioned.
Trout production wtfl
be briefly discussed,
Growth rates, production of fish pounds per acre of surface
water1 and climatic conditions shall be used as criteria to evaluate
the auoces
etates.
of the bluegill and bass stocking combination in v rious
Oregon, because of wide climatic variances, is divided into
areas for more efficient analysis.
A farm pond questIonnaire was sent to a conservation agency in
each state requesting information concerning fish stocking policies
for farm ponds in the state, A one hundred per cent return of the
questionnaire factlita.tes complete analysis of information from
each state.
Figure I.
A snail farm fish
ond in Benon County, Oregon.
scale analysis to determine the body-scale relationship of
sixty-five largeinouth black bass scales and one hundred and sixty
bluegill scales was made possible by excellent facilities made
available by the Oregon State Game Commission at their office at
Cemp Adaip,
The length-age relationship of bais and bluegill was
oa1culatd, and is shown in Tables 6 and 7
Baok-.ealoulations of
the age of bluegill and bass at aimuli formations were used to
estimate the rate of growth of both species. Additional bass growth
rate informat±on from Oregon was obtained from Becker (7) and
Herm,mi (si), and is included in Tables 12 and 14.
ThO1)S CF D.TA A1ALYIS
a Poid Queet1onia1re Evaluation
ti August, 1q55, a one-psge 4ue3ttonnaire wa.
sent to the
h yOd
conservation ageioy in eaoh flato respi11e for farr
reGomdattons, A aample que3tIomlalrG i3 ahow
of the aptoia1x,
3, 18, anc
t±rn from eiuh itate i
To facili4at
3.9,
ab1es 18 and i9
oi p
9
oor..ipiled iii Tab1s
reon botwa.en Ta10 i
the states are
und
nd in tdontioi1 orde: frorn.
highest to loweat annual trtrc
C1imatoiojoej ata
able
oes (90, ip
cah sta4
of j
re oir.e from to f th
l) (8.9, pp. 685-1209), Tese
5-i;
peMix.
ep ear in Table 15 of th
ep1emix incIu
The *tIj1m
of
e&
wa
(se, p
1imatoloic*1 dete. for the Stste of Oregon.
Wf3
anc
68&49o2)..
tained rrn
ebiQns" (90, pp
4.nor pr ipiation and bhe durticn
C1i ao1ogici Data o
5-7).
T
Cuirnate
The imua1 to'erture of eeh tste
aier av!
eaoh stee wore ca1cu1ated fron t
The winter to
att for
11ea 16 md 17
of the frost freo rertod for each sttte were cc11ed frc.
d
avai1
;no
atro is an avraro
winter months of Deoember, January, ar
the 1Jn1t,d Scte 1y
intsr teriperturea for
cnwee
rak.ur
for the. three
Febriary, while tho
tmer
temperature was calculated fr,ai the months of June, July, and
August, Cre.pnis dtded into four oThtatic areas in Table 16
of the appendix. Data used to cp late this table were obtained
fron C11totogiea1 Data of the United States by Sections"
(91, p. 439; 9, vol, 6).
Table 17 is composed of tentperature
conditions for Oreon from 19) to 1956, tnoludi
data from the
Wi11ette Valley and the Oregon Coast,
Soale Analysis
AU bass and bluegill scales were cleaned with
tenporarily mounted between slides
e1orcx,' and
Scales were then projected
by an berbach Scale projector at the Oregon State Game Omission
office at Canp Adair,
The scale radius and length at each armulus
was recorded with a magnification of 901.
The Lee method of bodyscale relationship to calculate
regression of body length to scale length was used to determine
the regression line for both bass and bluegill (47, p. 121).
Baecs1oulations of fish lengths at *nriuli formation were
aeoczapliehed by the formula recommended by Lagler (47, p. l2).
81(L2..a)
¶here *
* length of fish at any annulus
length of scale at any corresponding annulus
length of fish at capture
length of peale (center of focus to scale margin)
at capture
a
The
a constant, detemined previously (Y intercept
of regression line)
constant for 1areatouth black bass and bluegill was
oalculated to be one inch nd eight-keuths of an inch, respectively.
All 1ass and bluegill scales were collected during the spring,
milnner, and fall of 1955.
Lm HISOEIES OF B8S )'T) BLUEGIlL
O manage a species properly, a thorough understaMin of
the life history of that particular species must be known. This
knowledg, also helps the biologist evaluate eoologioal factors of
importance which affeot the fish in their natural entrcmtent,
sbits and equirenete of Largouth Black Bass
Z*rgexnouth black basa were originally foimd east of the Roc1
Mout*jn frcn Southern Canada to Florida end iexioo.
!Ir, Gjdgo
Steiner of Salem (48, p. 83), in 1885, was the first man to introduce
bass into Oregon waters
Re obtained largemouth black bass from
the Msee River, Ohio, and planted them in the Wilismette River
near Salem, Th
largest release of bass on record for Oregon was
made In the Willamette River near Salem in 1892 (48, p. 88)
Five
hundred yearling fish were rolased here in July of that year by
the Tlnited Sttea Fish Contiss.ou0
Sp*wning temperatures vary with geographic distribution.
-
In
northern states bass spawn around $30 F0, and at approxlnate2y
700 F
in many southern states (82, p. 298).
Surber (73, p. 3)
found that nest building occurs at 600 F,, and spawning at 60 to
640 F, A single female may spawn more than once each year.
The
incubation period i* two to five days., depending upon the water
temperature,
The spawning season usually extenda over a two.'week period.
10/
The male fans the eggs i*ii.e guarding the nest.
tenpersture drops below 5
If the water
F1 the male deserts the nest, and
the eggs are subsequently destroyed by silting wh1oh smothers
the eggs.
The eggs require ft relatively long period of tine to develop
within the ovary.
The ovary first begins to swell in September,
and eggs are distinguishable in October,
The eggs continue to
develop all winter, nd spawning occurs during March, April, May,
June, or July, depending upon the geographic location,
Redde are dug in water ix inches to six feet in depth, and
are utmily two to three feet in diameter,
Bass are capable of
apning on almost any hard surface or hard ojeet in the water
The average tnsle may deposit from 6,000 to i),0OO eggs.
Large-
mouth black base never spawn at less than ten months of age Or 1es
than five to six ounces in weight (so, p. 4).
Adult bass must
have food fishes to eat during the spawning months, and will not
successfully spawn
in
overcrowded ponds because the young Will
eat the eggs,
L3rdeil (54, p. 50) found that young bas
swa rrn up fr*a the
meat into a school tvelve or thirteen days after batching.
Hi
studies shav that bass reach two inches in length in forty days.
i.ehesn (56, p, ii) studied the growth of young b*ss, end obtained
the same results as did Iqdell. Meehean also found that after this
first ftiat initial growth of the young, growth levels off to a
slower rate.
E1
In southern states bass Will feed down to 470 F, end Will
gz'ow slowly until water temperatures reach 800 F, (78,. p. 296)
Thia species is not adapted to oolder waters, and most of the growth
is made in the
itner months,
This. fish will not spawn or exist in
waters hioh remain muddy for long periods of time,
Swingle and
Smith (86, p. 335) found that bass coneutas one third as much food
at 5Q0 P. as. they do at $80 P,
Juwentle bass. feed on insects., crustaceans, aM small fishes,
They are eometimes very cannibalistic on fIsh of the seno age
ol*ss.
Adults will eat a]most any small fish,
They are wery
predaceous. and voracious. Frogs and crayfish are a preferred food
of base, and will be readily consumed if syllable.
King (44, p. 248) states "that Swingle, Esohiieyer, and the
author hare all carried out research in southeastern states
found that bass seldom liwe longer than s.ix years
nd
However, bass
'sill live longer than six years in most states,
Hablt
and Requirements of Bluegi3.l
The bluegill sunfish were originally distributed fron Southern
Canada and 1oth Dakot* south to Florida and Arkansas
been 'widely introduced west of the Rocky liountains,
they have
The exact date
that bluegills. were first introduced into Oregon is not Irnown, but
first records of thaa appearing in catches were in 1895 (48, p. 116).
Young bluegill feed mos.tly upon aquatic insects end s.m.all
crustaceans.
As. soon ** their mouths are large enough they begin
to eonano insects which are the majority of their diet for the
rest of their jives. They will also eat their own eggs if food is
LIL**i 7
As contrasted to bass, bluegill eggs need a relatively short
period of time to meture. There is no egg development in the fall.
During Deeeber wellfed adults will
begin
to develop eggs, Tb.
first spawning usually occurs in May or Jime, Bluegill will spawn
at intervals throughout the sunrier months tmtil October if food is
plentiful end water temperatures are high enough (0, p, 3),
Bluegills are very prolific usually spawning In water from
six inches to four feet in deh.
An eight to
ten-'inch female
is capable of layIng from 15,000 to 58,000 eggs. They reach sexual
maturity In less then one year, and will sawn after four months
in areas whore growth is very rapid, They are colony spawners
being tolerant of nearby redda, The males guard the nest and
protect the yotmg for a short period of time after hatching.
Bluegill
Will
feed down to 39° F,, but most of their growth
is made when water temperatures range from
(78, p, 298).
Above 800
600
to
800
1.
1, almost all of the bluegill's energy
is expended in spawning (78, p. 299), they require surface tempera
tures of 75° to 80° F, to spawn,
Adaptability to Farm Pond Lite
When considering a species to stock in
any body of water the
following requirements must be fulfIlled, The fish in question must
be from a similar habitat, must be able to spawn successfully in
the ner habitat, and. nuat be able to irIilize the food a'-ailable
in the *ev habitat, Furthermore, it is imperative that the species
be regarded highly as good food, good sport, and be capable of
reaching a balanced condition with other fish in the pnd.
Both pretousiy mntioned species do well in farm ponds as
they are native inhabitants of lakes, slougha, and slow mcrving
waters
They are capable of reproduction without the help of
artificial aids, and Muatto food is similar to their original
habitat
.
Furthermore, they are considered fine food, and in
most st*tes consIdered excellent sport fishes,
The one serious
condition that they fail to nest is that of attaining a well".
balanCed condition in many ponds.
and will be adequatelr treated
in
This factor merits dIaonsion,
another section,
important very ometim.s
are perch
arid
Crappie
states. midwestern
and southern our of some in catfish are as catch, the in inportant
are pickerel states northern some In
species, preferred the are
they found, natively were trout where states northern moat In
appendix, the
of
1 Table in listed also are ratios varying in catfish channel
appendix. the of
and crappie stacking reooimend 1?htoh states The
18 Table in listed are ponds fish farm their in use for combination
bass and bluegill the reccnrtend that states thirtyseven The
Indiana.. and Mexico,
California, Oklahoma, are ,onds
fer!n
recommend that states Other
iew Kentuoky, Tennessee,
their in sunfish redesr
of'
use the
use, their With Texas in attained is
balance population better and bluegill4 the as spawner a prolific
as not is surflsh this as bluegill to preference in rnicrolophus,
Lpomi sunfish, shelloreeker or redear stocks now
tate,
midwestern,
southwestern end
southeastern in species twc these on greatest is pressure
Angling
Tennessee, and Carolina, Morth Georgia, Carolina,
Alabama, Mississippi, in most for angled are Bluegill
twentyfive in fish e
Indiana4 ard Jersey,
after sought most the
of'
?A
flT
}ASS
T)
8oth
states, other
one are
Ne Delaware, Kentucky, Texae3, in fish game
water want after sought most the aro bass black
Questtoare
PONDS
lamouth
Pond Faiti the from Results
3LTEGThL OP SU(XSS
Mfl)
FEPE!WE
P PEGIOMAL
15
in different 1oca1ites, bvt without a doubts nationwide, riore
angling effort is expended on bass and hluegtll than any ether
warm water game fish,
The state coyxserv'ation agencies that reoomien1
the stooking of trout in the tarn ponds in thetr states are licted
in Table 18 of the appendix,
Success of the Bluegill and Ba*s Stocking Cnbinet1on
Bass nd bluegill are stocked in varying ratios In thIrtp*
seren states with the reernendations br the ?ih and Vildlif*
Service or the particular stats conservation agency r.spon.i1e
for the farm pond program in that state,
are listed in Table 18 of the appendix,
These recomnendations
Success of these stocking
eonbixiatlone in. different arena of the United States neets With
rarring results, as shom in Table 1.
R*sults from the following Investigators are compiled in
Table 1. Iteehean surve,red po,e In the Southwestern United Statefl
and in the Midwest. Fuqua made his study of farm ponds
in
Ok1ahia, Texas, and New Mexico. anderson analyzed ponds in
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa..
Fessler investigated ponds In Iowa,
Carlandor and
Sharp checked ponds in North
and South Takota, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indtn, Ohio, and
Michigan, Holloway studied ponds in Kentuokr, South Carolina,
Arkansas, Mississippi, (eorgia, and Tennessee.
Rawson and Rutton
(65, p. 28?) hare reported that all bluegill and bass plants in
Saskatchewan have died.
TABI4E 1
SUCCESS OF FAr
FISH PO!S IN
AffiTAINIE BALMC
ED
Per cent f
.53 4*
ponds in a
64.0
4;1
balaned
condition
45.5
65.0
48.5
56.8
45.0
6.1
6,3
10.0
304
15.3
21.0
30.2
44.0
39.8
24.0
27.6
-
28.3
36.0
Per cent
o'verpopulated
with bus
7.0
Per cent
oerpopu1ated
with bluegill
Per cent
owerpopulated
with other
No fish
it ill
1.8
3.3.9
Ferti. used
ponds (N)
Unfertilized
ponds (No.)
178
39
Fertilized
status not
loiown (No,)
(No,)
(
*
)
.
99
111
33
306
323
Indicates ntmther f ponds analysed br eh investigator.
Thsber inside of parenthesis indicates rferenoe uther in
the bihliograpby.
eehean oiloulated per cent of ponds in balanced condition.
for both fertilized and unfertilized ponds. First asterisk
is per cent of fertilized ponds in balance in southwestern
states, The second asterisk indicates the per cent of
fertilized ponds in balance in the Midwest,
Data in Table 1 show that from t
ty-eight to fifty-seven
per cent of the farm ponds investigated wire in a balanced condition
between bass end bluegill,
1ive to ten per cent were overpopulated
with bass, hile ton to fort$our per ont were overpou1ated with
bluegiU, Twenty to thirty-six per cent were overpopulated with
other sneoles of fish,
Trout
zm Pondø
Trout tarn nortda are xunnerous in many of our more northern
states,
Good gro'sth does occur in most suitable trout ponds, end
fair yields occur in one year in many of the ponds, Most state
conservation agencies do not reoomaend stocking trout in ponds
ssner water temperatures range between 70° to 800 F
iere
State
eoniervstion agencies that recommend stocking of trout in farm
ponds are listed in the appendix, Table 18.
Reproduction in those ponds iS hardly poaib1e unless suitable
inlets make spawning areas available for adult spainera.
artificial spawning aids
Sometimes
an be successfully utilized to obtain
reproduction in these ponds.
This is the one serious handicap of
trout ponds as they must be managed on a "put and take" basis, and
this is not considered feasible by some pond owners.
In Oregon, trout are stceked at the rate of 300 to 600
fingerling per acre of surface water,
$chrxoider and Griffith
(6?, p. 151) found that the survival of trout in a small pond in
weetern Oregon for one year was 71,3 per cent. With only natural
feei3.n, they obtained a yield of 46.5 pounds per acre eith cutthroet and ratri,ov trout
To T)roduoe a 8etisftetory
ling return
of two fish per hour, it was nccesary to have a population den$.tty
of one hundred fish per surface tore of water0
Eipper (31, p, 1) obt*ined yields of trout fron 89 to 151
pounds per surface acre in New York ponds
Ie estinisted that the
tVe?$ge production was 119 pounds per surtaco acre.
stoakin
water,
The normal
rate in New York is 350 finerlinge per acre of surface
1J
MANAGE
OF Tfl
BWGILL A111 BASS SOCXING CBINATION
Prm Pond Management Princlp3as
The following three important fish management concepts mentioned
by Mayle (60, p. 283) ha've don, muoh to develop recent trends in
farm pond management.
1,
"The concept of carrying cspeoityj that i, the
fertility and basic productivity of any wster
slices the maintenance of a fish population or
standing fish crop of a oertaln maxintrn poundage,
and usually the else of the fish population in
a 'water tends to be close to this carrying
capacity1
2.
"The concept of population balance, There is a
certain balance of poundage ratio between species
of fish in a water, especially predaceous nd
forage fish, that can be expected to result in
'best growth for all species,
5,
"The cow*pt of sustained yield. With proper
management there ri11 be an annual crop of fish
of a fairly constant size that can be harvested
or replaced each year by population growth."
The following principles have been found by Swingle (81, p. 3-1o)
nd other research workers to be
cessary for a healthy population
which 'will produce sustained yields of harvestable fish.
1.
Stocking should be determined by the natural
carrying capacity of the pond.
2.
The production of a pond can be increased by the
use of fertilizer; however, only ponds on whIch a
very intensifiód fehing program is planned should
be ferti1ted,
3.
Fish grow rapidly if toed is plentiful, but slowly
if food is scarce.
4.
Tøo many fish in a pond cause stunted fish and poor fishing,
5, Within one year after atooldng, a pond is usually
supporting clo8e to the maximum weight of fish for
which there is food. After the first spawning
more small fish are present than can adequately b
supported by the food in the pond.
8.
If the rnber of fish lxi a pond is reduced, the
average size of the raintng fish increases.
7. Blneill cannot be raised successfully in ponds
oo.taining only bluegill, Largenouth black bass
should be uod in ponds with bluegill. The bass
wili eat enough young bluegill to keep the
poulation in balance if enough bass are in the
pond,
8, Adequate angling pressure on both bass end bluegill
must be maintained,
Farm Pond Life Cycle
rood in a farm pond life cycl, is in continuous oirculation,
Aquatic plants and phytoplankton convert mineral salts, nitrogen,
phosphorous, and carbon dioxide tnto foodstuffs that are consumed
by protozoens,
Small crustaceans and insects eat these protosoans,
and in turn are eaten by young game or forage fIsh which become the
prey of the larger predaceous gem. fish, The *dult fish die, and
their flesh is broken down by b*oteria and other organisms into
inorganic salts to oonplete the cycle.
B*lextoeof the Fish Population
One of the well established principles of pond management is
that the fish suet reach some form of blanee between species In
a pond In order to insur, maximum production.
Axi unbalanced
population will propagate stunted populations with one of the
rn
species completely do mating the pond.
Dr, E
S
S irle of labaa hae de ueh of the pioneer aork
in population halnoe for lilue.gifl and bass ponds.
He found that
all ponds should be checked the secnct sner after stocking to see
if the pond has achieved a balnoed condition (is, p, 246)
Swingle (18
:.
263) suggests the followin, reasons as
explanations why many rie
balance,
ponds & not achieve a satisfactory
"(1) Competition with wild fishes already present in the
pond before the hatchery fish are stooked
cause of pond fat lures
(2) Thoughtless stocking of ne ponds with
adult fish before the hatchery fish arrive,
overstocking.
This is the most comnon
This mispractice causes
(3) He*'vy ncrtality anong the hatchery fish after
they are introduced into the poud
(4) Removal of baas by fishing
before they have already spawned for the first tin,"
A emp1e method for testing ponds to determine if they are in
a balanced condition has been devised by wingls,
This test is
composed of a eple taken from the pond by seining which is followed
by en exsination of fish caught,
Tf both bluegill and bass young
of the 5uD year class are present, and if there is not an OYe?
abundance of medium sized bluegill, then the pond is considered to
be in balance,
If both bass young aaid bluegill young are numerous,
the spawning members of the populations are &uudant enough
olessify th
pond as balanced,
Swingle (82, p. 9) reports that in a balanced population the
ratio of forage fish to carnivorous fish (Fft) should be from
22
e a10 uses
S to 6*1 pounds.
Y/C, and 'E" values shen
working with rth populat!.ons In faia yrtds (75, p
The 'A' value i.s the eromsge h
fish in the total p0ulatlon.
of the popult1'n,
balance, end tibos
elht o:
westable
ThIS viiue measures the offiolencty
lAtN values below 40% indicate unsatisfactory
helow 3% indicate unbalanced oulations.
values should range between 40% end p35% with 60% to 85
the nost
destrabla range, The mininmm size used to detertine the "Ag' value
fo
bluegill is six inohea and fo hss ten Inches,
The Y1t value is the weight of eaall forage fishes to the total
weight Of oartdirorous fihoa, The desirable Y/i
range is one to
three pounds of siall forage fish for each pound of carnivorous
fish,
The !f" value. Is the percentage by weight of all the different
species in -the total population, At least 55%, and preferably 60%
to 70%, of the total weight of the bluegills should be usable size
fish,
Produetiviy ot Water
It is a well Im.own tact that the productivity of any body of
water is directly related to the aol? productivity of the surround
ing watershed
There is a definIte carrying caoity for the fish
population of any given body of
fertility,
Fish production is dependent upon the smount of food
available in a pond,
fish,
ater depending upon this soil
This food roqutroaent varies with differezr
If a acil Is rich in basic nutrients, then the body of water
wiU also be rioh in the iutrients necessr'y to maintath good
popul*tion of flab, These basic inorganic nutrients are necessary
to produce lan1d. and algae for indirect
and direct fish consumpwi
tion... The most important constitutents for production of platon
and algae are phosphate, nitrogen, and potash,
A pond rich in these
elements will produce much plankton and
algae for microcrustaceens and small fish to feed upon, This factor
is an important one in u
standth and managing a farm
pond
because with a lack of this food, fish will not grow, mature correctly,
or maintain a balanced
populations
Productivity of the Bluejj.0 and Bass Combination in Fai Piah Ponds
Productivity of farm ponds is measured by poid8 per acre of
surface water. The weight includes the total number of fiøh
captured by pond draining or poisoning, A comparison
of
fis1
production n different states is shown in Table 2. kvailable
infornmtton from three states makes It possible to compare
production In natural waters to production in fertilized ponds.
Results from one experimental farm pond in Oregon show that
productIon of bass and bluegill in Oregon is equal to or greater
than four of the other states listed in Table 2., 3lnoe the fish
population In
this pond was considered unbalanced,. it is possible
that a balanced poimilation of bass and bluegill could yield more
pounds per acre than did this one experimental pond.
m
TABT
TocrvtTY P'Pi ACP! OF
Stit.
Investigator
2
LJ8GILL AND !3AS
Firti1ized
IF FA1{ ?ONI)S
nfer1'Id
Ye
ponde (lbs.)
Aabna
Illinois
Indiana
S*ingle
Bennett
400
000
40 - 200
70 - 3.45
1947
1952
1952
Keneu
T1eeier
250 - 600 (400 ave.)
200
500
Kentnoky
Michigan
Missouri
New York
Oregon
Cleric
200 - WOO
3.952
196 - 579*
364**
270*
260**
137 - 239
1952
1952
1953
1953
1950
1947
'West Virginia
Xruathols
Ball
Barniokol
Eipper
Orenfell
Brown
193 - 721*
Surl,.r
200
248
-
m Pond Fer11tation
There are currently twentp'4our states that re
.end the use of
oaneroiei inorganic ferti.liser to increase the productivity of
ponda in infer tie areas of their atates,
These states are listed
in Table 3, All of these fertilizers are chiefly ompoeed cf
phosphate, nitrogen, end potash.
When ferttltzer is added to a pond, phosphate, nitrogen, and
potash go into solution end becone readily available for food for
phytop1anLtcn, The increaee in available food causes an increase
in the plankton vhieh results
in
bloon in nest ponds
With the
abundance of this food, insects, crustaceans and enall fish
flourish, and the food for larger fish also proportionally increases
resulting in increased pond production as illustrated in Table 2.
TABlE 3
TIlE USIl OF C
!EPCIAL rloRaANrc IRTTL!ZER !N
FAW F!STI PONOS IN TIlE 1JNflE1) STATIS
M,atei whtchdónot
Staces 'ehich
reocmnend fertilizer
F.orida
Mis3iseippt
Georgia
South Carolina
Arizona
North Carolina
Tennessee
Missouri
-.
Maryland
West Virginia
recozmiend fertilizer
New Jersey
Tez*
Oklahoma
California
Kentucky
Pennayi'vstha
Kansi
Rhode Island
Delaware
New Mexico
fllincis
Ohio
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
Iena
Coneøtjut
Massachusetts
New York
Colorado
Vermont
Iowa
Utah
Id*hc
South Dakota
Michigan
Wisconsin
Montana
$ew H&tpshire
Maine
Wyordn
Minnesota
North iDakota
The best fertilizer recoamended for farm pond.s is one hundred
pounds of 6.ie-4 (nitrogen.hosphatepotash), plus ten poun.a of
nitrato of soda rer surface acre of water (ir, pp. 20-21), Th
fertilizer is aplied around the edges of the pond in 'water one
to six feet in depth.
The first application is in the spring as
soon as warm weather arrives, sxz
then about every three or four
weeks depending upon the microscopic life in the pond,
cost is approximately
The usual
per surface acre of water (76, p. 247).
Ponds that stay muddy end those 'which have exceszi'v'e amounts of
water pass in through them during the growing season onnot
economically be fertilized,
SWinla (76, p. 247) lIsts the followbi
advantsres derived
from. the use of feti1izer in ponds in the southe*atern states,
26
'(i) Increases fish production, (2) cor.trols water weeds, (3)
reduces or prevents rosquitos from reprothrntion, (4) Increases
the catch of fish, and (5) makes use of oe stocking rate,"
That proper fertilizer in ponds will produce greater yields
is il1uetrated by 3a1l (5, p. 17) as he obtained yields in three
fertilized. ponia varying from 193 to 721 pounds pr acre as compared
vvith three unfertilized ponds varying from 196 to 379 pounds per
acre,
winrle (81, pp. 3.4) found that properly fertilized ponds
In L1aimaa will
roduoe between 400 to 600 pounds per sore as
compared to 40 to 200 pounds ner acre for unfertilized ponds.
Parniokol and Campbell (6, p. 273) evaluated the changes that
fertilization causes in Missouri ponds, end found that growth of
bass and bluegill in fertilIzed ponds was faster than In
unfertilIzed ponds with other thIngs being equal,
They show that
fertilized ocnds produce much more plankton than do unfertilized
ponds, and that second year algae blooms of the sane speoles reappesz
in only fertilized ponds,
BalI (3, pp, 222223) (5, pp, 1922) lists the following
disa&vantages of farm pond fertilIzation In Michigan waters.
FertilIzation results in a winterkili of warm water fishes in
shallow ponds; ircieasee the synthesis of organIc matter in the
form of bacteria, phytoplsnkton, filamontous algae, *nd higher
aquatic plants (the letter two ioIn a derimental eoudition in
any' pond); and. most pond owners do not conscientiously continue a
good fertilizatIon program whIch results in 'neted effort and time,
Thea.
sadveritea 'ten11y eaus a poid to beoe oveoDu1.tet
with oe peie or the ether,
Zeller (g5, p
Z31) stuie the effeote of fertilizer.. In ponde
*nL found that the presenoe
f ttiemtots a1g
bt ponds ,reat1y
recluoed the efTeots of the fezttli.r, Ie oonoludes that the
f11tontoua algae absorhe the nutrients aMe to the water from
the ferti1izer
States that
not reooimend the ise of coaerote.1 fert1Uzezs
the harvestable fish oróp
i
if over, fished to the eorreet
Meehean (58, pp, 235-236) states
thst n t1
ntheastern
TABU 4
O
Ai
LTA!ON ON
?O!1
LACT flT FAT. TTZR PWDS
e1iaor
!r[1iT pt
Per <,ent in bsianoe Per tie
8oiwetern
in .-J-.--.
bai*rc.-.---
1.ehean
64,0
53,4
srL
(8$)
8outheastn
!(o11wai
30,3
(38)
States
84,5
(33)
Mjwest.ru
ehsn
45.
69,0
(se)
Statea
rY
!okinZ P ti ej att3dn R*t.; an
of Piah
Lwmiri
areas it (1e
r*tio bass and
nrit sat to *ke sny diffarene.
at what
begi11 are stoeked initially, Dr, win*
(76, p. 245), throh m*i
.xpertts at Anbt
Alana, fcmd.
Li;j
:.---
'.
Lii MI r1cr
BiuogUl nd bu ratios ar. stooke
per acre of water surface,
Rates v*rr with natural or f.rbili*ed ponds,
an
states hrne the
A with stockb ratios, states vry in the size of ftB
fingerling baa
*nd binegill are stocked. 8evral tete now
stock new faru ponds with fry as the inoztaitty in hatc1eres fron
the fry to fingerling stage is relatively large, end base fry
Adult fish are aeldon used, except in several states
s
in Table 18 of the appendix, Adult b3.'ueg&U tre stocked here to
grown (14, p, 2)) at Sen.
arcue, Texas, found that high
Li!
bus per acre i.e decreuea as the sto*ng rsito ot blusgilis is
increaset.
The a.rage w.igh at bZu.gtU was touM o iry irrvwrss1
vtth the nber stocked,
by added nutrients of distribution vertical a noticed They
hpolinicn.. and thermooline, epilimnion, defined clearly a of
absence frequent a is there that and months, sumner the during
depth in feet eight to six ponds In warming pronounced a show
Missouri. in ponds that found 270) p. (6, Cwrtpbell and Barniokol
poulattons. fish stuntød nd
growth slow to oontributed
has season spawning the after space living in reduction this
that believes He
monha, sumser the during life fish for oxygen
dissolved sufficient holding water surface of feet five to three
on]y with stratified ohfsio*lly and ermally t be to found been
have Iowa in ponds some that reports 261) p, (18, Carlender
Ponds of Stratification Thermal and ChemIcal
crop," fish
adequate an roduoe
erious1y
to expected be cannot irrigation for used
pond a and West, Far the in out carried been has work
investigation pond farm Little
out, pointed adequately been not has
production fish significant any for suitable not are these of most
that fact The
Nevada, and Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California,
of districts conservation soil the in constructed be to scheduled
were ponds 12,000 1953, in "that states
1)
p
(4, Kinsey
this than further dawn feed net will
bluegill as feet fifteen than deeper ponds in and 0.5%, of salinity
a having waters brackish in spawn to tailed have
bluegill and baas
that found also Swingle
waters.. alkaline highly or silt,,
of loads
32
3.
ferti1iation (6, p. 271).
Thia distribution was related to thermal
itratifloation as bottom concentrations of phosphate phosphorus
were two to ten times as great as were surf ace concentrations,
I3yrd (15, p. lsz) studied stratification of farm ponds in
Alba and fornd that there was a definite stratified condition
during the suner months
Fish traps were ueed in the study.
Byrd foim that bluegills could not efficiently utilize the colder
and deper waters because of law concentrations of dieeoled oxygen
and high concentrations of carbon dioxide.,
During this sn*r
stratification, bluegill were found in greatest numbers in shallow'
water,
Byrd states 'bluegills were unable to live for extended periods
of 6 to 45 hours at water depths where the diaolved oxygen
concentration was 0.3 p, or lees accompanied by a carbon dioxide
concentration of 4.4 p, or more. The critical depth ziere chemical
stratification occurred was at f5ve feet in a two-acre pond and at
seven feet in a 22w.sore pond (15, p. l62).
M1in Pressure end the Results of Underfthin
The following statements ha-va been included to demonstrate
the complete agreement of fishery workers in different areas of the
United States as to the importance in farm pond management of
adequately harvesting the species stocked.
This is a re1atively
new concept in the manac',ement of warm water pond species, and
conclusive evidence of the merits of this concept is illustrated
I:z;u Ilk;L
flqtt
(ze, p. 234) ttudted the deere
sportin catch on
m
ti U5O Bennett (, p. 231) reper±o
from a nn.tr sttdy of an aig
the following reslta
een-aoru lake in flhinoi*,
8iia11
bass were r.v,d b'3r anglers as well as by use of a drain pipe,
a high Ieel, in spite of this so osll.d "misp,aotiee" of diøartftxt
'tbat the eisa limit is no talua
i ba.i oenservation.5
Ba1ujckol and CapbeU (8, p, 214) dratn*d a 3,5 sor. lake in
j
fishing pressure during the
this lake
.d*r sin, The total toh trom
s 1,24 fish weighing
of 155,5 pod;
At K')
4.2 pounds, hioh is $ yield
*cr of srfaee water,
the e3cse of the season a stsnin. rop of 4?, 185 fish weighing
T
is ad,rjsahle to renvc about bale of this orp snonally
in
order
wi
EJ
is
e-tt erh to
water
ie t thL rte cthar
means to thiz the pop1stion ex'1odtafly art n.oeuary,"
Kansas,
ft.mei.z' (8?, . 24) state* ttat 'the greatest
! C3osed Seaeon in Warn Water Gavis !bh
ifl 142 Svrthgle nd ith foid fy research that in m*t
oese* it is i posti1 to take
than fifty par cent o
eziatin stock of catchable fish in s pond by en1ing (81, p, 23),
A1so the tsilure of *
1ixit as a tool for nanagin ma*y
ET
species of fish has resulted in a continuous open season for base
end bluegill in neny states.
The current warn wator game flab regulations were retewed
Twenty states now hawe no
in Field and Sfl (8, pp.. 34-39).,
closed season on lergenouth black bass, and th ry states hove no
closed season on bluegill.
In 1949 the number of atatse permitting
and bluegill was fifteen (62, p.,. 243),
year aromid angling for
In 1947
ing (44, p. 247) is quoted as writing HSinoe worth
Carolina, Alabama., Geargia South Carolina, and Florida have
abolished the closed season
warm-ivater species, except bass,
there are mOre fish being ta. with no evidence to indicate that
any harm is resulting from the removal of the cloeed seaeon,
He
further iointe out that the open season has resulted in a doubling
of the ostob of fish from TVA reaeroirs arid is credited with bring
Ing an additional
5,OOO,OOO worth or related busineas to the
eomities serin the reservoirs,
Murphy (az, p. 247-248) studied ebdence of fingerling bass
in an area closed to angling
the spawning season in compariSon
to the abundance of fingerlings in an area open to angling during
the spawning season.
During his threeyear study he found the
;survival rate to be oeitiely correlated with the abundance of
forage fish present, arid not correlated with the angling pressure
on the adult fish during
J4
spewnin
season.
IC
a1itj of Yow
has
d 1ue&U
of fish stocked should be krxos.,
Thj info,tion enab1e
the
TABLE
MOtTALITY O TOJ1G LtGILL iTh
STOCKED IN A lEN
Surber* (174)
Swin1* (as5 p
POUNTLENT
86,3%
15 xnthe
Ci
p.
.8)
of !i1ig beouso f
ndor&e
the
took.np of bsa
survie hette
wtead
moa'ti1ity fror fry to
fthriing is high ii h+øherie8, n4 th* co
Ls greater irt
arin1e (is, pp. zi-) C.eteriiiiied tte *atwrl iorta1it
far bøa, hea no tih1n wee aUowcd, vege4
M
first
*f 15.4% Gt i
and
6% ur&zig 'the
bluegill tGakd &t.
it 4ditioxwl 194% ieti
irt
grix
tbe
hetr eeon& veer,
CLIMATIC CONtITIONS HIH AFFECT T
SUCCESS OF FA1A FISH PONDS
James (41, p. 3) states 'The climate of a section of th.
country in which water areas are located nay, in a general way,
determine the climate within these bodies of' water, but there is
much 'variation between water areas in the same region.,
It is upon
these climates, of habitat conditions within each body of water,
that the natural distribution of fishes dependa,
It is these factors
which determine what species of fish grcw best and produce best
fishinp, and, therefore, should determine the fishes to be stocked.
"One of the fundamental climatic factors is temperature,
It
determines, in a broad way, the general types of fishes to be
found, or to be atoked,
in
a bo4y of water,0
The annual temperature, as previously mentioned by James.,
is responsible for the types of fishes found in any one area.
Air
temperatures govern to a large extent water temperatures, and
certain water temperature limits restrict any species to certain areas
where this requirement is fulfilled.
Successful introduction can sometimes be accomplished if tem
perature conditions are similar between two areas, other factors
being equal,
In the complex scheme of ecology, every species has
certain tem,erature requirements which it must have for sucoeasfu.1
existence, On the periphery of this temperature range, the species
in question can barcfl
be expected to be as successful ss in the
center or optimum of its range.
The average temperature for each state in the United States
has been compiled from the most accurate source available, and
presented in the
pt>endix, Table 16.
climatic conditions,
States vary greatly in
Thees are the most accurate data available
for comparison.
Winter Temperature
Wjnte
temperatures are exceedingly important because they
are the limiting factor in the distribution of some fishes.
The
annual temnerature for tao gten areas could be almost identical1
yet one area could hare a much colder winter and warmer summer
than the other area
This would confuse the true climatic
picture by giving the same annual teinnereture as the other
area,
Winter kills from some northern states have completely
destroyed fish populations in farm ponds in Michigan, Minnesota,
North Dakota, and probably other northern, states.
This makes a
stat&s winter temperature of importanoe to the warnwater fish
biologist. Winter temperatures ar. also listed in Table 15 at
the apendix.
Summer Temperature
Summer temperatures can *lso Inhibit the distribution of some
Froetfree P,rid
The kno1edge ot srnival ratuta11 for & given 1oc3alit
ifl
ice have States United the of half northern the in atatoz )(ost
appendix.. the of 15 Table
in availaile also are data These
fish, of populations good support
er atm The
to great too be would fluctuation level water
they that fishing pond Thrm exc,llent the roduee
southeestern the rainfall rror
this !Ytthout
do,
not could states
rainfl1,
eurater
of
amount the with and states different with varies that factor another
is
ovaporatou &nner
levels, eonvtait maintain to sufficient be
not would rainfall winter their because rainfall auixer adequate
without nsiutained be not c,uld ponds fish f.arn states
sante
In
Rainfall Stmmer
area, ain,e
watershed desired calculating when
subregions and regions ferent di the in use to charts published
has service conservation soil The
varied the to due misleading
states, ny
of o1ittes
h could and a"eregee, state are
appendix, the of 15 Table in listed are figures rainfall Average
pond, thictusting violently a or surmer the in pond drying a either
into develop could calculations in error this froa Dangers
fov unsuited physically pond a to lead could
fish,
runoff watershed
necessary eorioerning ca1eultions incorrect beaizse esirod
fishing good if important is This
is
2ooality.. that in ponds sised
different for neoeasary area watershed the determining in
aid.
greatly
AG iP IEI.r(TH RELTO1S1rTY' CF BLUEGILL ATh) BASS
The enalyais of scales has prow'en a 'very effective tool in
determtnin
the growth rate of some fIshes,
Scsi-es are used to
determine the age of the fish at capture, the length at any avmlua
during the fish' a lit., and the eve nge growth mede by the fish
during each year of life (47, p.
The growth rates of aixtyfive largenouth blao)c bass and one
Pth lenthe at each
hundred and sixty bluegill were estimated
annulus formation were calculated by the use ci' the formula described
on page eight. AU of these scales were collected in western Ozegon
by Mr. ialph Grentell and Mr. Andrew Lmdforce,
Scsi-es were not
a'vaileble from the ether climatic arosa in the state.
The results of these ostiictea are compiled in Tableø 6 and 7,
T*ble
8 and 9 are a comparison betesen the growth rates of bass
from the Willanette Valley and those
fr
coastal lakes, A ainilar
comparison of growth rte of bl-xegtll heieen these tro a'eas is
computed in Tables 10 and 11,
Tables iS and 14 are a comparteom
of growth retes of bluegill and bass from 'various states,
The
position of the states in these tables is based upon theIr annual
tenperature as in. Table l
of the appendIx,
Table 22 is a suiary
of bass growth, which was calculated by different authors, in
Oregon, Banker studied f fiy-eeven bass scales that were collected
in 1954 from lakes, ponds, end rivers in Oregon, and his results
are tnelud.d in Table 12,
In 1965 H,rmann calculated the growth
rates of aixty.stx bass collected during 1953, 1954, *nd 1955 from
Oregon lakes, reee.roire, and farm ponds.
listed
in
!t&s results are also
Table 12.
Bees growth iii Oregon is ecmrarsble with that made in New York,
Uichigen, Wisoonsin, Montana, and Linnesota, as shown in Table 14.
Bass growth for all other states listed is much faster than
experienoed in Oregon.
Bluegill g rowbh in Oregon during the first three years of life
is approximately equal to or greater than growth in all other states,
except California, Teunessee
listed in Table IS.
Kentucky, and West Virginia, which are
After three years, bluegill growth in Oregon
decreases someat to that ealculated in other states.
It is aperent from Table 12 that largenouth black bass grow
more rapidly in our coastal lakes than in the Willarnette Valley.
flowever, one instance of has attaining the length of 14.2 inches
in 'three year ha been recorded
in
one of the experimental onda
of the Oregon State Game Conmilasion,
iecker end the author found
that growth is loss in coastal lakes durinr the first year, but
greater ever year after the initial year of life than growth of
Willamette Valley bees. Becker (Table 12) tound that growth of bass
in eouthern Oregon was slower during the first four years of life
than in other olitriatic areas of Oregon.
Bluegill growth, estImated froni the scale sample, is
approxintely the same between coastal lakes and reservoirs, lakes,
and farm ponds in the Willaaótbe Valley.
4,
P
*
.D
*ge
group
TIlt!!
3.9
30
4
I
2J
6.6
7,8
30.6
11,?
13.6
18
34
V
Ue1en1at
rerk length 1flCh*$)
et tte of ennulue formation
*yer*ge
fork
length
n**ber
I
II
III
XV
I)
3.0
3,9
2,9
3,1
kverag length
3.0
3.0
65
Increment of growth
Total number
5.8
7,8
6,6
6,4
9,
9,5
9,8
6.?
3,?
9.1
3.0
33
4?
20,9
1Z7
12,9
U,
3.2.9
-1.6
4
14
T31Z?
I*
Age
group
It
III
IV
1
VII
oti1
number
i41UE
Avir*g.
fork
length
(inek.i)
19
55
63.
3.5
3
7
Aereg. length
Increment of growth
Total number
3,7
4,8
6,1
8.9
7,0
8,0
E
*1ciatatórk lengtm (thes1
at thee of
I
3.1
3,2
3.6
5,4
3.5
3.4
5.4
3,4
160
It
ITT
4,4
4.9
8,0
4,4
4.8
5.7
8,3
8,2
5,9
4,7
1.3
5,9
1.2
142.
86
aimulus ta'Uon
XV
V
Vt
IL!
6,1
6.5
6.5
8,8
7.0
1,4
1.8
6,6
6.9
1,4
7,8
.1
.3
.5
25
20
.4
1
TABLE 8
.1
1.
4.
aom iwrgs op
ia x
r,.
O1fltFI BUCK fl&s8
I4AXES ON RE OREGON OOAS
UAg*
TotaT
group
nuntbsr
----I
II
III
0
I
5
$
3
iigi
tori
1.ngt
8.7
10,6
127
144
sJ1J 1b
at tiza. of
1,9
2,9
$4
3,1
iength
o.i)
anmilue fonaation
6,7
6.8
6.9
8,6
10,1
20,5
12,3
12,3
6,8
4,0
12
10.2
5,4
11
12.3
9,9
3.3,6
-
Average length
Inerøxient of giowth
Total nber
2.8
2,G
-
24
6
13.8
1,3
3
cautsd
Total
fork
length
Jtttohe*)
2'oUp
1
T
16
51
57
12
2
II
TI!
IV
V
fO
of
at ti
t1ue foxwb ion
iv
ns
-----*_..-t
1.1.
1.8
4,8
8,2
4,3
4,9
73
1,2
3,8
8,4
54
5,8
8,2
'7.0
3,4
4,2
84
3,3
3,3
4,8
8,0
1,4
6,7
6,8
3.38
122
11
14
2
*verag. length
Inerenent of growth
ott1 tz*r
6,8
6,5
3
GRO7I fiAS O' 22 I3LUEGTLL C0LICED FR
T4$ 0 ?iE 01GON COAS?
g*
group
1
II
TI!
3
XV
3
1
VII
*lot
rdr
e't Uo.i)
at time of aimu1ia for*ttom
si
number
4
4
7
fork
length
(inohee)
X
3.9
5,3
5,2
8,8
3.2
3,8
7,1
8,0
34
3,3
3.7
$4
IT
III
4.9
3.9
4,8
5.0
4,8
5,7
8,2
5,9
V
IV
6.3
6,8
8,6
VI
XI
6,'
GJ
7,4
'7.8
-
Average length
Increnent of growth
3,4
3,4
4,7
1,3
5,8
6,5
.9
.9
Total rnber
22
19
15
-r
11
--
6,9
.4
8
1,4
.5
7,8
.4
7
50
TAI31E 12
GR1H ATFS OF LARGFL OUT}!
i.4CK ±?.SS Fl
vTous CLiTTc
and anther
T
time or ann1us formation
VI
TII
TV
V
IT
VII
r - -t
State of
3ecker
*
5,
8.5
57
o6
35
2,5
3.b
3.0
5.!.
Averc
3,7
3.7
Jnriia1 Increment
9.0
8,1
13.9
12.6
11.0
12,9
13.4
14.3
16,0
14,9
6,3
,6
87
9,7
11.2
10,4
10,3
11,5
6,7
8,8
2.1
10,8
2,0
12,5
,?
13,9
1.4
15.5
1.6
14.1
14,9
14.1
2.4
14,9
3.0
Willanette Valley
42
!(errnaxn
*
Oakley
58
Average
rmua1 Trcrcer.t
Becker
8
*
Oakley
12
.Aveø
Anual Increment
2,1
$,
3,3
8.5
f.4
9.0
10,6
10,3
10,2
12.4
8,4
6,6
3,0
3,0
6.2
3,2
6,6
2.4
10.4
11,7
1.3
2.2
3,9
2,8
5,9
5,4
6.8
I2.8
1PJ,6
9,9
10.2
13,6
12.3
2,9
2,9
6.0
3.1
10.9
4.9
13.9
3.0
13,6
1,5 4,5 8,6
10,1
11.7
14,6
2,1
3.6
1,6
2,9
5,
1,6
10,9
13,6
Soirthern Oreou
12
Artua1 ltrement
* Nr
of
,aie
eiiple
1,6
nottkxown,
3.0
.8
TABlE 13
AGE £t IEIT1i
State
I
or
st
Ok1h
(4)
North Carolina ki7
california (&r)
Tcnessee (1)
Tenneeee (45)
Kentuelcy (cc)
(19)
Vtrgini
Mj6ourj (4s)
'Ie8t Virgin1 (17)
IlIiuoie (45)
!flinoi (45)
Illimoia (45)
Iute.a (45)
Tnajaja (17)
Ohio (45)
ATajjTf63Eflneheij
12345
6
4,1
3.3.
4.1
5.6
3.1
4.b
4,?
5,3
14
3.1
3,4
1,
Oregon (0Jdey)
0reou (48)
taw (4s)
3,5
3.3
1,4
Iowa (46)
.1,7
I
1.'
Nw YGtk (8)
Aehtn (5?)
Uichtgau (2)
iooiain (3.9)
taua (ig)
!Ltnnesot
(17)
.6
3,o
3,1
2,5
1,3
2.8
1,8
1.
Ohio (57)
(46)
4,9
3.9
6,5
6,7
3.7
4.1
4,2
6.3
3,5
4.5
4.8
3.0
4,1
3.0
5,2
5.1
4.8
4.8
3.4
3.
3,4
4.3
4,3
4.2
2,2
2,5
1.3
4.0
5.
0M (45)
YAI!OUS STATES
ATiOI'ISHIPS OF BLUEGILL ?R
1,9
7
8
6,1
5,
73
8.b
8 I
7,6
4,5
6,3
6.4
5.6
8,9
8.4
4.9
6.8
8.0
6.6
.1
9,5
9.2
10.2
7.8
8.9
9.8
6.8
7,4
7.1
7.6
8.0
.5
6,6
6.7
7g.:
7,2
7.0
7,2
7.5
8.1
7.
93
4,9
5,3
6.4
4.8
5,9
4.5
6.6
5,9
6.1
6.0
6.1
c.
64
6.o
5,4
6,0
5.6
74
6,5
6.9
5.7.
3,$
86
&,d
6.4
1.3
li.4
83
,9
6.2
5.4
4,9
7,4
6.6
6.1
7,6
8.1
7.8
7.8
6,8
73
10,3
rO
8,5
8.3
74
flhmeaurecn4.,
14.0
12,9
13,7
lo,u
13,7
15.1
13,3.
15.1
17,3
16,9
20.7
21,9
15,6
21.3
23,0
23,.5
1,C
19.5
14.5
16,8
16.1
17.3
1.2
13.4
17.6
18,4
16.0
18.9
20.1
17,7
13.8
18.9
20.2
14.3
14,9
15,8
16.2
21,4
20,5
17.5
23,9
26,6
1G,o
15.4
17.D
19.0
3.6,3
3.7,6
16,0
19,8
17,3
14,8
14,7
11,0
12,3
12.9
13.9
15,8
11.5
10,8
12.s
U.S
12.1
14,5
13.7
12.9
10,3
10,4
11,3
11,2
13,5
14,6
12,b
14,3
2O7
19.3
21,&
20,8
20.7
14,9
20.6
17.6
16.9
17,4
19.0
17.5
19,3
11.0
18,9
14.9
15,8
21,0
6,7
6.4
7.
9,3
8,7
7.4
9.5
8.2
8,3
6,3
5,1
6,1
8.b
7,6
7,2
8.1
13,4
3.6,2
18,3.
13,4
10.1
13,0
9.4
11,4
13,3
14,6
15.9
1o,1
15.6
16.2
16,7
13,7
12.7
10,4
10.4
1,1
1
15.0
13.2
3
oafItchin
12.6
7.0
11,0
10.8
10,0
14.0
14.0
14.5
l.8
14,6
lc:,O
4
5
9,3
10,3
13,o
10,6
10,0
30.2
12,5
10.9
1(,7
8.6
6.1
9,7
9,0
10.9
'.5
119
14.6
22.1
19.0
18.6
19,8
23,6
20
7
$
inohesj
-
115
12.2
12.2
10.1
10,8
7.8
7.6
11.3
11,0
2
ciasoa
for used 'tai
3,5
2,1
1enth rk
*
(17) Miiesota
(19) Montana
()
5.9
Wjsooj
(2) Miohigan
Miohigan
(28) Thrk
5.2
(137)
64
5,3
(46)
(46)
4,4
New
Ia
Io
($7)* Creon
(7)* Oregon
(Oakioy)* Oreo
3,5
2,5
3,0
Cnticut
5,1
5,9
5,6
10.3
3.5
7,E
4.0
3,6
10.7
3.7
5.6
5.8
5,9
6,9
6.7
6,9
8.0
5,7
4,6
7,7
7,0
(17)
(48) Oregon
(17) Nebraskn
(27) Nevda
(17) Ohio
(13) Jerae; New
(17) Indiana
(3.')
Illinois
(ss) Mexioo New
(19) ouri
(10) Virgtnia
(ce) Kentuc3y
(19) entuoly
(57)
(57) Clifornja
aUforn
(27)
(19) Carolina North
Teese
Ok1abo
(19)
(19) Oklahoma
(57)
Loniaja
(19) florida
1
Invettgator
L
A
State
?t
BASS
STITES V!TCUS
ULAC iA.RGourE OF iI.kTTONSIIIPS LENGTH
AN!)
AGE
14 TABLE
52
53
FIGURE 1[
LEGEND
GROWTH RATES OF LARGEMOUTH BLACK
BASS FROM FOUR STATES
LOUISIANA
OREGON
--
TENNESSEE-----
WISCONSIN--
DATA FROM TABLE 14
23
22
20
19
18
I?
16
15
14
(-A
IJ
I
z
0
13
12
II
I0
9
I
z
Ui
8
7
6
-J
5
4
3
2
0
1
II
IlL
IV
AGE IN YEARS
V
VI
VILVIII
-
54
Figure III,
Figure IV,
Bluegill scale showing -1wo annuli.
Bluegill scale showing three annuli.
TTÜ BASS ET) i LTJEc.!IL !!
M wa
O!
trevios1y mantloned, bees nd blUer4U were introduced
Until recent
into Oregon waters in the late nineteenth century,
years very little ang3.iup. pressure has been exerted on warm water
species becaus
of the wonderful s*Lmon end trout fishing areas in
Oregon 'shi oh have lured people fron all over the world,
ever,
with increased angling pressure exerted an sa3manid fish paralleled
by the rapit. I
reese in Oregont a populace, demand fOr good warn
watr angling has increased.
In 3.950 the Oregon State C-ama Cojt.i&Ion began to expend its
warm water gama fish program (51, u. 151). Same of the early
projects included stomach analysis of large2nouth black bass, bass
spalxib studiea along the
tllemette hiver, and angling anocess
on warn vthr fishes..
eerel lakes In the vicinity of Salem were ueed to determine
the success of angling for warm water
ame fish,
The everg catch
by anglers In these lekee was approximately one fish per hour
(51, p. 154).
fish.,.
This is a rlatIve1y low return for
water
em*
Crappie were the most abundant fish taken in trap nets1, but
ahed a poor return to anglers, poasibly because o1 the angling
thoda employed en these lakes, Th. order of importance., as shown
by this creel census program, vies bluegill, bass, and orapie.
The construction of a hatchery for the propagation of warm
water g
fish was oonsideed, but decided against as the cost of
66
i ur}Ijx ii!T
luitial recoc1tians for
r
asnt praotiees o wa
te
In 1951 the growth uteri of warn water gene tiehes in Oregoa
-K
hi1e aimiiar fish retained in the pond produced
ry (55, p. 270).
The latter fish reproduced without the aid of fora.e species.
Reoetiv hatched trr hve been observed as early as June 15 aM
e* late as August 1 j Orgo,
In Oregon bluegill normafly spawn in their second numer,
!lazinum growth of bluegill in Oregon in their third suwer is.
approzite1 eight inches (, p
271).
Reproduction extends over
a considrabic period of time when surface temperatures reach
T5 to 80 F
It is believed that in some bodies of water, low
temperatures prevti1ing throughout the urer may inhibit bluegill
reproduction (es, p. 271).
In 1951 a two-acre tarn pond in Marion county was atocked at
th. rate of 200 yea.r1in bluegill to 100 yearling bass per acre.
This pond was drained in 1953, and 50 oums of bass end bluegill
were recovered for a yield of 280 pounds per sore of water..
Ipproxinsteiy 90 pounds per acre were adult fish. This pond wa.s
considered to be otxt of balance. Grenfell feels that this stocking
ratio of 2*1 is in need of modification to reeuit in a balanced
popu3.stion for the bluegill end bass
(34,. p. 344)
onda in the WIUam.ette Valley
Four additional farm ponds were stocked in several
different ratios to obtain a good ratio that will result in
bslancd poplations in the WillaThOttS Valley.
1n ISM another creel census study was. conduoted by Grenfoll.
He found an average return of 1.18 warm water fish per angler
(32,. p
213)
The catch was composed ot bluegill (43%), buiTheads
[]
fui1y q*wnd *t ti*
Wo
The total wigbt o1 fiøh
Was 1Z4,1'$ pouu&s, or 64,2 pounda per acre,
ND
CBirDATIONS
New Mexico, is at least twenty Inches,
States that meet the prooedinp. climatic conditions should have
good fish production beoause bass and bluegill grow and mature
rapidly hen ex'oaed to tbeo conditions *
The majority of these
conditions Is fulfilled by states from Florida to Yest VIrginis
in Table 15 of tie appendix,
Dakota tn Table 15 of the
States from Pennaylvatha to torth
endix wUl not have optIti bees and
bluegill production beauee the majority of
l&metic onditicns
necessary for rood production is not tu1t11ed,
The state of Oregon has sr
inual temperature of 48,90 F, Th
average suner and winter temperatures are 64,10 F., and 33,9° F, The
frostfree perIod varies f row 62 to 2?5 dsv*.
Suuner rainfall varies
from 6 to 22 Inches, Oregon has the nineteenth hirhest winter
teeratns and the next to lowest euer temuerature of all states,
The Milamette Valley has en annual temoerature of 52,70 F.,
en average winter tesrnerature of 40.80 F,, and am ave.rae sumr
teiereture of 64,4 F, There are en everee of 19 frostfree
days each year in this area, Wart season precipitation I
inches, with a total precipitation of 39,08 inches,..
first after two years, and
8.15
Bass spawn
aning flrrt bins in !ay,.
Bluegill
spawn after one year, and June 18 the month when they first epawn
in
the Willamette Valley,
$cuthern Oreron has am annual temperature of apuroximstely
53.60 F, The average winter tenieratv.re Ia 40.70 F,, and the
average anner temperature Is 67,80 F, for this area,
Annual
precipitation is 24,32 inches, with 6,61 inches dewing the warn
eeaso.,
The frost-free period is 180 days.
The Oregon Coast hss an average winter teiperature at 46,10 F.
The suser te,pereturs averages 58,10 F, This area has en. annual
f 590 F,
The frost-free period extends for 241 days,
ot1 precipitation is 76,75 incb.es, of which 16,45 inches is warn
season precipItation.
Eastern Oregon has an annual temperature of 50.10 F.,, an
average
IIsIei temperature of 68,30 P., and an average winter
temperature of 32.80 F,
131 days,
The. frost-free period is approximately
&nnua1 precipitation i.e 11,29 inches, of which 3,78
inches is warm season precipitation.
Growth rates of bans froii various states are oomperod in
Table 14 of the text,
in three years of growth., bass in Oregon
average approzlnately 8,0 inches.,
fluring the same period of tima
bans in 1en'tucky, Tennessee, VirgInia, Now exioo, end Louisiana
grow to lengths of 14,5, 14 .. 6, 14.0, 16,2, and 14.6 Inches respoo'
tively. These state.s have annual tar erturee of 56.8°
F,
53,$0 F,, 55,gO F., 68.70 F,, and 67.0° F. respectively,
has an annual temperature of 48.90 F,
gø
Oregon
Theze five states that obtain
bau rovth have summer te.ratures higher 'than 71° F, end
winter temperatures higher then 35° F, These s1ates also haie frostfree seasons that extend for at least 170 days.
The Wiflamette Valley, southern Oregon, and the Oregon Coast
nfl have mild winters which should eliminate winter kills of bass
;j-v
pr
) \4'i
3.79 inohés snd short trost-free
JLI
:w r
t)
IL
or spprox1nt.1y 131 ds Li
the WjUsm.tte Tslley
$ end. 9,
afls growth
then in the WiIlen.tt.
Vs11er,
The Willamette Yelley has a auizvner temperature of
A oompartson of b1i*gU.1
IJ-
oirbh betwe
1b Wt1*tte Ts11ej
states., several in conditions balanced
attain which ponds of number the increase not does fertilization
pond that indicate 4 Table from
flata
conditIons, soil poor
offset to ueed be must fertilizer states, outheastern
In
h*rvested.
seldom is created surolus the as expense extra an is eases most in
but 2), (Table fish of production the increase does FertilIzation
states. midwestern and eastern, southern, mostly are states
Tbe. ponds. farm in production
fish increased for fertilizers
commercial inorganic of use the recommend states i'wentyfour
F, 7Q0 then higher tuiea
terpera-' summer surface have not do that ponds farm in stacked be
should Trout
stocking the
states, individual their of ponds fern in trout of
reoomnd
agencies conservation state Fourteeu
days, 140 approximately
of period frosttree a by led eacompan F,, 20° approxiteli is
temperature winter the where areas
in
stops probably bluegill
F, 48.9° than lowór are
and bass of distribution northern Th*
which temperatures ennual have ratio stocking hass and bluegill
the reoommnd not do that states ten the of Tine
states, their
in ponds farm for ratio stocking bass and bluegill the reeomrnd
states thirtyseven that show qucion,nire tho from Results
intenity.
au.lin to proportion in production fish
for eiiough fertile are waters natural because Oregon in recommended
not is Fertilization
Oregon. western of tomperture summer low the
considering when information fevor&-'le is pond one from production
84
The age *nd tine
f spawning of baso end
lnegiU are direotly
Gemerally, bass epirn after
correlated with temperature conditions,
One year in states with a minir3rzit amual temporture of 53,QO
,
in states with lees than 550 F, annsl teaperature, bass require
two years or longer to spun.. Bluegill spawn in approdisate3y
four nonthe in atate
having a minimum annual temperature of
63F. Vest Virginia is the exception
to
this spawning age.
gill spawn after oe year in states which range in annual
temperature from 45.5° F, to 63.0° F.
to spawn
to
in
all other st*te
Bluegill require two years
The age of spawning is important
roçerly managed bluegill and hess farm ponds.
Only 28 to 57 per cent of all farm ponds analysed by other
authors were in a bal*ne.d condition.
improper stocking ratios,
unfavorable elimtic conditions, stocking of phystcal]
unsuited
ponds, leek of interest tn ponds expressed by owners, and under
ftshing are the main factors which eanee this high percentage of
pond failurea
The correct stocking ratio is necessary for a productive fish
population, Tabulations from the questionnaire ebow that the most
need ret&c is ten bluegill for each largemouth black bass stocked,
Seventeen states ut&lie this ratio in stocking fern pon:ls in their
*tatee,
Th1
is based mainly on results obtained by :r. Swingle,
and evidently the ratio works well in the fertilised ponds of our
southeastern states.
ilcwever, the ratio has failed in other states
where climatic conditions vary greatly from those of the
hetern statq,
't'e states that roneud athlt b1ue.1ll
stooked with &ri11 bass to insure an iiztsdiatc food supply for the
snail base are listed in Thble 19 of the
ifornia, K.ntuoy, Iowa,
bluegill in proi,ortion
to
ppcnd1x
iehigan, and '!isooriatu.
baac are planted as
They are Cal'In general, inore
porature.a iru,reue,
The Oregon State Cae Coir'isa ion currently endorses the
atookin
ratio
f three to six Ctroriin bluegill for each finerl
ing bass stocked. Research is
to determine
an
thg conducted y the ()a'e Coisdasion
adequate stocking ratio for Orego& a farm ponds
The stocking ratio of 2l failed in cue pond, and perhaps a ratio
of one h].uetll to one bass stocked would give better resuits
kother ossihiltty is that of atoøkin
one adult bluegill with
ten bass fin!erl,.
l.
Lr auter t,nneratire in western Oregon i
a 1idting
factor in 1*sa and bluegill groith, and consequently affects the
produoMvitr of theie species
in
farm ponde. Hcevor, farm
rds
in western Oregon are naturally fertile, and the correct stocking
ratio with adeouato pond mnagnent should sonewhat compensate for
the low
er temperature. lore extensive research should be
conducted to determine proper sise, ratio, and rake of fish to be
*teokd. This
owledge i
inperetive beesuse the demand for these
two recies TSI increase in future years.
eo
Eaterri
2.
than does
esto
ro:ts iore etherse olinatic conditions
ar*3as east of the aacde are
Oregon,
probebly just too cold for
oo bass md luegill produotio.i.
H,vor, cc of the low elevation roes could feasibly produce
good bass and bluetll angling,
$iuoe there ?.s a wide ar1etion
between vresterr and oesterxi Orego, research should be carried out
in this area of the
and bluegill, the
tcte to determine the growth rates of ba.s
too1d
ratio,
he rate which will produce
ncT
the boat yisld there.
3,
Tyo'tt should l's stocked in fazt vonds that maintain
temperatures too low for bass nd bluegill.
It the surface tem
perature stays below 70° F, durinp most of the su!sner months,
trout should be utilized,.
The majority of these ponds are in.
higher elewation areas of the state end on the coast, Trout can
also be utilized in some ponds
4,
in
the Wiflarnette Valley,
?ertiliatiou of fanti ponds ifl Oregon is not neoessry to
produce aorage rctuz'xs to pond oniers.
ponds
in
atural fertility ci fans
Ort!gon Ic ualr good, and most owners would not harvest
enonh tteh to merIt the usc of ooirnerctal fertilizers,
5,
Bluegill should be stocked with base
in
ponds to obtain
greeter fish yields, unless the owner is definitely interested only
in baøs, A pond stocked only with bass produced 54.2 pounds of fish
per surface acre of water. Mother pond in Marion county, stocked
with Sasu aid
l"eill3 proteod 260 pond per zurfaoe acre rf water.
6. The pond owner should be encouraged to catch as many fish
as possible during all seasons of the year.
Both bass end bluegill
should be angled for intensively, Pond owners should be encouraged
to allow pu"lio angling if they do not adequately catch the fish
poulation, After the fish ha'ce spawned for the first time, all
email fish should not be returned to the pond alive.
7
LII pxz should be ocei per dicall to ktsrtime the
oondttIcn of the fish nopulatian.
A th-ain Installed
nin pond
&s the bst tool ir po'uietion maeiat in farm
ponda
8. PhysIcally unsuited ponds should not be stocked with
bluegill end bass.
These ponds are those in which surface
temperatures stay below 750 F
during the suisner months, carry
excessive loads of siltation for lons periods of time, have
extreme water fluctuations, have inadequate depth or size, and
are subject to overflow by streams.
1. Anderson, W L
Results of en analysis of farm ponds in the
midiest.
ogreaate rie
olturit
(3)tlflir4l7.
1948.
2.
p1eget., Vernon C end W. F, Carbine. The fish population
ranssetiona of the American
, ttehigan.
of Deø
fisheries society 5s200.42?, 1945.
Farm pond menagenent in Michigan. Journal.
of si.1d1ife namaganent 16(3)t26B'269, 1952.
S. Bali, Robert C,
4,
. Ter.e. The bto1oiosl effects
of fertilizer on a wana.ater lake. East Lansing,
ichin state college,, 1.51, Sip.. (!Tiehian state
college. Agricultural experiment station. Technical
si1,, Ro1-trt C, anti Roward
bulletin 223)
and.
and EowaM P. Tait. Prodw*.ion of
bluegill in Michigan ponds. B*t Lansing, )ichigan
state o1l.ge, 1962* 24p. (ichigan state college.
Agricultural experiment station. Technical bulletin
5.
Dali, ?ohert C
6.
iery- of selected
!3arnio?o1, Paul B, and R., 8 eapheU. S
pond studies in Wissonri. Journal of wildlife
z*nngement 18(3) 27OT4. 1152.
Becker C1nrence P.
7npublshed rawroh on growth studies of
the largemouth 'clack bass, Micropteru* *1mo ides
oapcve), in Orccn, Co1s, ()1'eór staocllege,
Pept. of fish end geire
ansgenent, 1954,
xperimental 1argeuth bass management
8. Bennett, George W
in Illinois, Transwtions of the )meroan fisherIes
sooietr 8O23l-237. 1950.
9,
Journal of
Bennett, George W, Pond management in Illinois
wildlife ann tent 1$(S)*249255. 1952,
eorge '. The .ro!ith of the iergemouth blank bass,
Huro aelmoides, in the waters of Wisconsin. Copeis,
no 2, l937,, p.. 104-118,
10.
Bennett,
11,
Blosa, John. Pr
ation of lereiuth black bass and. bluegIll
sunfish in federal hatcheries of the sout)nreet.
Proressi've fish cultirist 14(2) *61-67, 1952..
1.
ron, C, J, n4 e1s A, Thørosøn
lontana.
14.
Rnnch frm ponds in.
Journal of wildlife management 16(8) p276-278.
Brown, Wi11ie B.
Rmszlta of stookiiig
gwAorth black bass
and cbal].el catfish in
,t1mentl T.xs farm ponds.
ransstion$of the
23O..2l7.
18, 3yrd, I
te'iaU fishers society 80
1950.
B, Vepth distribution of the bluegi 110 4pGttt$
o.&iria (Rafinesue), in farm pona during saster
stratification. Transsetiona of the Amerioan fisheries
el16248, 1951.
17,
Carlander, Kenneth 0. Rendboo of freshwater fishery bte1or.
C Br
1)nbuque, I*wa, Wtlli
Company, 3.950. 283. p.
18,
Carlande?, Kenneth 0, Farm fish pond z'.se.reh in I.
Journal of wildlife
magetent 18(3) iZ*461, 1952.
19.
Carlsuder, Ksnneth 0, First supplement to bandbook of
free1reater Ushery biology, Dn.u., tows, William
C Brm Ccmp*ny, 1953, 429p.
20. Clark, Minor. nasa production in a Kentucky pond.
Progresstca fish culturist 12($)*147-151, 1950,
21,
Kentucky' a farm fish pond progrmn, Journal
or wildlife management is(s) s262*86. 1952,
C lark,. Utnor,
2. Cempton, 0, U, Farm and ranch ponds.
nagement 3J(3)s2$8-244.
2$.
Journal of wildlife
1952.
Compton, Lawrence V. Tsohn.iuee of fishpond nnaenent,
Washington, , 8. Govern et printing otttee, 1942,
22p. (U, 8, T)ept. of agriculture. )!tacellaneouz
publication no.
24,
Cooper, Kdwin L.. Small ponds for fishing. Wisconsin
oortaervstton bulletin 20*1.4, 3.955.
P.
rovrkh, *M
bs1,tts, r*1e
esnnibs1tm of yog 1mrge.uth b1a. bus in stats
reartri ponds in th1
tiuring 1936,
Progressive ttsh oult*rtet
p, 156,
,
1.1.31., 1.936, no. 23,
)
38,
Hollcnvay, not1 1), M v*3ustion of fish pond stooking
policy mid siec
in the sathecteyn ettes.
Progrsive fish oulturist 13(4)*ifl.a181, 3981.
39,
Eo13.ow*y Mcii 1),
Tans ponds, Progreestre fish eu3.turist
1947,
.
41.
Jenes, M, C, Propgtton of pond fishes, In the Bire ef
fisheries document no, 1088, Washington, Ooyernmenb
printing office, 199, pp. 4'80,
Jtee,
. C,,
L1od 0, Meh*n, mid E., J, Dot1a, Fth
tbooking as r1at.d to the noiagement of inland
waters, Washington, U, 8, Gore't
ttting office,
1944, 22p, (U, 8. t).pt, of the interior, TLsh end
wildlife servte, Conservation bulletin no, 38)
awk4I
Yarn pond mmtageaant probis in the far
st, Pesmitd as * talk at the western aooiettc.
of tabs
and fish comnissiamers meeting at
Ls Vegas, evsd*, Msv 4, 1Q4,
,
43,
1tmsey, J, .8,
44,
sing, Willis. R
can we provide more s
essfi1 fishing
trips in the southeast'? Transaction. of the Iorth
4mertcan wi 341ire
feenee 12 t*43-85, 194?,
61, )tnupbr, Garth T, Fishery of Cle*r Lake, Lake County,
California. California fish and gene
439.485, 1951,
62. Murry, Garth r, The closed season in warnwater fish
mtagent, Tranaactins of the North American
wildlife sonferinee 351*35-249. jg,
03, Murphy, Garth I, The food of young 1argenuth black bass
in Clear I.ke, CalifOrnia, California fish ant
game 36(3)s189464. 19,
64, Percy, Tiosca Jr. Phsncnenal growth rates of largenouth
black bass in Lonisisus water's, Transactions of
the American fisheries society 72s8843. 1942,
65, R*vc, D, 8, end B., A, Rubton, Pond fish studiø* in
Saskatchewan, Journal of wildlife maziagemsnt
18(3) *282.288,
l92.
66,
Sails, Saul B, Some results of farm pond managenent studies
in Mew !ork, Journal of wildlife management 18(3) z
279482. 1952,
57,
Schneider, Phili.ip W, *nd Francis P, Griffith*, Production
of trout in a snail artificial pond in western
Oregon, Journal of wildlife manngiiient 7(2) *
j49454 1943.
71. Sprue1, Geor. Jr. Gyowth of the b3egt11 in a n
with particular reference to a false arnuU,
Transactions of the American fisheries soeiet U*
953
88'75.
73, Surber, Euens W, Production of 'bass frj. Progreseiie
fish culturiet M, I43l no, 8, pp, l4,
74, Surber, Euge W, R*sults of vs.ring the ratio of largenouth
bleok base and bl'cegills in the stocking of experimental
farm ponds, Transactions, of the American fisheries
society ?7,l41.151. 1947.
75.
Swingle, K, 8, Exnents with 'riou* rats. of stdelcing
bluegills, tspomis merochirus Eafinesqme, and
lergmeoutb bass, Ntaropterus s soidee Lacep.d.,
in ponds. Transactions of the Amertcen fisheries
society 80,2l8-'229,
76,
3,950,
Swingle, B. 8. Vera pond investigations In Alobena,
Jce1 of wildlife mas 16(3),24249.
77
1982,
Swingle, B, 8, Ptsh populations in Alabana rims and
impoundnt,nta
Transactions of the American fisheries
society 83s47Y, 1953.
78.
Swingle, B. 8, Sea. recet developments in pond managenez.
Transactions of the North American wildlife
conference 14s29&$11, 1949.
79
Swingle, N, 8, end E T, 8*ttb, Experiments on the stocking
of fish ponds, Transactions of the ortb kierioan
wildlife eonferenoe 5t2612?8, 1940
and E, V. 8mith
P*ctørs attesting the
reproduction of b3x*gttl and b1ck bass in ponds,
Auburn, Alabama, 2943. 8p, (Alabama polytechnic
institute, Agricultural experiment station,
Circular no,
80,. Swingle, 11, $
2
82,
uAg&ng ponds tor tisb
$v&g1e, R, 8, snd Z, V, Seth,
produotton, P'egrsut'-e fiah on1turtt Mon, I431
1941, no, 88, ppo 8'43.
881b
SWtngl*,
, S
tutd 2, V,
Ith,
Tb. m*usgant of ponds
89. U, 8, Depsrbn.nt of Jiiou1ture, C1t. and
,
Agrioultur.
11
APP1DYZ
a
a
-a
a
LI 1T 17I Z J1WI j
LT4
:*
:
J*
:
:1
h
Fill
B
6kI
____
IlL
999
pegt
go'z
-
owI
09'8
96
zoot
9tt
09t
(s.qou)
z1
(øqouT)
a
U4etPUJ
00L
r9.
9o
99'Z
rn
Itt
(.aZOp)
9'6Z
O'12
22
Z.8,
(óó.zep)
(Raoip)
)Z9
dT&*L
LnUET
TM
(nM7Uo3) 9t 21gm
t!tULV
Amiusi
Wtnt.r
Sumner
Wjby
3uter
Wjutei'
.
Tp,
Teinp,
T*p.
Sumner
1950
48.S
12,7
64.8
31.9
65.9
42,8
58,8
3.951
48,4
83.0
84.3
44.0
66,0
41,3.
57,2
3.952
48.5
33,0
83.1
39.5
64.6
43,7
57,8
1953
49.5
38.
61,8
44,0
63,1
1954
48.2
35,6
60.?
42.1
63..3
46.8
57,1
1055
48,3
51.9
82,1
4C,2
62,8
44,2
56,6
58.3
TAB1
SPECIES
18
'OR STOCKING flR FISR PON)S tN T1fl! N!ITED SAE8
in oonbi ton
lnegt11:Basi
Florida
Ye
10:1
Loutetana
Yes
15:1
Ntss&uippS.
Yes
10:1
Georgia
Yes
No
Cattish
liberation
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Fingerling
No
No
No
No
10,1
Fingerling
No
No
No
No
Redear :Basi
Fry
No
No
Tee
Yes
Bass try
No
No
No
No
Fingerling
Fry
14, 5:2
Alabama
Ys
101
Fingerling bg,.
South Carolina
Yes
10:1
Fingerling
No
No
No
No
Arneae
Yea
10:1
Fingerling
No
Tea
Yes
No
0k1abo
Ye
3:4
Ftugerling
No
No
Tee
Yes
Arisona
Yea
2*1
Fingerling
No
No
No
No
North Carolina
Yes
**
-
No
No
No
No
Calitornia
Yes
1210
Adult bg.
Bass try
No
No
No
Yes.
TIBZE 18 (coNr1nJn)
Stabe
Bae & BliegiU Stooldng ratio
in combination
11uegi11s}ass
ze at
liberation
trout Crappie C1iü,1 Ridd*r
Catfish
Terxnesse,
Ye
10:1
Fingerling
No
No
Te
Yes
Kentucr
Yea
4:10
Adult bg
Bags
No
No
No
Yes
Virginia
Yøs
10:1
1iuger1ing
No
No
No
No
Nznsas
Yes
3:].
Fingerling
No
Yes
Yes
No
Delevare
Yes
Fingerling
No
No
No
No
Tea
3.0 j
Fingerling
No
No
Toe
No
Toe
10.1
Fingerling
No
No
No
No
v Merico
Yea
10:1
Fingerling
No
Tee
Yes
West Vtrgln5.a
Tee
10:1
Fingerling
Yo
No
No
Illinois
Yes
1:1
Fingerling
No
ho
Yes
No
Tog
1:1
Fingerling
ho
Tog
Yes
No
New Jersey
Yes
1-8:1
Fingarling
No
No
No
ho
Ohio
Yea
1,1
Fingerling
ho
No
No
No
Nevada
No
Bass only
Fingerling
Yes
Na
No
No
Th1U lB (oN'mn)
Rod* Tslsn4
Orogott
Comeetiou4
Yea
10*1
Finger1tn
Tea
!o
NO
Yea
1O1
Ftzcrlb
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
1*1
1.rlJ
No
Tea
Yes
No
Yes
34U
r1nger3.iu
Yes
o
Na
No
*
-
Tea
No
No
No
Ira
*
Yes
Na
No
No
ITO
No
Yes
No
Na
Mo
Yes
1*1.0
Adult b,
fry
eyjj
T
b
8o4
York
I)skoI*
LItehtti
No
**
Yes
No
*
NO
No
N
Yea
'O1
xerling
No
No
Ya
Yea
4,1
Fie1t.
No
Tea
Tos
Yes
1*20
Adult bg
Base try
NG
No
No
No
is (CONTnWED)
-
-:
-
igT'Stong
lfie I
Stat.
-
in oonbinstion
-
-.
eons in
rt[o
is t
B1ue'i11:I3a
- -_
liboretion
1 10
Adult b,
Trout
C&ti1eimet
CatXish
-
-.
No
No
No
No
Finger1in
Yes
No
No
No
Finer1ing
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
Baes fry
10*1
Montana
Tea
25:1
N
No
*
Main
No
*
Wyoming
No
Ninnesota
No
*
North Oakota
Ys
6*3.
Eanpahire
Bass alone
i'inerling
ngeriin
No
No
No
No
* te not reootend the biuegill*bass stocking ratios
*11. Rasesroh in progressto determine the best species and oorreet nbers for stocking.
AGE ANI SPTINt OF 2ASS A1m
StItó
Florida
Louisiana
Mississippi
Georgia
Texas
Alabtn
South Carolina
Arkansas
Ok1ahis
Arizona
!Iorth Carolina
Calitornia
&ge at first spawning tyeare)
Bluell
Bass
On.
One
One
One
One
One
One
One
Two
Two
One
One
ne
entuey
Virginta
Manna
1)elivare
Missouri
Mary1an
New Mexico
1est Virgin&s
Illinois
Indiana
flew Jersey
Ohio
Nevada
Pennsylvania
On.
One
Two
One
One
One
One
One
wn
Two
Two
One
Two
Three
Less
Less
Lese
Less
Lees
Lees
Lees
One
One
One
One
One
than
than
than
than
than
then
than
one
one
one
one
one
one
one
One
One
One
One
Two
One
Two
One
Lees than one
One
Two
Two
One
Two
Two
LUFC ILL
Lont Tlen spawning nrst occurs
Bais
Bluogill
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Nay
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D* you reoomtteM the largemeuth black bass end bluegill conbinetion
for
jng fflrm Tonds ir your state? (Yes or No)
That stocking
r*tio gives the best results? Do you reccimnexii the .stoókizzg of fry!
or fingerling in the tuitisi stocking?
Do you recommend other stocking oobtnations1 or the stocking of
other individual fish species in the tarn ponds of? your state?
Do you reoomnend the sate stocking combination and ratio for ponds
located in every area of your state? (Y. or No) If you recoisitend
different specils, or different ratios, please briefly explain why
you do,
Do you recoeiád cotirtorcial fertilizers for use
your state? (Yes or No) 'Why?
in
the fern ponds of
As a gems
rule, when (whet mont'n) do largeimnztb black bass spawn
in your state? Does this data differ in the northern nd southern
areas of your state? (Yes or &o)
How old are largenouth black bes in your state when they become
sexually meture? Do they spawn successfully at this age? (Yes or No)
Nov long is the growing sasou for largemouth blàk bass in your
state?
?or bluegill?
A* a general rule, when (what month) do bluegill first begin to
spawn in your state? Do they continue to spawn all swner in your
state? (T
or No)
Now old are bluegill in your state when they become sexually mature?
Do they spawn aucoesstully at this age? (Yes or No)
Is the largenouth black hss one of the most sought after gene fish
in your state? (Yes or No) ! it the it sought after game. fish
in your state by anglers? (Yes or No)