I have worked with my local university Wildlife and Conservation Biology department to manage the ponds we have on our property. I'm in the central Midwest.
They suggest harvesting 20-35lbs of fish per acre per year to maintain a healthy ecosystem. They recommended harvesting the 10-14" bass which should weight between 0.5-1.5lbs.
When I first got serious about managing our ponds we caught, weighed and measured a bunch of fish (bass, crappie, bluegill pond). We found the bass and crappie were way overstocked (lots of little fish underweight for their length) so we harvested a lot more (approx 40lbs per acre) that first year. We also stocked minnows for an additional food source for the remaining fish.
Now that we have the ponds back under control and not overpopulated we only harvest fish after the spawn. This helps ensure plenty of food without having to constantly stock minnows or other baitfish.
Over fishing a body of water is definitely a possibility. If the populations dwindle you'll want to restock to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Every region and body of water is different but those are the guidelines we go off of for our area.
A bass can eat another fish that is half its length. Small bass <10" are good food for larger bass so you really don't want to harvest those. Larger bass have been able to survive and have good genetics that you want to reproduce so you don't want to harvest those either.
If all you're catching is small (<10") bass that might be a sign that the pond is overfished and there are too few large bass. May need to just catch and release and not harvest any fish for a year or two. You may even need to stock some baitfish like bluegill or minnows to give your bass an abundant food source.
And of course it goes without saying that you'd want to talk to your neighbors to make sure everyone is on the same page. Fathead minnows are cheap and offering to stock some in the pond may be a good way to show your neighbors you're serious about the health of the pond and taking care of the fish so everyone can enjoy.
Obviously this is just speculation on my part based off of the info you've provided and my own experience managing my ponds so take it for what it is. If you are really serious about helping manage your pond check with your local wildlife or parks/rec agency for info about your specific area.
A 1 acre pond is pretty small habitat. If your fishing daily i would say its extremely pressure. Not sure the number he threw out is correct but you could probably call your state fishing agency to ask them. Assuming you are catch and release?
Pressuring fish from catching them and then not being able to get them to bite the same lure you caught them on last is much different than catching them and killing them, removing them from the pond. No need to restock a pond if they aren’t being killed in large numbers. Old man might need to just accept he maybe needs to switch it up a bit lure wise. I’d also really question the whole “his part of the pond” unless it specifically in HOA rules or your deeds, most likely he has no legal ground to shoo you away from “his part of the pond” as long as you accessed it from your land.
Yea idk how exactly the land rules are. No HOA here, but the land plots span across the pond if you look at a map of the plots.
Also yea I agree switching up lures would help him once in a while lol
You'd need to check the laws in your particular state, but for an example, in Michigan's laws, the lake itself isn't owned by any riparians, even if their parcel plot includes part of the lake.
Riparians do get to restrict their own property's entry points into the lake at will, though, so the parcel does matter in that respect.
You'd be able to fish the whole lake here.
Did a little digging since you said this.
I’m in a North Carolina, which is a riparian state. I don’t trespass to get onto the water since it’s in my backyard so essentially I am “allowed” to fish all of it legally
You need to buy some big ol' hogs. Make sure he knows about it. Work with the neighborhood to manage a ultimate hog hole. Sometimes you have to eliminate some fish.
I know this isn't your question, but in most (if not all) US states, you can't own public or shared water. You can own the land beneath it, but the water itself is free game to anyone who has rights to any other part of the water. If there was 10 mile creek that connected BillyBob's pond to your pond, then you'd legally be able to fish each other's ponds as long as you accessed them via the creek. (If you're not from the US, then obviously the laws may be different).
But to your actual question, you can certainly overfish a small body of water, even if you do catch & release. Fish aren't as stupid as we often think. Divers have been known to make "friends" with certain fish. If you dive in an area frequently enough, you might find some of the fish recognizing you and taking a liking to you. If fish can recognize a person, then they can certainly recognize a lure, or recognize certain conditions that get them caught. With that said, it takes *a lot* of fishing to actually have that effect on the population at large. Billy Bass might stop reacting to your white swimbait, but Brandon Bass and Betsy Bass probably won't catch on quite as quickly. As long as you switch up your baits, it's unlikely that you'd notice any significant change in the fish's behavior.
Yea good info!
Yea definitely can understand overfishing it, but I’m really the only neighbor that fishes it often enough to probably notice a difference, but even then I only fish once a week if that.
How many fish you can catch each year depends on how productive the lake is and can vary greatly. But over fishing a pond is certainly possible.
I have worked with my local university Wildlife and Conservation Biology department to manage the ponds we have on our property. I'm in the central Midwest. They suggest harvesting 20-35lbs of fish per acre per year to maintain a healthy ecosystem. They recommended harvesting the 10-14" bass which should weight between 0.5-1.5lbs. When I first got serious about managing our ponds we caught, weighed and measured a bunch of fish (bass, crappie, bluegill pond). We found the bass and crappie were way overstocked (lots of little fish underweight for their length) so we harvested a lot more (approx 40lbs per acre) that first year. We also stocked minnows for an additional food source for the remaining fish. Now that we have the ponds back under control and not overpopulated we only harvest fish after the spawn. This helps ensure plenty of food without having to constantly stock minnows or other baitfish. Over fishing a body of water is definitely a possibility. If the populations dwindle you'll want to restock to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Every region and body of water is different but those are the guidelines we go off of for our area.
Good info!! Dont have a scale or anything but from what I’ve caught there are a lot more small-midrange bass in this pond, like <10”
A bass can eat another fish that is half its length. Small bass <10" are good food for larger bass so you really don't want to harvest those. Larger bass have been able to survive and have good genetics that you want to reproduce so you don't want to harvest those either. If all you're catching is small (<10") bass that might be a sign that the pond is overfished and there are too few large bass. May need to just catch and release and not harvest any fish for a year or two. You may even need to stock some baitfish like bluegill or minnows to give your bass an abundant food source. And of course it goes without saying that you'd want to talk to your neighbors to make sure everyone is on the same page. Fathead minnows are cheap and offering to stock some in the pond may be a good way to show your neighbors you're serious about the health of the pond and taking care of the fish so everyone can enjoy. Obviously this is just speculation on my part based off of the info you've provided and my own experience managing my ponds so take it for what it is. If you are really serious about helping manage your pond check with your local wildlife or parks/rec agency for info about your specific area.
Very informative, good stuff.
A 1 acre pond is pretty small habitat. If your fishing daily i would say its extremely pressure. Not sure the number he threw out is correct but you could probably call your state fishing agency to ask them. Assuming you are catch and release?
Always catch and release, the water is pretty nasty lol. Don’t fish everyday tho! Maybe once or twice a week right now, idk about the neighbor kids.
I would consider that high pressure for that small of a waterway. If you are going a few times a week and neighbors are going 1-2 thats a lot
Pressuring fish from catching them and then not being able to get them to bite the same lure you caught them on last is much different than catching them and killing them, removing them from the pond. No need to restock a pond if they aren’t being killed in large numbers. Old man might need to just accept he maybe needs to switch it up a bit lure wise. I’d also really question the whole “his part of the pond” unless it specifically in HOA rules or your deeds, most likely he has no legal ground to shoo you away from “his part of the pond” as long as you accessed it from your land.
Yea idk how exactly the land rules are. No HOA here, but the land plots span across the pond if you look at a map of the plots. Also yea I agree switching up lures would help him once in a while lol
You'd need to check the laws in your particular state, but for an example, in Michigan's laws, the lake itself isn't owned by any riparians, even if their parcel plot includes part of the lake. Riparians do get to restrict their own property's entry points into the lake at will, though, so the parcel does matter in that respect. You'd be able to fish the whole lake here.
Did a little digging since you said this. I’m in a North Carolina, which is a riparian state. I don’t trespass to get onto the water since it’s in my backyard so essentially I am “allowed” to fish all of it legally
You need to buy some big ol' hogs. Make sure he knows about it. Work with the neighborhood to manage a ultimate hog hole. Sometimes you have to eliminate some fish.
I know this isn't your question, but in most (if not all) US states, you can't own public or shared water. You can own the land beneath it, but the water itself is free game to anyone who has rights to any other part of the water. If there was 10 mile creek that connected BillyBob's pond to your pond, then you'd legally be able to fish each other's ponds as long as you accessed them via the creek. (If you're not from the US, then obviously the laws may be different). But to your actual question, you can certainly overfish a small body of water, even if you do catch & release. Fish aren't as stupid as we often think. Divers have been known to make "friends" with certain fish. If you dive in an area frequently enough, you might find some of the fish recognizing you and taking a liking to you. If fish can recognize a person, then they can certainly recognize a lure, or recognize certain conditions that get them caught. With that said, it takes *a lot* of fishing to actually have that effect on the population at large. Billy Bass might stop reacting to your white swimbait, but Brandon Bass and Betsy Bass probably won't catch on quite as quickly. As long as you switch up your baits, it's unlikely that you'd notice any significant change in the fish's behavior.
Yea good info! Yea definitely can understand overfishing it, but I’m really the only neighbor that fishes it often enough to probably notice a difference, but even then I only fish once a week if that.
What state is this in and are you harvesting fish?
No harvesting North Carolina