the bass harvest may be too heavy in many ponds during the early 

 years to keep the pond in balance. Since bluegills tend to over- 

 popiolate a pond to their ovn detriment, as veil as that of the bass, 

 adequate numbers of bass are reqviired to maintain a satisfactory 

 balance. An lonbalance of this nature could be an underlying cause 

 of poor fishing in later years. 



The interest in having catfish in the ponds and the contribu- 

 tion which they are making where they have been stocked, substanti- 

 ate the Bureau's program for producing and stocking them in 

 addition to the bass-bluegill combination. Catfish also may have 

 a place as an additional species in ponds stocked with trout in 

 some areas or in some types of ponds when used alone. 



Apparently, the pond program could be much more successful 

 than the present survey shows it to be if management information 

 and guidance were utilized by more pond owners. 



TABLE 3 ---Reasons given for poor fishing 



Reason Reported 



Too many small bluegills 

 Silt or muddy water 

 Presence of wild fish 

 Too much water through pond 

 Low fertility 

 Not fished enough 

 Partial loss of water 

 Partial loss of fish 

 Overstocked (originally) 

 Too many biillheads 

 Aquatic weeds and algae 



Total ponds reported 



Number 



19 

 15 

 Ik 

 12 

 12 

 11 

 11 

 11 



6 



5 



3 



119 



Percent 



16.0 



12.6 



11.8 



10.1 



10.1 



9.2 



9.2 



9.2 



5.0 



k.2 

 2.5 



100.0 



Ik 



