what happened to the fish?

[Neil G]

Bad as that sounds, it is not as bad as habitat loss through the reasons I outlined in my previous post.

 

A few bad anglers might kill a few prime fish - bad management (be the cause farming, council, water companies, industrial waste, poor town planning etc) kills an entire river.

 

Can't these bad anglers be slung off the water? ...or is this a public water you are talking about?

 

The real threat is not just to the fish, but the potential of the water being lost to anglers due to the bad behaviour of the few. It might take just one vet's bill for a farm animal's injury caused by a discarded beer-can or a broken bottle.....

 

Public waters so I suppose you can't really expect much...I'm sure there's people down there now fishing it in the closed season anyway.

 

I'm sure there are other reasons why the fishing has declined but I am hoping that the summer will prove me wrong and big pike will show up again.

Edited April 23, 2008 by Neil G

[kleinboet]

Tangled. From your post, it would appear that the water is secluded and negected.

The possibility of Comorants and Herons come to mind!

Please remember a few Cormorants can STRIP a water of fish within a month!

[Peter Sharpe]

I think the most likely explanation is that the pond has simply dried up, possibly several times over those thirty years.

[bluerinse]

I was think the same, baked hard, and then refiled by rain could also explain the clear water.

[Tangled]

thanks for all the comments at work at moment will reply properly when have time

[gozzer]

I was think the same, baked hard, and then refiled by rain could also explain the clear water.

 

Peter Sharpe Posted Yesterday, 11:29 PM

I think the most likely explanation is that the pond has simply dried up, possibly several times over those thirty years.

 

 

That's OK, but what about the dead fish found on the bank?

 

John.

[Tangled]

As I said in my original post the pool is only 5 mins walk away from where I live and drive past it on the way to work and can see it from the road so I will try to "quote and reply to individual suggestion this may take a series of posts but "full access after 16 posts may come in useful

Lots of posibilities.

Assuming the fish have in fact gone:

There could have been a slurry or sialige spil at some point in the not to distant past. This would have cause the available oxygen tp plumit and the fish to die without long term toxicity.

There could have been a sheep dip spill that wiped out the invertebrate population and led to the fish starning. Again, the pond would look healthy a very short time after this occurred.

If the pond is near a local river, you could have otters move in or cormerants visit and cause a rapid decline in fish stocks before moving on.

Could be that the pond has been cleaned out by "fruit pickers" with access to a net.

Who knows ? but there are certanly plenty of possibilities.

spillage or pollution a good possibilty another farmer grew potatoes for a few years and always "weed killed" the tops before harvest the run off from this field would end up in the pool.But wouldn't the owner of seen dead fish?

Severn about a mile away but pool connected indirectly by ditches and brooks, but do otters eat bones aswell?

"fruit pickers" NO! owner always driving past and farmhouse over looks pool plus dogs running around

[Tangled]

Like Ken says there are a lot of possibilities, a lot can happen in 30yrs.

The thing the that intrigues me, is the farmer saying that he's seen a few dead fish on the bank.

Obviously they have been put or dragged there.

Did you ask how many, when he saw them, what type of fish, what damage (if any) did they have?

All these will give some indication as to what might have happened.

 

I went back to a small mill pond after a 5 or 6yr absence. It too was much clearer than I remembered it. I blanked the first couple of visits, (never saw a sign of fish). Several people told me that the fish were still there, so I went back. It had been raining and there was a bit of colour in the water. It was like someone had just stocked it. I had 7 different species, gudgeon, roach, rudd, perch, tench, bream and carp, in a 4hour session. It took quite a few visits and many blanks before I 'sussed' out the water and felt confident I was going to catch in most conditions.

 

A few floating casters scattered on a warm evening will tell you if there are any fish there.

 

John.

Haven't had a good chat to the farmer about the size/no of dead fish but originally she said "a few" and I'm still waiting for a warm evening.But your post brings with it hope

Dave

[Tangled]

I've seen/experienced the river fishing going downhill even in two years

 

Combination of bad angling practice and bad weather, floods last summer in particular

Don't think anyone has fished it for 25 years and no direct connection with the river

[Tangled]

Tangled. From your post, it would appear that the water is secluded and negected.

The possibility of Comorants and Herons come to mind!

Please remember a few Cormorants can STRIP a water of fish within a month!

This in my opinion is the most likely reason as there always used to be heron about also I've seen cormorants there

plus canada geese, greylag geese, coots, moorhen, ,grebe, mallard (yes it was a bird reserve) for while.

Still see the grebe diving but never noticed them coming up with fish.What else do they eat to keep them there?

 

Neglected in the sense that it hasn't been stocked or managed but if it hasn't been fished or its natural order been disturbed isn't this how pools and lakes have carried on for years? I may be being naive in thinking that managed fisheries are something of the last 20+ years only.

Dave