With water temperatures creeping up to the magical 60 degree mark, the shock team has been on the move. The electrofishing team was recently in Cartersville, Georgia. The client being serviced has an unconventional goal of wanting to grow large Redear sunfish. Redear sunfish feed primarily on mussels so they become very large but the growth takes a while. As of now, no fish food company has figured out a food that Redear will consume.
The lake has a small creek that runs close by. The creek is a tributary to a major creek in the Cartersville area so it floods easy. All fish feeders are built up to keep them dry.
The Shock
The fish are staging in preparation for the spawn. All winter they have been in deep water seeking shelter from the weather. People ask us why we don’t perform lake audits year around and the reason comes back to the fish. In the winter and summer, fish seek deep water. Deep water is more stable than shallow water. Our electrofishing equipment has an effective range of 4-6ft so our catch rates wouldn’t be high. Summer time water temps can be stressful to fish while they are in the lake so shocking fish in the heat of the summer can be deadly.
With low bass density and a pond full of gizzard shad, it’s no wonder this pond produces huge bass. The gizzard shad are in the 6-11″ range which makes them perfect forage. We did remove some larger ones since they were too large even for the biggest bass. Gizzard shad in a pond environment get a bad rap. Many biologists cite gizzard shad lock up as a major issue since it can negatively effect juvenile recruitment. The reward of stocking gizzard shad is trophy bass. Threadfin shad, bluegill, and other forage are great, but to get to trophy status, bass need large forage. Certain states are known for growing big bass while others aren’t. Florida has golden shiners that exceed 8″, Texas has tilapia, and California has rainbow trout.The lake gets flooded so some unusual species come into the pond. This is a Spottail Shiner.Till the Redear sunfish get big enough to catch there are still plenty of fish to put a bend in the rod.With the full moon coming soon, the fish are starting the stage for the spawn. Since the population is small, we tag a large portion of shocked bass. Our previous catches from last years electrofishing survey have grown 2 lbs in a year, which is phenomenal. Well managed lakes with an established bass population average 1 lb of growth per year.
As the weather continues to warm, keep up with the AES shock team this spring. Spring is when the largest bass are shocked.
