MUSING ON TWO IDEAS
Long before I got into fly fishing I got a Life Membership in the North American Fishing Club. I get the magazine they send out.
One of the articles I like the most is the research update that Dr. Hal Schramm writes. He brings out some great ideas. One of the things he wrote about was the "fall feeding binge", which is one of the things that I look forward to each hot summer day.
His statement was that the water temperature drops back into the optimum range for each species. What that happens they will feed more. This is the same thing that happens in the spring. Made sense in my head, however dangerous that may be.
The other article that caught my attention had to do with chains, webs and carrying capacity in water systems. From phytoplankton to zooplankton to small invertebrates and on up the chain, only 10% of the energy is passed on.
This brings up three things; the more nutrient in the lake the more biomass that can be supported. If the lake is at carry capacity, of fish, the slower the growth. If the lake is at carrying capacity then stocking fish will not help. More competition for food is added and the rate of mortality increases.
He states that each body of water is different and needs to be treated that way. The carrying capacity of the water body is controlled by energy and that energy is what makes for good fishing, or the lack of it.
This seems to fit into the things that I have been trying to do on ponds. As much as the alga bugs me at times, those are the ponds that have some of the best fishing.
Also, some of the ponds that I have tried to stock to increase the fishing possibilities have not worked. This is probably the explanation, not enough energy in the pond to carry more fish.
Nice for someone to explain what I have seen happening in the ponds around here.
I hope this stimulates some thoughts in your head, so I am not alone.
Hope you can get out on the water.