Author Topic: Underberg Trout (Read 40163 times)

kevf · « **on:** April 02, 2014, 10:57:57 AM »

We've recently bought a neighbouring farm and there's 3 dams on there (4.5ha ,2,8ha and 1.3ha) that I'd like to stock with trout. 20+ years ago they used to be great dams with some of the local ballies remembering 10lb fish coming out of them. The farm changed a hands a few times and bass ended up in there. There are no streams coming into the dam that would allow the trout to breed so I don't think there are any left in there, I've only ever caught bass in there! Question is how successful would the reintroduction of trout be? what's the optimum size stockie and can they live together or would either one outcompete the other? I don't mind if the bass get chowed out!

kevf · « **Reply #1 on:** April 02, 2014, 10:59:10 AM »

ps: where can I get grass carp? im in underberg

shagnrelease · « **Reply #2 on:** April 02, 2014, 11:22:56 AM »

I always hate fishing dams with bass in them!!

They seem to just take over, horrible bloody things are so aggressive so im pretty sure natural food will be in very short supply for the trout.

Chat to Krissi here on the forum she is our resident trout guru as she owns a hatchery in your area.

maganything · « **Reply #3 on:** April 02, 2014, 01:17:50 PM »

from my understanding once there are bass in a trout dam its pretty much tickets for the trout.
The bass will eat all the stockies that you put in, so maybe the only way of getting trout in is to stock them in a decent size, 1-2kg.
From experience its always sad to catch a bass in a trout dam, because you know in a few years that dam will no longer be a trout dam.
not sure how to rid you entire dam of bass, perhaps draining it completely and starting all over...

WalkersKiller · « **Reply #4 on:** April 02, 2014, 02:04:35 PM »

Yeah from what I know, the only way to make the dam a successful trout fishing dam would be to regularly stock the dams with fish larger than 1kg, also implement a culling policy on the bass, the less bass in a trout dam, the better. Draining the dam could mess it up, especially if there are no inlets. Stocking Grass Carp wouldnt be a great idea in a trout dam either, yes they will control the weed, but they will take over and eat all the natural food the trout will need to survive. I have a contact in Pretoria where you can get Grass Carp from if you are keen.

I have fished a 5 hectare dam and the owner said there were between 7000 and 9000 trout in it.

kevf · « **Reply #5 on:** April 02, 2014, 02:09:14 PM »

thanks guys, I have had a chat to krissi about it,
these bass(tards) have taken over some really nice trout dams, sounds like i'd be throwing good money after bad.

WalkersKiller · « **Reply #6 on:** April 02, 2014, 02:25:02 PM »

Kev, why dont you look at netting and culling the bass? Or even translocating them to a bass dam?

MIKE PIKE · « **Reply #7 on:** April 02, 2014, 02:47:02 PM »

How about we all go fish them out and relocate them ..

yello helmet · « **Reply #8 on:** April 02, 2014, 03:06:01 PM »

I Like Mikes Idea

kevf · « **Reply #9 on:** April 02, 2014, 03:22:15 PM »

guys would be welcome to fish them all out, but that'll never happen. i reckon they'd out survive cockroaches even. i think once they in a system there'd have to be some drastic, costly measures to remove them, time and money is something i don't have an abundance of these days.

dynamite anyone?????

krissi · « **Reply #10 on:** April 02, 2014, 04:56:06 PM »

Just to let the guys in on what we discussed Kev - there are mixed opinions on stocking dams with bass.

1. Stock with 8" (or the largest you can afford) mid winter when the bass are dormant. This gives the trout time to adapt and grow until spring when the bass start getting active again.

2. Stock with smaller (5" - 6") early spring but at a higher stocking rate than recommended. The thought here is that there is a better food supply and the trout will grow quicker before the bass get too active - accept that you will lose some.

I personally recommended the mid winter stocking. In the hatchery the trout grow at around 1" per month and if the food supply was/is good, this trend continues in the dams (from seeing previous year stockies and catch records). However, a bass is a voracious feeder and I have heard of them taking over 12" fish, so I really

. Resident trout will also feed on new stockies, as will birds.

The stocking rates we used per ha of water surface: 5" and 6" @ 160; 7" @ 140; 8" and 9" @ 120 and 10" @100. A 5ha dam should adequately support 4000 fish at any one time but again, no 2 dams are the same - 1 may well support a larger number of fish and the other less than expected. One needs to take so many things into consideration, mortalities, food supply, weed, micro-climate, water source into the dam ... the list goes on and on. My recommendation was always based on how the previous year's stockies performed and what condition the fish are in that are being caught.

It is almost impossible to determine the survival rate of stockies - there are just too many variables, eg predation, food supply, thermal inclines, flooding, etc.

We no longer own the hatchery. I am also sure that there are guys out there who probably know a lot more than me who fish for trout or own trout dams.

kevf · « **Reply #11 on:** April 03, 2014, 04:57:03 AM »

thanks krissi,

garethm · « **Reply #12 on:** April 03, 2014, 08:34:53 AM »

I am more than happy to volunteer to help to determine the density of the bass!

Herman Jooste · « **Reply #13 on:** April 03, 2014, 06:09:24 PM »

Just to throw another spanner into the works.

Both Bass and Trout are now classified as invasive alien species, and the stocking/trans-locating thereof supposedly requires endless permits and a whole load of cr@p.
Whether or not the supposed powers that be have the ability to enforce this is yet to be seen.
A way of eradicating the bass, and everything else living in the water is Rotenone them. However with no feeder streams, my guess it would take about 3 years before anything could once again live in the water.
Not knowing anything about trout and bass, my idea would be to sein net the dams, removing all bass and feeding them to the birds. Maybe 2 or 3 netting sessions would be required. ?
Thereafter "smuggle" in some BIG trout and let nature take it's course ???

WalkersKiller · « **Reply #14 on:** April 04, 2014, 08:56:07 AM »

Herman, I believe by the 9th of April we will know the exact outcome of where Trout lie in this whole story...

kevf · « **Reply #15 on:** August 02, 2014, 07:10:40 AM »

Gone ahead and put 400 of these 8Inch fellas into the dam, so will see what happens

krissi · « **Reply #16 on:** August 02, 2014, 07:18:47 AM »

Nice one Kev -

I recognise that tank

yello helmet · « **Reply #17 on:** August 02, 2014, 08:30:25 AM »

Nice

lets see how those 8 do

kevf · « **Reply #18 on:** November 12, 2014, 02:49:06 PM »

so 2 months after stocking the fish, a friend went and threw a line the other day and got 2 fish that looked to be about 12-13inches, really doing well!!! the fat one was out my neighbours dam, from the same stocking!

Big Van · « **Reply #19 on:** November 12, 2014, 03:22:47 PM »

I have some experience with this. Some idiot actually phoned me from the farm and told me he has put two nice bass in our big dam. We are still culling bass three years later on. I stock trout of not less than 1 kg in March - April. We put time in November to January late afternoons with big plastics to catch the bass. We remove them all and also ask the visitors to remove the bass if they get as bycatch on fly. It looks if we have them under control as we have not caught any small bass this season again. I have had that a brown trout of about 3,5 kg took a small bass while I was bringing the bass in. I pulled the bass out of its mouth and it actually jumped out of the water to take the bass again as I lifted it out of the water. Hope you can clean out on bass.