Author Topic: Gave away all my extra fish today (Read 2449 times)

Reedman · « **on:** April 04, 2011, 03:04:03 PM »

Yesterday I spent an hour sitting on the bench by my pond netting the extra fish that I want to give away, one-by-one.

Caught six large ones (8"-10")

- one all white comet
- one blue and orange shubunkin
- one still mostly brown orange comet (must be at least four years old and still mostly brown!)
- three mostly white but blotches of other colors

Had a half dozen babies from last year too (three orange and white, three still brown comets).

Posted free pond goldfish on Craigslist at 8:30 last night. I called the first responder at 9:15 and she came by this morning and took all of them. She built a large pond by herself last fall and had no fish yet.

I have 16 responses by this morning!

They were pretty nice fish -probably would have cost $20-40 each in a petstore.

Now my pond is not overstocked and I don't have any plain comets or semi-"uggo" fish!

tinkster · « **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2011, 06:04:17 PM »

could I borrow your services heheheh.. I have tried to catch all my Semi- uggo ....nay mine are just plain UGGO commets. I went as far last year as draining the entire pond, removed the 3 big koi, sprayed it downed etc etc. Never thought about putting the lilies back in and possible eggs.. now I am again overran with the dark brown black mostly comets. How do you catch them. I try for hours and cant. I probably have 200 in there now. Its the only thing about ponding that makes me wanna quit.

tink

Reedman · « **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2011, 06:14:41 PM »

Tink,

I have two techniques to catch fish. Cold water this time of year helps alot too.

1. Put net in water about 1' down / put some food near the net / wait for it, wait for it, wait for it / quick scoop at least 1' past the fish so I can catch them swimming away

2. Take everything out of the pond / second person with another net / herd the fish you want to shallow end of pond / when it goes close to the "corner", guess which way the fish is going to turn and quick scoop at least 1' past the fish.

You might want to buy a 4' minnow net. Attach ropes to corners. Attach ropes on one side to pole/board. Attach lead weight to each corner. Sink the net. Food over the net. Second person on opposite side. Both you and they hold the poles and quick lift. Might get multiple fish at a time. Or use that net to herd the fish to the shallow end and scoop them up.

Good luck!

ThornyGardener · « **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2011, 06:18:40 PM »

Catching fry or small fish: get a minnow trap at Walmart. You want the one that's sorta football shaped, joins in the middle, holes in the end. Throw a big hardbaked pretzel in, tie a string on it so you can haul it out, and drop in a secluded area of the pond. Babies swim in but they can;t swim out. I was catching a dozen a day when I had my Summer of Endless Love.

SueSTx · « **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2011, 08:17:46 PM »

Never thought of a pretzel...thanks

Julles · « **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2011, 11:23:20 PM »

Never thought of Summer of Endless Love....

jax · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2011, 01:09:50 PM »

I wish I had babies. I swear I have fish all the same sex. No eggs, no fry, no nothing going on in my pond. Maybe the water is still too cold for anyone to be feeling "frisky". I'd gladly chase some around with a net if I ever got them. I'm hoping I get some frogs this year. I have no luck with that either. This year I am getting some tadpoles to throw in there and I hope the whole pond is full of happy, croaking frogs and toads. Now, if Spring would just warm up around here, I'd be one happy ponder.

LynneNY · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2011, 07:16:39 PM »

I agree with jax! I would be very glad for some babies, and I really like the comets that are mostly white with some spots of orange.

I've had several small koi, but those seem to be the favorites of the blasted heron around here, so I am very greatful for any fish I can sustain in my pond.

I must admit that reading the first two posts threw me a bit

because I think some of those comets grow up to be lovely and very friendly fish. At least the 27 cent ones I hand picked at Petsmart 2 years ago (that are now about 6 inches long) are and they let me pet them, and swim circles around my legs when I am in the pond.

I'm glad that woman gave those fish a nice new home.

jax - be careful what you wish for - I love having frogs around my pond, but I gotta tell you... it gets VERY loud out there during mating season!!! Not that I mind, I'm just sayin'...

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #8 on:** April 06, 2011, 10:42:40 AM »

Last year we had a bumper crop of babies too. From the looks of it they are part shub and wakin. Shaped like wakins with flowing fins like a shub. The color markings are red and white. What did I do to the unwanteds? Not saying, except my turtles can swim very fast for their dinner

Windwalker7 · « **Reply #9 on:** April 06, 2011, 07:53:14 PM »

I put 3 comets in my pond last summer. About a month and a half later I was sitting at the pond edge and noticed tiny babies. Then I noticed babies that were much bigger.

There are a few still in there. I since removed and gave away the parents.

How long until those baby comets get some color? They are still brown!

Reedman · « **Reply #10 on:** April 07, 2011, 07:12:18 PM »

Windwalker:

The brown usually changes to orange the first or second year. But, one of the fish I gave away was at least four years old and the top half was still all brown.

tinkster · « **Reply #11 on:** April 07, 2011, 08:55:17 PM »

What I dont understand about them is some of mine are born tiny tiny and already colored and I swear some of them dark ones are born 4 to 5 inches long

.... How do they do that!

I have some older ones to that dont turn or havent yet

tink

tinkster · « **Reply #12 on:** April 07, 2011, 08:57:11 PM »

reedman... wait, wait and then wait.. not one of my better qualities

but I have seriously tried the weight and catch game. I put on my hip waders and try for hours on end I must have very slow reflexes or get distracted, I have never caught a fish.

The minnow trap has been in my pond for two years and never caught a fish.. Will try the pretzel, thanks for that tip!

tink

Reedman · « **Reply #13 on:** April 08, 2011, 02:12:54 PM »

Tink,

Shubunkins and sarassa comets usually have color at 1". Regular orange comets stay brown until whenever.

Kat · « **Reply #14 on:** April 09, 2011, 04:14:29 AM »

Well, if y'all lived close by you'd be welcome to have some of my babies as I've got too many as usual. The minnow trap will work sometimes for me but mostly I have to drain the entire lily pond & catch them when there is about 2" of water left.

Glad you found a good home for your extras.

skarol98 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 27, 2011, 08:44:18 PM »

OMG I wlll love to have some grandkids on my pond, but noooo I have no luck! But you all can keep the frogs I dont like frogs iuck

KatFish · « **Reply #16 on:** April 28, 2011, 02:56:11 AM »

LOL I'd trade you fish babies for frogs any day

My toads are having an orgy in the bog now... I may have to start calling it the no-tell motel

Zoe · « **Reply #17 on:** April 28, 2011, 06:46:06 AM »

I did the very same thing two weeks ago. I posted on freecyle and had a few replies. I did it all one Sat morning. Like Kat I took the pond down low and it made it easier to catch the fish. I gave away about 30 comets. This is the pond that I lost all my fish in last year. We put in 4 new comets last spring and they went nuts. I gave one of the bigger fish away thinking maybe it would help. But we saw them spawning yesterday. What a process. Then you wonder if they are going to be ok once they reach their new home. The things we do for our fish!

Cindy

Julles · « **Reply #18 on:** April 30, 2011, 11:55:51 AM »

Zoe, what do you mean, "They went nuts" ??

Good or bad?

Zoe · « **Reply #19 on:** April 30, 2011, 01:37:23 PM »

They went nuts and spawned like crazy!