You’re ready to invest in your lake to create the fishing opportunities you’ve always dreamed of; or you have recently acquired lake property. Perhaps you are a part of a community with a lake and you just want to know what the fish population looks like. Maybe you already know that you have too many bass and need to remove more annually than you have time for with a rod and reel. Whatever the reason may be, electrofishing is a great and important tool to implement in any of these scenarios. It is the modern way of analyzing the fish population structure of a lake or pond and can be utilized to thin an overpopulated waterbody.
Electrofishing units come in a variety of sizes and configurations, ranging from backpacks and towable barges for wading use, to boats of many sizes. Regardless of the size, the specialized equipment on the boat sends an electrical pulse through the water in a confined area stunning any fish there. These stunned fish are collected and placed in a live well for recovery. Each fish is sorted by species, and their length and weight are recorded. Once the fish are weighed and measured, they are returned to the lake unharmed. This recorded data will be used to analyze the fish population structure to determine if the populations are in balance or not. The analysis will develop the management recommendations for improving the lake’s angling opportunities.
Electrofishing success is affected by a number of factors, including water quality and the weather, yet generally the best times of the year to conduct a survey is in the spring or fall. The fishes’ preferred habitat and body structure can also limit results. For example, catfish tend to be too deep and carp have thick scales that make them less affected by the pulse. Even with limitations, when performed at the proper time of year electrofishing displays a good representation of what a lake or pond has to offer. An annual survey will determine any changes that need to be made to the management plan to fine-tune the fish population.
Electrofishing is certainly an investment; however, if the fish population and angling opportunities are high priorities it is worth it to find out what lurks beneath the surface. You can gather the data you need to implement the best plan to guide the fish population into what you want to achieve for the years to come.
