Conference wahoo::fishing-v2

    Due to the water quality at Horseshoe, my guess is that most folks 
    release there fish.  It's possible that the bass are becoming
    overcrowded and are becoming stunted. 
    
    Then again maybe it's you... 8^)
    
    As far as the crappie go, I don't think I've ever heard of crappie in
    there, and I don't recall hearing the state stocking them in there,
    doubt they would unless the water quality has improved.
    
    Someone may have stocked them on their own, from what I recall it would
    make a good crappie pond.  
    
    Only fished it once myself, years ago.  Used to swim there in the 70s
    until we found out the water was on the nasty side.
    
    -donmac

    Has anybody reported fishkill on the pond?
    
    How late in the season was the pond frozen?
    
    How deep is the pond at its deepest point?
    
    What kind of vegetation surrounds the pond? How close to the middle of
    the pond does the vegetation grow?
    
    A 12-inch lm bass is not a particularly large fish. From what you wrote
    in the basenote, I would guess that they were already stunted. The
    spike in the sunfish and crappie populations suggest the possibility of
    a dip in the population of large bass and pickerel.
    
    How big is the pond? How many snappers does it support? (Snappers are
    territorial, so a body of water with fixed boundaries will support only
    a fixed number of snappers.) If a lot of old fish died over the winter,
    the scavengers of the pond would have fed well this spring, possibly
    enough to temporarily allow an extra snapper or two to take up
    residence.
    
    Has your fishing technique changed at all?
    
    John H-C 

    
>>>    Has anybody reported fishkill on the pond?

       None I have witnessed and I haven't heard of any reported.
    
>>>    How late in the season was the pond frozen?
   
       I'd have trouble with an exact date but it was certainly later
       than normal due to the cold winter.
 
>>>    How deep is the pond at its deepest point?
   
       As I recall from my fish finder there are holes of up to 30'
 
>>>    What kind of vegetation surrounds the pond? How close to the middle of
>>>    the pond does the vegetation grow?

       As to the vegetation on shore it is approx. 70% wooded with the rest 
       being home lots. Of these home lots few are developed at the waters 
       edge so it tends to support bushes...

       As for water vegetation there are heavy areas of lily pads but still
       the vast majority of the water is open. There are some pads that extend
       to the center of the pond.
     
    
>>>    A 12-inch LM bass is not a particularly large fish. 

       I suspect I didn't word that well enough. 12" and up would be more
       appropriate. Last year I pulled a 3 1/2 ponder out of there and
       took a 2 1/2 pounder through the ice this past winter.
    
>>>    How big is the pond? 

       Gee I don't know the acreage. It is shaped like a horse shoe,(thus
       the name). With my 7 hp motor on a 12' aluminum row boat it takes me
       approx. 8 minutes to go end to end,(what a lousy form of measurement).
       Perhaps someone else knows this answer.

>>>    How many snappers does it support?

       Don't know! I've had one take my bait once but haven't seen much
       besides that...just hear plenty of stories about them.
    
>>>    Has your fishing technique changed at all?
   
       No it's still bad :-)
       Seriously though nothing has changed. I fish with both live
       bait and crank baits. Same boat,(sadly). Same times,(all different
       times).
 
       About the only thing I forgot to mention was the pond supporting
       Horn Pout,(sp?). This has been and continues to be good fishing.
 
       Chet

    I would guess that cold winter and thick ice with snow on a 
    shallow pond might result in winter kill from lack of oxygen
    and you are seeing recovery of small and forage fish.
    
    this is a guess.
    

    Well, I can't even speculate. There are far too many variables to
    hazard a guess, really. I would have to take a look at it, and even
    then there are often no overt clues as to what would change the
    character of the fishery.
    
    As exotic species go, lm bass are among the hardiest. (Only carp are
    tougher.) The apparent drop in pickerel population is just as
    mysterious. They can usually do well even in areas where lm bass fail
    to thrive due to low DO levels, and they should be doing well with a
    boom in the sunfish population and the still flourishing bullhead
    population.
    
    Nothing you've said suggests a systemic problem. 
    
    Of course, all of the big fish *could* simply have been caught and kept
    while they were riding their nests by some out-of-work parent looking
    to feed his or her family. That just about did in the Canada Goose
    population in the 1930's, and NH has an economic problem that could
    provide the same situation for some unlucky souls.
    
    
    John H-C

    "That just about did in the Canada goose population..."
    
    Yea, and those nasty F&G boys did _nothing_ to protect them!  Why there
    almost extinct now.
    
 
    Jeff

 WADR, it is 60 years later.

      Mr. H-C in a previous note stated that the F&G does little to 
    protect endangered species.  Apparently they were able to save 
    the geese given current populations.
    
    But it is nice to know you can add.
    
    Jeff

    Maybe you SHOULD change your fishing habits. It would stand to reason
    that with the drastic drop in water level, fish would relocate to other
    areas (deeper?). Check the neearest dropoffs to where your fishing you
    may find the largemouths holed up there.  Everyone is so quick to say
    fish kill, yet you claim to be catching good size crappies. I would
    think they would be as susceptable to this as others.

    My 2 cents

    Shawn

     

>      Mr. H-C in a previous note stated that the F&G does little to 
>    protect endangered species.

 That comment was made in reference to the Masschusetts F&G governing
body. I didn't see him state an opinion regarding the NH F&G, but if his
opinion is the same then he's just plain wrong because the NH F&G has
special programs dedicated entirely to non-game and also to endangered/
threatened species.

>Apparently they were able to save 
>    the geese given current populations.

 That's not exactly a fair comparison for two reasons. First, geese are
migratory animals and as such are only partially under the control of any
one state's F&G dept. And second, over a period of 60 years _major_
fluctuations in the population of a particular species may occur.
Wild turkeys WERE "extinct" in NH for decades. Due to restocking, they
are making a comeback. But they don't have the same genes that the
original flock had. And that's not exactly a good thing.

>    But it is nice to know you can add.

 Yeah, too bad I can't catch fish. Had a 0-fer last night, fishing off
the beach. Water was delightfully warm, though, as a result of the east
wind. Easily 70�, and maybe even more. Only two strikes to show for it,
though.

 The Doctah

	for a lack of a better place to ask these questions...

	are there any areas other than the boat ramp area that offers some
	shoreline fishing to horsehoe pond?  
	are there any other ponds in merrimack that have decent shoreline
	fishing? 
	are there any live bait shops in merrimack? 
	
	I'd like to take my 5 year old fishing but we don't have a boat,
	and even though he can fish with lures i think he'd enjoy it more
	if he caught a few fish....

	can anyone help me out a bit?

	thanks,

	Denny

>>>	are there any areas other than the boat ramp area that offers some
>>>	shoreline fishing to horsehoe pond?  

        There are a couple of spots that require walking down the 
        rail road tracks or down the embankment odd DW Hwy. The ramp
        area really is a good spot for the kids though!

>>>	are there any live bait shops in merrimack? 

        NO :-( Worms can be picked up at either Mobil station or at 
        the Apple Tree,(think that's the name), store right down the
        road. Shiners & sometimes craw fish can be obtained from MVP 
        on 101A. If anyone knows of other places for shiners please 
        let me know! 
	
>>>	I'd like to take my 5 year old fishing but we don't have a boat,
>>>	and even though he can fish with lures i think he'd enjoy it more
>>>	if he caught a few fish....

        Worms from shore and he'll be happy.

        chet
    

    Both Lake Naticook and the Merrimack River have accessable shoreline.
    
    Baboosic Lake has some waterfront accessable to residients I think.
    
    Pennichuck Brook (south of 101) has a few spots.
    
    The Souhegan River has a ton of accessable shoreline.  There's a little
    pond behind (the restaraunt's name is escaping me at the moment, on
    101a, lots of ferns, etc)
    
    I'm not even that familiar with Merrimack, these are what I'd consider 
    obvious spots, I'm sure there are many others.
    
    Pickup a Delorme Atlas and a Clark's Fishing Guide.  There's plenty of
    water out there.  Better yet, pickup a canoe and even more opportunities 
    will open up.
    
    County Store on Milford on 101a always has live bait, but that may be a
    little out of the way.  But the gerb is right, if all you want to do is
    have fun with the kids catching panfish, worms will do fine.
    
    good luck, -donmac

	thanks for the tips guys....i'll have to try and get him out
	there sometime this weekend....hopefully he'll catch a few..

	Denny	

    Here's a wild theory.
    
    Lower water levels may have made it easier for the predators to nail
    the larger fish. Between otters, herons, and occasional Osprey, plus
    the regular snappers, etc., the lower water concentrates the fish to a
    point where it's "like shooting fish... as far as the predators go. 
    
    I have had a similar problem with my pond and have seen it on a friend's
    pond as well -  Herons for some reason start spearing fish and throwing
    the bodeis up on shore. I don't know what causes this bizarre behavior
    - catching more than they can or even want to eat with no C&R....
    
    Another possibility might have to do with reduced oxygen content in the
    lower water levels.....
    
    Couple of things to think about anyway...