Moving Bass

I have about 5 Acres worth of stocked and managed ponds that are going to be filled in in less than a year due to the land being purchased for development of a country club. I plan on fishing these ponds and transplanting many of the bass and other species to one or several ponds near me. Where are the best places to look for ponds to introduce new fish where they will survive as well as not destroy the ecosystem of that pond? What is the best way to transport and release them? And when is the best time to do this? If anyone has anything they want to add that I didnt ask please post it, anything helps! Thanks yall!

I would like to add; that I would really enjoy getting in on the catching part. I would be willing to pay my part of purchasing and developing the tanks, aeration systems and transport to near by private facilities.

Although, I am sure there are much more efficient ways of harvesting all the species that are in those ponds. Stax here on the forum will have a great wealth of knowledge on this subject, as he manages may private waters.

There is a pond/tank/private waters subforum at the bottom of the forum directory, and if you go post there, there are a dozen amazing guys with tons of info on anything and everything you need. There is also a pond management facility on the way out to Muenster lake, right by Muenster Texas, might give them a ring as well.

Thanks both of yall!
Donald: it might be a good little drive from you to me, I'm out in Tomball/magnolia

Hayden, I moved many a bass back in the day using a 120 qt Igloo Ice Chest, a 12V car battery and and aerator, + salt or a good chemical like Catch and Release.

I only had to move them 60 miles and never lost a fish. HOWEVER, I only moved fish with this method in the fall through the spring. Average daily highs would be in the 70's and lows typically in the 50's.

It's waaaaay too hot to be moving fish right now. Too much stress on the fish with high water temps and low dissolved oxygen levels. Unless you had one of the professional-style fish trucks.

As for where to put them, that's a tough one. If you could find some new ponds that had been stocked with bait like bluegills and fathead minnows but no predator species, those would be ideal. Really hard to say on other ponds that are mature without water quality, forage density, vegetation coverage and other species of fish present.

If any of the fish from your ponds are stunted, have a fish fry with those. Take the healthy ones to another pond with suitable forage and habitat.

Fouz is correct. Many many variables to consider when determining the "Right" pond to put them in. Easier to tell you what not to put them in.

Avoid ponds with:
-more than like 50% vegetation coverage
-less than 3 to 4 ft average depth (usually the cause of overly abundant vegetation)
-very muddy water (caused by nuisance species or water quality issues)
-very clear water (>24 inches of visibility in the summer = low productivity)

The distance you plan to move them matters too; there might be some regulations to dance around if they're moving a long ways. You'd have to check with A&M's Extension fisheries specialists or TPWD biologists because I'm not up on Texas' rules.

Thanks
I'm really wanting to put them in several ponds not just one, dont want to over crowd or throw anything off in the ponds. The ponds I'm taking from are VERY healthy ponds. The owner has spent a good chunk of change to get them this way. Anything that I can do to scout a good pond for these fish is great!

PR bass from both ponds and a decent little war mouth from one of them

Hayden,
You might try contacting John Jones at Lochow Ranch Pond & Lake Management (979) 703-7988 up in College Station. They have several electro shock boats and all the equipment to transport fish. I noticed you shirt in the pic and John and his entire crew are Aggies. They manage ponds all over the area and might be willing to help a fellow Ag out. I had them manage some ranch ponds for me for several years and they are great guys. Explain to them what's going on and that the fish are probably going to be lost if they don't get moved. They can also do a spot analysis of the ponds to see if they could support the population being moved. Hope you can work something out! Good luck.

Well.....roughly a decade or so ago I and my cohorts at the Texas Aquaculture Association got laws passed to make this legal. Prior to that it would be illegal to capture and transfer alive over the road, any largemouth bass, even from one ranch to another owned by the same person.

Recently we found that TPWD is interpreting this law such that it would now again be considered illegal to transfer alive, largemouth bass over public roads from one location to another.

There are two ways to handle this, ask for a permit and/or permission to do this from TPWD and take a chance on both spilling the beans of your intent and being denied, then watched to see that you don't do it. Or, just do it and if you get caught (highly unlikely) then plead ignorance and beg forgiveness.

Thirdly, if caught take the case to court, which is what needs to happen anyhow in order to define the situation for everybody.

We (the citizenry) work to have laws changed that make no sense and when we do so, the regulatory authorities refuse to recognize the change until forced to do so in court.

Very much a legal gray area right now.

I've moved a lot of bass from ponds to ponds and suggest:

1) do it only when cool weather is present...fall, winter, spring...and avoid exposing them to direct sunlight.

2) don't try to do it all at once, i.e. don't put too many in your container, the fewer the better.

3) the same techniques that live bait guys use work just fine on bass...just don't overcrowd.

I suppose the zebra mussel fears are behind TP&W concerns in this area. If you make sure that you aren't transporting the original water, there should be know problem with TP&W. I think I would take a couple of pictures to offer anyone who might raise an objection.

Thanks again, there is a strict date set for us to be off poperty so it will have to get done probably this winter