In order to create the perfect management plan, you need to take an inventory of what you already have.

Fish Population Analysis is made up of three main ingredients- Electrofishing, Trapnetting, and Angler Surveys.

Electrofishing is a specialized boat we use to temporarily stun fish in an electric field fairly close to the boat. All fish collected are analyzed and then returned back to the pond. At the owners request, we also tag a handful of the collected fish!  We have learned how to accurately assess fish populations based off of our electrofishing results. Important factors to consider when electrofishing are the time of year, the time of day, the conductivity of the water, the barometric pressure, the weather, the shoreline, and the depths.

Costs for Electrofishing Surveys depend on the location and size of the lake. Regular clients and properties with multiple lakes receive quantity discounts. Our most popular package is the Full Lake Audit.

Trapnetting is setting up commercial fishing nets from the edge of the pond. The fish swimming around the pond eventually end up trapped in the net. We leave the nets out overnight, and collect and analyze the fish the very next day. At the owners request, we also tag a handful of the collected fish! Time of the year is critical for effective trapnetting surveys. Costs for Trapnetting Surveys depend on the location and size of the pond. We often use trapnetting surveys along with electrofishing and angler surveys.

Angler Surveys are an extremely important factor in determining population analysis. On larger subdivision lakes, we can typically assess the entire fish population by having all the anglers fill out one of our custom surveys. Tracking data every year is key to monitoring the population dynamics, creating slot limits, and restrictions. Cost of angler surveys depends on location, size, and participation.