# Wild Pond Fish



## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

Anyone have a pond where they keep native fish such as perch and bluegill?

or anyone know fish farm that supply fish for pond stocking other than trout?

Thanks,

Tom


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

teek said:


> Anyone have a pond where they keep native fish such as perch and bluegill?
> 
> or anyone know fish farm that supply fish for pond stocking other than trout?
> 
> ...


I have 2 blue gills but they are in my aquarium


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## shadow_cruiser (Jan 26, 2010)

You can get really nice goldfish in a small creek (or channel) on Wolfedale/Burnhamthorpe in Mississauga. They are invasive species so its not illegal taking them. Someone dumped a whole bunch of feeder fish in there and they all grew to 8-10 inches. They are all different colours, quite nice actually. There must be over a hundred in there because as soon as you step in with boots, they are flooding your feet.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

carp native to canada you say? Goldfish? They're a native species?


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## Jsu (Dec 4, 2009)

Why buy from fish farm when you can use a hook and a line to fish them out of the water. perch and bluegills are everywhere. I use to have 6 baby bass that are about 2 to 4 inch in a 25 gal years ago. Now they are fun to watch.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

Im also thinking about stocking my pond with a few interesting natives as opposed to koi and goldies. Longear sunfish being at the top of my list.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

shadow_cruiser said:


> You can get really nice goldfish in a small creek (or channel) on Wolfedale/Burnhamthorpe in Mississauga. They are invasive species so its not illegal taking them. Someone dumped a whole bunch of feeder fish in there and they all grew to 8-10 inches. They are all different colours, quite nice actually. There must be over a hundred in there because as soon as you step in with boots, they are flooding your feet.


Holy carp! 

I think I'll be interested in getting some after I dig out the pond section.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Native species are illlleeeegaaaalllllllll

Just so you know.


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## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

shadow_cruiser said:


> You can get really nice goldfish in a small creek (or channel) on Wolfedale/Burnhamthorpe in Mississauga. They are invasive species so its not illegal taking them. Someone dumped a whole bunch of feeder fish in there and they all grew to 8-10 inches. They are all different colours, quite nice actually. There must be over a hundred in there because as soon as you step in with boots, they are flooding your feet.


Thanks for the tip

Do you mean Dundas and Wolfedale, i checked goggle maps and don't see any creeks at Burnhamthorpe.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

Chris S said:


> Native species are illlleeeegaaaalllllllll
> 
> Just so you know.


Common misconception. They are legal if collected properly, with the right licenses and methods .

Of course, endangered or threatened species always have to be released.

More than that, people who collect the fish legally and have the right permits can sell them to you legally.

I contacted the MNR regarding the issue some time ago to plan for this summer .


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Perhaps I am mistaken, but the law used to be that you needed a special educational permit to keep native fish.

If I'm not mistaken, last summer the laws changed to baitfish only (limit of 120 I believe), and a recreational licence is needed for that.

I'm pretty sure you can't even keep a sunfish as a pet legally.


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

agreed. I am pretty sure that Chris S has it right.


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## shadow_cruiser (Jan 26, 2010)

teek said:


> Thanks for the tip
> 
> Do you mean Dundas and Wolfedale, i checked goggle maps and don't see any creeks at Burnhamthorpe.


Just across from the Rogers building on Wolfedale/Burnhamthorpe, there's a storm drain run off. To get in there, you absolutely need rubber boots and have to go through lots of bush. Here it is in google street view. You'll see there's a black trench in front of those two sport posters, inside there is where the fish reside. I've used these fish in my pond for years. I don't tell many people because if the city see's people digging through there all the time, they will be wondering what's going on

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...=mtpxB8hHwwjEf6piC6va8A&cbp=13,214.53,,0,3.42


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## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

Went down there today and no luck .. i checked the whole creek on the west side of Wolfedale and found nothing

thanks anyways though


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

I may have misunderstood her but I don't think so. Not a big deal to ask again either way. It is definitely illegal to take them with a normal angling license but if you have the right credentials Im pretty sure it's ok.


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## shadow_cruiser (Jan 26, 2010)

teek said:


> Went down there today and no luck .. i checked the whole creek on the west side of Wolfedale and found nothing
> 
> thanks anyways though


Did you actually go in the water or just look from above?. That water is VERY dirty and lots of plants to see anything from above.


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## teek (Mar 15, 2010)

Didn't go into the water but did go right down to the edge of the creek. Water was crystal clear so I could see the bottom which wasn't very deep.

Have you been there recently?


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## shadow_cruiser (Jan 26, 2010)

teek said:


> Didn't go into the water but did go right down to the edge of the creek. Water was crystal clear so I could see the bottom which wasn't very deep.
> 
> Have you been there recently?


I haven't been there recently but I go there every mid-summer to pick up pond fish for myself and friends. I've been going the last 6 years and last summer was my most recent visit. Maybe its the time of the season?. I don't know, hopefully the fish haven't died out but I'll be going late June which is when I always go


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## bluegill (Jan 5, 2010)

shark said:


> I have 2 blue gills but they are in my aquarium


how big are the bluegills ??
are they not aggressive ?? what other fish do you have there with them ??

what do you feed them ??

thanks


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## bluegill (Jan 5, 2010)

Cory said:


> Common misconception. They are legal if collected properly, with the right licenses and methods .
> 
> Of course, endangered or threatened species always have to be released.
> 
> ...


the sports fish count as a part of your possesion limit


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

bluegill said:


> how big are the bluegills ??
> are they not aggressive ?? what other fish do you have there with them ??
> 
> what do you feed them ??
> ...


I have bichirs, cichlids, a eel and some catfish with them. They are pretty aggressive and are fed krill and cichlid pellets. I got them around 2" and one is 4" and the other is pushing to around 5". They are about 1.5-2" in diameter.


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## bluegill (Jan 5, 2010)

shark said:


> I have bichirs, cichlids, a eel and some catfish with them. They are pretty aggressive and are fed krill and cichlid pellets. I got them around 2" and one is 4" and the other is pushing to around 5". They are about 1.5-2" in diameter.


what is the temperature ??
you have a mix of coldwater and tropical fish.
how big is your tank ??
thanks


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

bluegill said:


> what is the temperature ??
> you have a mix of coldwater and tropical fish.
> how big is your tank ??
> thanks


well i have the water at 77 degrees and in with tropical fish in a 65 gallon tank.


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## bluegill (Jan 5, 2010)

shark said:


> well i have the water at 77 degrees and in with tropical fish in a 65 gallon tank.


wow, those bluegill can tolerate warm temps !!


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## mauve (Apr 12, 2010)

The law prohibiting keeping local fish as pets does not make any sense, what is better keeping and learning more about a species or catching and making stew, as many folks do with sunfish caought in High Park?
Some sunfish a quite stunning and I often think of keeping a pair.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Whether the intent is there or not, the law essentially keeps people like you from keeping them as pets, and then when they are bored with them, reintroducing them into the wild where certain aquarium/tropical strains of virus/disease and bacteria can also be introduced into the wild population.

It is a good law, one I agree with and one that exists to protect our environment.


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Chris S said:


> Whether the intent is there or not, the law essentially keeps people like you from keeping them as pets, and then when they are bored with them, reintroducing them into the wild where certain aquarium/tropical strains of virus/disease and bacteria can also be introduced into the wild population.


So if you eat it once you're bored with it, that's ok


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## Darkside (Sep 14, 2009)

You can apply for a permit its not that hard to get.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

AquariAM said:


> So if you eat it once you're bored with it, that's ok


Yup! Or feed it to the cat


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Darkside said:


> You can apply for a permit its not that hard to get.


The permit is essentially for acquisition and transportation. Technically, there is no law against keeping native fish in an aquarium for personal use/education. To transport them or acquire them you need to apply for a permit (which you would technically need to do to get them home!). I believe this permit is actually free too.

The other option is the get a scientific collecting licence.


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## mauve (Apr 12, 2010)

Is the "law" stopping douchebags introducing invasive species into our lakes and rivers? NO, so there is nothing to debate really. 
Ultimately it is up to one's conscience....


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

mauve said:


> Is the "law" stopping douchebags introducing invasive species into our lakes and rivers? NO, so there is nothing to debate really.
> Ultimately it is up to one's conscience....


I kept many a garter and dekay's snake as a kid.


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

A lot of well intentioned laws make no sense or very little. I imagine the main reason the laws exist is to maintain some measure of control and monitoring of our fisheries. Anyways, the consensus here now seems to agree with my statement that you can keep them with the right licenses so go get what you need and even if it costs ya a bit extra remember that it will go towards protecting our lakes and rivers!


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

Hypothetically speaking, bluegills would make a fantastic addition to a deep water pond. If you want cichlids outdoors- there you go. 

I'm not suggesting it. I'm just saying, hypothetically, that it's a fantastic alternative to koi with all the included benefits including the ability to keep them outdoors year round.

Again... Just hypothetically. Like it'd be cool to have giraffes in your back yard or a pet velociraptor.


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## shadow_cruiser (Jan 26, 2010)

Just went to the "creek" today I was talking about in a earlier post. The water is waaaayyyy too low and not enough insects for any pond fish to habitat in there. Best time would be mid-summer like I said earlier, late June. I'll be going again this year and will take pics when I'm there.

P.S. - I went down stream to the deeper parts and the water was still too shallow. Around late June, the water will be 3-4 feet deep.


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

shadow_cruiser said:


> Just went to the "creek" today I was talking about in a earlier post. The water is waaaayyyy too low and not enough insects for any pond fish to habitat in there. Best time would be mid-summer like I said earlier, late June. I'll be going again this year and will take pics when I'm there.
> 
> P.S. - I went down stream to the deeper parts and the water was still too shallow. Around late June, the water will be 3-4 feet deep.


what "creek" did you go to?


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## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

The bluegills in the Don Valley Brickworks are out and about now. They take awhile to come up but if you have food you can catch a glimpse of them. Nice bullhead catfish there too.

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n88/111olbap/?action=view&current=100_6280.flv

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n88/111olbap/?action=view&current=100_6276.flv

Despite the extremely embarassing narration I'll post these for you. I made them to show a friend the ponds back in 2007... "Oh, Catfish"..  .. Ehem..

Anyways, you can see from the video it's crawling with bluegill sunfish. The goldfish have been 'removed' by the city. The bluegills still appreciate the food and will come right up to you. They're 2 feet under me in the second video.


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