Come along with us on this 2 minute ride as we finish out our fall 2019 fish stocking! It’s not too early to get on our schedule for spring 2020. Get in touch with us today!
Fall 2019 Pond Audit and Electrofishing Tour
Over the past couple of weeks we had a break in our other activities allowing us to conduct pond audits with electrofishing across eastern Iowa. After each outing our customers were able to see firsthand what fish species and sizes they have in their ponds. Over time we have found that a pond owner’s “best hunch” of what is in their pond rarely matches reality and each outing revealed interesting data. We addressed size and populations of each fish species and concerns about invasive vegetation, leaving each owner with a stocking and harvest plan and education on controlling unwanted plant species.
We met a lot of new people, saw some great ponds, and had a lot of fun. A pond audit with electrofishing is the best way to learn about the fish population and overall health of your pond. Contact us via our Online form or Or call (319) 350-2918.
The Heat is On—Will Your Pond Keep Its Cool? Summer was slow to arrive but in the upper midwest it is certainly here. We have had long stretches where daytime temperatures have been in the mid to high 90s with high overnight temps as well—high enough that pond water temps have been climbing fast.
While warm water is great for swimming and recreation it contributes to the explosive growth of unwanted vegetation and stress on fish due to low oxygen levels.
Just like humans, fish require oxygen (in the form of dissolved oxygen) to survive. Your lake’s or pond’s dissolved oxygen requirements are highest in the summer when water temperatures reach into the 80s and 90s. Higher temperatures reduce water’s ability to hold oxygen creating conditions that can lead to fish kills. Dead (and dying) vegetation like algae use large volumes of oxygen as material decays and is digested by bacteria. Oxygen depletion leaves fish and other aquatic organisms with very little of what they need to survive.
We have been monitoring ponds all over the midwest that have been taken over by vegetation such as Water Meal, Chara, Duck Weed, Filamentous Algae, Coontail or even Cattails. Having pond vegetation is good—to a point. But, when the plant material starts covering most of your water surface, bad things—like plummeting dissolved oxygen levels—can happen.
We often go back to the four basic methods of dealing with explosive vegetation growth:
- Preventative measures
- Mechanical removal
- Biological removal
- Algaecides, herbicides, dyes, and beneficial bacteria to slow growth
In addition to taking measures to reduce aggressive vegetation growth, you may want to seriously consider an aeration program to ensure your fish are getting the oxygen they need.
Bjornsen Pond Management can help keep your pond in good health. We have the products and expertise to help your pond “keep its cool.” Check out our pond vegetation control products, PondFit Beneficial Pond Bacteria, aeration systems, and mechanical tools that will help make short work of your pond cleaning tasks. And, of course, you can always ask us specific questions online or call (319) 350-2918! We are always eager to help!
Spring 2019 Pond Audit and Electrofishing Tour
Over the past couple of months we conducted pond audits with electrofishing in ponds all over Iowa. Our customers (Home Owners Associations, campgrounds, and private pond owners) were able to see firsthand what fish species and sizes they have in their ponds allowing us to provide stocking and harvest plans that will help them reach their goals. Concerns over invasive vegetation were also addressed with a bit of education and mitigation plans for the control of unwanted plant species.
We met a lot of new people, saw some great ponds, and had a lot of fun. A pond audit with electrofishing is the best way to learn about the fish population and overall health of your pond. Contact us via our Online form or Or call (319) 350-2918.
It’s Time to Feed Your Fish
A lot of things about pond management can be very complicated—pond vegetation control, and keeping your fish population in a healthy balance to name a couple. But growing trophy sized fish can come down to a simple fact. Feeding a high-quality fish food like Purina® Aquamax® (Largemouth, MVP, 400, 500, 600) will help your fishery become the thing of legends. Bjornsen Pond Management recommends and sells the complete Aquamax product line. We have years of history with Aquamax, feeding it to fish in our own ponds.
When we design a custom feeding program for you, we emphasize the following:
- There is a significant difference in the quality of commercially available fish foods. Many are full of bulk fillers—fillers that will not contribute significantly to the growth of your fish. Aquamax fish foods are high in protein for fast muscle growth.
- There is really no such thing as “one size fits all” fish food. We feed various sizes of food—smaller pellets for panfish, and jumbo “largemouth” pellets for bigger fish. It is a fact—big fish want big food. We see this every day as we run different pellet sizes in feeders side-by-side. Smaller fish are attracted to the smaller pellets. While big Bass and Catfish devour the large pellets.
- We inventory Aquamax in our shop, and we strive to have food available to you at all times. You can pick up your bags directly from us, or we can ship bags to you.
- Feed consistently. If you follow our feeding plan, the growth of your fish will follow.
It’s Time to Feed Your Fish!
Free Shipping On All EasyPro Aeration Systems!
We are now offering free shipping on all EasyPro Aeration Systems! This is quite a savings as many of these systems are large and heavy.
Consider these positive affects of aeration:
- Fish require adequate dissolved oxygen levels. It is challenging for them to survive in an oxygen-deprived habitat, especially as water temperatures climb. Deeper, colder areas of your pond contain higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen. Aeration will distribute that cooler, oxygen rich water to areas of warmer water breaking down stratification in the water column. Aeration allows fish to inhabit the entire lake as opposed to only a specific stratified layer.
- Proper aeration will improve water quality. In oxygen deprived (anoxic) conditions, bottom sediments release various gases and metals that can cause water quality problems. Aeration will allow for many of the factors contributing to poor water quality to be released at pond’s surface.
- Aeration will reduce Phosphorus concentrations. Phosphorus is one main culprit in creating and sustaining large algae blooms. Once phosphorus enters a pond’s ecosystem it is very difficult to remove.
- Adequate aeration will break down unwanted bacteria.
- Aeration removes foul odors by circulating the water and adding dissolved oxygen.
- Aeration helps with mosquito problems.
Today is a great time to add more aeration to your pond. Remember, Bjornsen Pond Management is offering Free Shipping On All EasyPro Aeration Systems!
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Attend our 2019 Pond Information Meeting (free) and take your pond to the next level!
Kevin Bjornsen of Bjornsen Pond Management will be appearing Thursday April 25, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at a free pond information meeting at Fin & Feather, Iowa City, Iowa.
This is a great opportunity to meet with Kevin and ask him any questions you may have regarding:
- Electrofishing
- Vegetation control and water quality
- Aeration
- Fish stocking and fisheries management
- Land management including wildlife habitat enhancement and nuisance species control
Also appearing will be Nate Herman of Herman Brothers and a guest speaker from Fin & Feather’s fishing department.
Mark your calendar for April 25th!
Fin & Feather Location: 125 Highway 1 W, Iowa City, IA 52246
Bjornsen Pond Management will be attending the 2019 Eastern Iowa Shortshow, March 15-17, 2019 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The snow is melting and the ice is going out! And, this is the perfect time to bring your questions to our team. Pond audits with electrofishing and fish stocking are the current hot topics. We are also fielding many questions about pond vegetation control, fish feeding, and the addition of recreational water features like docks and swim pads.
As always, you can contact us via our Online form or call (319) 350-2918. Or, better yet, come visit with us at the 2019 Eastern Iowa Sportshow.
Bjornsen Pond Management will be traveling to central Iowa to exhibit at the 2019 Iowa Deer Classic Show, March 1-3, 2019 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa. We have participated in this show in the past and it has always been a great show. We had the opportunity to meet with so many of you last year and we look forward to catching up with you again. And, of course, we also forward to meeting new pond and fishing enthusiasts.
What is happening under your ice?
Come visit with Kevin Bjornsen from Bjornsen Pond Management to talk about what is likely happening under the ice on your pond this winter and what you can expect to see this spring when the ice goes out. A warm early winter—followed by record cold temps—followed by record snowfall has created an interesting challenge for pond owners and managers. Warm spring temperatures will give us all a glimpse of what we will be dealing with as we go from spring into summer. Kevin would love to meet with you and to learn about your concerns—whether it be fish populations, explosive weed growth, or pond enhancements for the warmer months ahead.
If you can’t make the 2019 Iowa Deer Classic show, we will be at others in eastern Iowa in upcoming weeks:
- Eastern Iowa Sportshow, March 15-17, 2019, UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa
We are putting our schedule together now for pond audits with electrofishing, and fish stocking for Spring 2019. Contact us via our Online form or Or call (319) 350-2918 to reserve your spot on our schedule! Or, better yet, give us a call and come visit with us at the 2019 Iowa Deer Classic show in Des Moines.
We look forward to meeting with you at the 2019 Iowa Deer Classic show and getting to know you and your pond needs!
The Bjornsen Pond Management team is looking forward to spring and will be attending the 2019 Cedar Rapids Sportshow, February 8-10, 2019 at Hawkeye Downs Expo Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Let’s get together to talk ponds, lakes, and fish—anything to get us past this blast of winter! While it may not feel like it now, spring really is on its way.
We are putting our electrofishing schedule together for Spring 2019. Contact us via our Online form or Or call (319) 350-2918 to reserve your spot on our schedule! Or, better yet, give us a call and come visit with us at the 2019 Cedar Rapids Sportshow.
And, if you can’t make the Cedar Rapids show, we will be at others in central and eastern Iowa:
- Iowa Deer Classic, March 1-3, 2019, Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, Iowa
- Eastern Iowa Sportshow, March 15-17, 2019, UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa
We look forward to meeting with you at the 2019 Cedar Rapids Sportshow and getting to know you and your pond needs!