Pond spawning habitat

I see brush piles and Christmas trees sitting on ice-covered ponds in the winter. When the ice thaws it falls in and creates habitat for fish.

Adding structure to water is important to maintain the balance of large and small fishes. They're not too picky. Piles of concrete blocks, bundles of brush – just about anything will do for a nesting area. A lot of pond owners raise catfish, which like to hide and lay eggs in hollow logs on the bottom.

Neil Vanderbosch with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says another priority for a good spawning habitat is water clarity.

"Watch your runoff that's going into the pond, where's your water source, would be important. I've heard of people, they get too much algae so they want to treat that algae with chemicals and things like that and you've got to watch out, you could have an oxygen drop if you're using herbicides or algaecides in there, things like that," he says. "Runoff from your property into the pond gets sediment and nutrients coming in there so you want to protect your water quality."

The soil under the pond is something else to consider. The pond may be sitting on clay, which creates a mucky bottom. Bass, bluegill, and other panfish like to lay eggs in sandy, gravelly areas.

"They're able to work their way down through quite a bit of soft sediment, but you know, if there's nothing down there below it, it's hard to create that sandy area in a man-made pond," says Vanderbosch. "Usually bluegills and sunfish will find a way to spawn, but that's the main criteria for panfish spawning."

A good spawning habitat also includes the right balance of vegetation. It provides a home for insects and other creatures in the panfish food chain and creates cover for the young fry. However, you don't want too much vegetation, or anglers will find it difficult to fish the pond.