Goldfish

[Bill Loser]

Thanks for all the input.
I think for now I'm going to try to get some predatory fish to put in. I don't think I'm concerned so much about totally eradicating them all, just controlling the population. They are fun to catch on an ultralight setup. Some get pretty big, the oldest boy caught one that was 15" .

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Do you just throw the goldfish on shore when you catch them with fishing gear or do you do something else with them?

Based on your picture, I bet you could catch a lot if you had one of those large throwable nets that the ocean fishing guys use to catch schools of baitfish. Some of those big nets appear to have a 20' wide span, so you could catch a lot with one throw. You wouldn't kill them all, but I bet you could thin them out pretty well.

 

[Bill Loser]

Do you just throw the goldfish on shore when you catch them with fishing gear or do you do something else with them?

Based on your picture, I bet you could catch a lot if you had one of those large throwable nets that the ocean fishing guys use to catch schools of baitfish. Some of those big nets appear to have a 20' wide span, so you could catch a lot with one throw. You wouldn't kill them all, but I bet you could thin them out pretty well.

Usually throw them in the garden. We actually have one of those umbrella nets. Either I canbt throw it for sh#* or they are fast as hell because we have caught maybe a dozen that way.

 

[Tree Spud]

Thanks for all the input.
I think for now I'm going to try to get some predatory fish to put in. I don't think I'm concerned so much about totally eradicating them all, just controlling the population. They are fun to catch on an ultralight setup. Some get pretty big, the oldest boy caught one that was 15" .

Let me know where you get the predatory fish, they are hard to find.

 

[Telemark]

Thanks for all the input.
I think for now I'm going to try to get some predatory fish to put in. I don't think I'm concerned so much about totally eradicating them all, just controlling the population. They are fun to catch on an ultralight setup. Some get pretty big, the oldest boy caught one that was 15" .

You need to test your water first. Goldfish are notorious for producing and tolerating high levels of nitrogenous waste that are not tolerated by most North American species.

 

[The Fishman]

If you are only wanting to reduce their numbers, a cast net would allow you to quickly get a few hundred to a few thousand out of there in a few minutes as tight as they are. If you have never thrown one before, I would suggest a 4' or 5' net and a couple of YouTube videos. Anything bigger than that is going to have a fairly high learning curve. A 4' net would cost you less than $25.

 

[Catscratch]

Goldfish are outstanding flathead bait. Sell those things for bait and make a fortune. Build yourself a different pond with the proceeds!

 

[Lucky_P]

1/4 acre? Holy crap. I'd just kill 'em out with rotenone and be done with it. It'll have no long-term ill effects - heck, you can even eat rotenone-killed fish... cooking breaks down any rotenone that might be in the flesh (been there, done that).
You say the bass and bluegill are gone... get 'er done and get a fresh new start restocking with bluegill and then largemouths.
I kinda get the idea that pussyfooting around trying to net/trap or introduce a few predator fish (that may not survive the transplant) is not gonna take care of this problem.

 

[Mike O]

Last post was over a year old, can the original poster please fill us in on what he ended up doing here? I am dying for an update.