backyard trout

Bill Monroe · 03-17-2004, 08:10 AM

I'm not sure where to ask this, but does anyone out there have any experience with trout in their yards? We're about to landscape and I want a stream going around a firepit area and ending in a pond into which I'd like to put some fish, preferably trout. By pumping the water back through a labyrinth of pipes in the ground, I think I can keep it cool enough even in the summer. We'll plant shade trees, too. I'll probably build the stream to keep the trout from going up it, just to protect them from cats and critters.
Has anyone tried this? Sound a little too whacky? I'm going to look at a friend's koi pond and stream setup to get some ideas, but would like all the advice I can get....thanks

7066 · 03-17-2004, 08:20 AM

I have a small trout pond I have had in my back yard for about 5 years. I have it built at the base of a hill with a water fall that runs down the hill and into the pond. Works pretty good very low mortality rate.

3riversBob · 03-17-2004, 08:29 AM

My grandparents had a small pond with trout when I was a kid. (a long, long time ago) Grandma would keep a couple of 4-6" inchers when we were trout fishing Ten Miles lakes and hide them in her thermos bottle, bring them home and turn them loose in the pond. They had several steelhead size trout until the racoons found out. Grandma's been gone for a long time but the memory will last for ever with me. Let us know how it works out for you and maybe post a picture of the stream when you are done. I'd love to see it.

Bob

greenbuttskunk · 03-17-2004, 08:30 AM

the tough thing will be keeping the Herons away. They are very efficient hunters. Sounds like it should work if you keep it cool enough with some shade. They can be feed pellets too. I'd suggest browns, they can endure warmer water. You can also buy species that will not breed spawn, so they will live a better life in this kind of artificial environment.
GBS

judyfish99 · 03-17-2004, 08:36 AM

Bill, remember Indian Springs fishing pond off of Springwater road in Carver? They had to close down because the wife had health issues. Used to take my daughter there. They (the Rumgays) may have some good info, like where to buy the trout, ect. for you. I sure wish it was open again. I know a lot of fathers and moms like to start out thier kids fishing there. Maybe Mr. Rumgay will tell you the story about the stuck duck in the drainage pipe(I was there)

.Hope this helps. [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] judyfish99

Ras · 03-17-2004, 08:36 AM

Bill;

You might contact David Douglas High School. About 2 years ago they built a stream and putting green (big golfing school) in their courtyard. The instructor overseeing the project, as well as a couple of students, had expressed an interest adding trout, which they may have done by now.

Please keep us posted as things proceed.

Ras

So, what made that scream :shocked:

7066 · 03-17-2004, 08:54 AM

My pond is near Heron lakes and have had no problem with Herons. The occasional duck but no herons. I put out a heron decoy. If you have noticed Heron never hunt near each other. They are lone predators. The decoy has seemed keep them away. If the walls on your pond go straight down with a fair depth you should not have a raccoon problem. The only way to get brown trout for your pond would be to illegal trasport them form a lake or stream as the odfw does not allow the stocking of these. I have Kamloops rainbow and a couple of sturgen which I got from a local sturgeon hatchery.

judyfish99 · 03-17-2004, 08:59 AM

Bill, check out Grizzlyridge.org :shocked: They have machine turned Herons for your outdoor needs. Bet your wife would like it, too. I had purchased a large salmon from them for my livingroom wall. That would help with the heron problem. Plz send pics of the new landscaping [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] judyfish99

Beaver1 · 03-17-2004, 09:05 AM

The High Desert museum over near Bend had a pretty cool stream and pool set up with very nice looking trout in it, but that was a few years ago...

Blue Tip Spinner · 03-17-2004, 09:09 AM

i think the kind of trout that BGS is talking about is triploid (sp?) trout. they are sterile from birth and reach 30" in their life span... the largest one i have ever caught is 26".

lost_sailor · 03-17-2004, 09:19 AM

If the trout don't work out, a bass pond would be fun too.

Is the High Desert Museum actually a natural stream? If it isn't, they did a great job of fakin' it.

Drakeblake · 03-17-2004, 10:10 AM

One thing that I think would be important is to give the fish a place to hide ie deep water where herons and raccoons could not get to them. The other thing is to fish for them catch and release they will soon learn that when something shows up and stands near the water this does not always mean that they are about to get fed. They will be wary and not come a running ever time the water gets splashed up a little. Try to keep up a regular feeding schedule so that they will only let their guard down at that exact time every day and during the rest of the time when you arnt feeding them they will learn to find there own food like aquatic insects and hehe dry flies. This worked at a little pond that my boss had after a while the trout became very smart and were harder to catch but not impossible. Good luck.

-blake

Riverkeeper · 03-17-2004, 10:24 AM

Bill, when's opening day? I have an extra 4 weight rod...

fox · 03-17-2004, 03:46 PM

judyfish99
I drove past there this weekend, there were lots of people there fishing.I think they are open
Bob

The Reverend · 03-17-2004, 06:01 PM

Yup, the trout we put in the David Douglas pond croaked. I think my friend was responsible. I heard about a stick being pulled around by a trout, attached by a 2 foot long piece of line.

Bluetick · 03-17-2004, 06:28 PM

There'e a guy in Yacolt Wa that raises trout for peoples ponds, seem's there browns. Haven't been up there in years but I could contact a person I know if interested.

Jeff

Bluetick · 03-17-2004, 06:33 PM

There'e a guy in Yacolt Wa that raises trout for peoples ponds, seem's there browns. Haven't been up there in years but I could contact a person I know if interested.

Jeff

Hardware · 03-18-2004, 11:18 PM

ah ha... You guys are answering a lot of questions for us. Woops, I mean very interesting...

Let's just say if we lived on a small year round stream. And let's just say that we did a little, "habitat restoration" to come up with some cover. And let's just say we wanted to stock it with a few trout.

Well, in Washington you have to have permits to buy private trout and stock your pond. And in an actual creek messing around with a wetland, duh, now the enviro agencies are involved.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that we can't stock our creek unless someone maybe from Ifish knew how we could get a few little fingerling maybe, or?? But I'm sure that nowone from Ifish would want to contribute to such a cause, especially for some cold ones... That would be baaadddd, baddd to go around any reg's.

Send me a PM!!!

Chrome Bumper · 03-19-2004, 10:27 AM

See the yellow pages. There might be a store on Farmington Road that could be helpful. Can't name a non sponsor on the board though. They did have sturgeon fry pretty cheap. Shade trees! ya that's the ticket. And minimum water depth.

o-mykiss · 03-19-2004, 10:39 AM

Bill,
I wanted to do the same thing. Unfortunately, my backyard is much too small and there are no trees. I thought about setting up a chilling system, but that is expensive. How big of a pond were you thinking? I ended up with a Koi pond. Let me know what you come up with.

Mojo · 03-19-2004, 11:17 AM

Bill,
I suggest you try to find some red-band rainbows. They arre the sub-species that inhabits south-eastern Oregon and south-west Idaho. They are adapted to live in warmer, higher alkalinity water. They ahve really nice coloring, with a distinctive white spots on their fin tips.