Small fish in a big pond

After talking about stocking my dam with fish for so long that the idea started to sound like ‘the one that got away’, I have finally done it. Fifty silver perch fingerlings are in residence.

Hopefully they can breathe; the muddy water is a bit of a concern, but at least it will help hide the fish from cormorants, which are their No.1 predator at this fingerling stage.

With little in the way of plant cover on the dam, I created an artificial reef by cunningly tying together four car tyres (free from a tyre repair shop) to form the shape of an upside-down pyramid. Unfortunately, the rope wasn’t quite tight enough, and by the time the structure had been dragged into the water it had transformed from pyramid into modern art installation. Still, it’s doing a job, sitting there at the water’s edge, providing a few nooks and crannies for the fish to hide in while we wait for the water lilies to become established.

All being well, the fish should be ready to eat in 12 to 18 months. Silver perch don’t breed in dams, so 50 is as high as the population is going to get. But with my fishing skills, that should be enough to last a lifetime.

Photo: Steve Payne