Disappearing fish.

[fishin4cars]

Got a problem, Over the last 4 weeks I am missing 5 fish. All are between 6"-10" long. 2 new introduced 6" sarrasa's- 2- 9"-10" butterfly Koi that have been in the pond for over a year. 1 Standard 8" koi that has been in the pond for two years. I have smaller fish and larger fish in the pond, smallest 4" largest around 17". My yard is fenced with a lab and med. large mix breed that spend most of the day out doors but seldom at night. I have CD's flashing, A fake Blue Heron that gets moved regularly, a motion sensor crow that gets me wet but I have rarely seen work on anything but the dogs. I have 60% of the pond covered with wire except when we have company over or I'm taking photos and such.
My thinking, probably some type of heron. I've watched from morning to night, no sign of anything else this time yet. No snake skin sheds, No bird droppings,I have some sand in places around the pond, no foot step signs in the sand. I have found no bodies, no signs of damage on any other fish. Raccoon is possible but doubtful. We have had bull frogs in the past but I haven't seen one lately and I think the missing fish are to large for them to eat. If they got one it would be the smaller guys. We do have one cat, never seen it mess with the pond,it hates the water, and it doesn't like other cats so I'm pretty sure it's not cats.
Anyone care to add any new suggestions or thoughts?
I'm thinking about picking up a trail cam I can mount on the back of the house to see if I can find what is going on when I'm asleep or gone

I've enclosed pics with two of the wire covers on, also a few pics with it off and the dog endy. plus a couple of pics of the Louisiana iris's starting to bloom. I'm stumped on my issue and would really like to stop losing fish..

 

[koiguy1969]

herons are notorious early morning hunters 4:00am to 8:00am when things are quiet. and its too early to put out a decoy....its probably mating season down there in the south...wait til late June or you may attract them looking to mate!!

 

[stroppy]

maybe a night bird .. owls ?

 

[addy1]

I don't see how the birds could get your fish with that fencing over the pond. do you have river otters there, I have heard of them making pond raids.

 

[fishin4cars]

Addy, virtually no chance on the river otter, We live in a subdivision, no creeks or rivers or water ways within miles and it wouldn't be able to get into the fence either.

Stroppy, Owl could be a possibility but I don't see how a owl could catch the fish with the fencing over the pond, No way for them to fly in and grab,

Koiguy1969 If it is a heron this is the third time. Possibiltiies are high! I got up at 4;30 this morning and have set at the sliding glass window and watched most of the morning, still nothing. I'm going to take the fake heron and put it away for a little while, You may be right about it attracting but If it is, do you have any other suggestions to try and chase it off? I've seen first hand how smart and relentless these birds are. The last one was able to stand on the leaf netting and sink it, then wait and grab the fish and then work it out to the edge, moved the rocks and get the fish out from under the net. That's why I went with the wire and PVC. There is still a couple of places where it could get through the fencing but it's pretty limited and in those areas, I have air diffusers, and steep sides so I'm thinking they would be hard places to attack but not impossible. getting very flustrating!! The last fish missing is my Kumonryu Butterfly, very expensive fish, and one of my favorites.

 

[koiguy1969]

i shot the one that was visiting my pond.... oh, i should mention i shot it with a BB gun. a couple shots in the a$$,he/ they associate my pond with pain. and dont come back... i do the same thing as you. i'm up by 4:00 every day so i drink my coffee with the window cracked, BB gun cocked and ready to go.

 

[stroppy]

sorry didnt see your netting ...must be a heron or egret ... do you have king fishers ?

 

[fishin4cars]

i shot the one that was visiting my pond.... oh, i should mention i shot it with a BB gun. a couple shots in the a$$,he/ they associate my pond with pain. and dont come back... i do the same thing as you. i'm up by 4:00 every day so i drink my coffee with the window cracked, BB gun cocked and ready to go.

BB gun, I tried that! It laughed at me and just kept coming back, So I went to a pump up pellet gun, he laughed at that and kept on coming, I'm trying to be civil with them, but If I find it again it can expect the same as the last one, I'm a heck of a shot with a double barrel but my neighbors really don't like it when I do that!

stroppy, We have kingfishers in the area, however I've never seen one here by the house. Like the Owl they attack from flying down and getting the fish, going to be a very difficult task with the fencing, I really doubt it's a kingfisher, Ive seen them before and I would say it's possible but highly unlikely. My best guess still are heron or egret, MAYBE a racoon, or last is a snake I haven't seen yet. I do have a ribbon garter snake that has been around a couple of years. maybe 2-2 1/2 feet long and about as big around as a pencil. that's the only snake I have seen near the pond since I removed the large water snake early last year before the rebuild. She has had two clusters of babies in the old pond and we know she got one small goldfish but I even knew she was in the pond and wouldn't miss fish most of the time. I think it fed more on the frogs and kept them in check. Once I saw it get a small fish it was time for her to go, I caught her and relocated her to a pond I fish in. Still see her from time to time, she has a weird scar behind her head so it's pretty easy to spot her if you can see her head. \

I don't like harming any of the animals that come to the pond. But I have to protect the fish as they aren't just walmart feeder fish anymore.

 

[Pond Boy]

BB gun, I tried that! It laughed at me and just kept coming back, So I went to a pump up pellet gun, he laughed at that and kept on coming, I'm trying to be civil with them, but If I find it again it can expect the same as the last one, I'm a heck of a shot with a double barrel but my neighbors really don't like it when I do that!

stroppy, We have kingfishers in the area, however I've never seen one here by the house. Like the Owl they attack from flying down and getting the fish, going to be a very difficult task with the fencing, I really doubt it's a kingfisher, Ive seen them before and I would say it's possible but highly unlikely. My best guess still are heron or egret, MAYBE a racoon, or last is a snake I haven't seen yet. I do have a ribbon garter snake that has been around a couple of years. maybe 2-2 1/2 feet long and about as big around as a pencil. that's the only snake I have seen near the pond since I removed the large water snake early last year before the rebuild. She has had two clusters of babies in the old pond and we know she got one small goldfish but I even knew she was in the pond and wouldn't miss fish most of the time. I think it fed more on the frogs and kept them in check. Once I saw it get a small fish it was time for her to go, I caught her and relocated her to a pond I fish in. Still see her from time to time, she has a weird scar behind her head so it's pretty easy to spot her if you can see her head. \

I don't like harming any of the animals that come to the pond. But I have to protect the fish as they aren't just walmart feeder fish anymore.

I would get a .22 and be done with the heron I know it sounds cruel but as you say its getting to the point that its their survival or the fish. One possibility that no one has mentioned is a rat rats will eat any thing they can get there paws on and are quite clever. I wish you the best of luck finding what is attacking your fish it can be very frustrating losing fish.

 

[koiguy1969]

if your gonna kill...you gotta do and not let anybody who would turn you in see...herons are a protected species under the migratory bird act... but no one says you cant "sting 'em" with a BB gun..... if they run when they hear your dogs you could maybe record their barking and set up a tape player to power up and play off an motion sensor( leave the play button pushed). and locate a few speakers around the yard so they hear barking from different areas.

 

[j.w]

I tried this and it worked for me. I put a radio out on my covered porch (pond is right in front of porch) and set it to talk radio. I turned it up pretty loud cuz our neighbors aren't that close. Heron didn't like it. He just sat on top of the shed roof staring at the pond. I had it set to come on at dawn and off at night. I have a low wire fence around the pond also and wind chimes and blowing shiny things and shrubs but the last thing was the radio. I think maybe he didn't like the sound of a screaming human's voice. You know some of those talk radio guys really get into it
I don't have the radio set to come on now but if I see him again I will

 

[addy1]

put up some fishing line that will catch their legs as they walk up, that might work

 

[texmaster]

BB gun, I tried that! It laughed at me and just kept coming back, So I went to a pump up pellet gun, he laughed at that and kept on coming, I'm trying to be civil with them, but If I find it again it can expect the same as the last one, I'm a heck of a shot with a double barrel but my neighbors really don't like it when I do that!
.

Nothing civil about my method. A co2 rifle. Its pretty quiet and it penetrates. I've killed large possum with this thing that was eating my fish. 8 shots before reload in case you miss the first few times.

http://www.airgundepot.com/rws-850-combo-comp.html

 

[j.w]

REDRUM :lol:

 

[fishin4cars]

Thanks for all the tips. We have tried the fishing line in the past, I ended up with a dog all wrapped up in fishing line and a expensive vet bill for having to get fishing line cuts sewed up. Trying to figure out how to make the radio scare the thing off while not waking me up. Not going to be easy as the pond is right by my side of the bed, I can hear when the pre-filters start to clog and need rinsing! Shooting, Can't shoot what you can't see. I'm still trying to figure out what it is. Heron decoy has been removed for now. Ran leaf netting all around the edges to see if something got tangled in it. If it can be removed humanely I WILL take that approach first, I don't want to harm them but this is a no fly zone for Herons! LOL
BTW, no fish have come up missing that I can tell in three days now.