{"id":2327,"date":"2021-04-09T17:22:46","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T17:22:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-711416-2356891.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=2327"},"modified":"2021-05-07T19:36:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T19:36:09","slug":"how-fish-get-into-ponds-and-lakes-every-possible-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gofishingoutdoors.com\/how-fish-get-into-ponds-and-lakes-every-possible-method\/","title":{"rendered":"How fish get into ponds and lakes | Every possible method"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
One of the most common questions I see all the time is \u201cHow did a fish get into this pond or lake?<\/strong>\u201d Well today we will discuss all possibilities.<\/span><\/p> There are multiple ways that fish can be brought into any body of water and they don\u2019t just magically end up there. They can get there naturally, via a carrier animal, or through human placement. Below we will go through each one and maybe you\u2019ll know how the fish got into any of your local lakes and ponds.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t First we need to look at this from a historic perspective. There are literally thousands of lakes and probably millions of ponds in the world that have fish in them. Many of them contain the same species of fish. But if they aren\u2019t connected, how are the same species of fish in each?<\/strong><\/span><\/p> The answer lies with the long history of Earth as a planet long before humans were its inhabitants.<\/span><\/p> The world has not looked the way it does currently for most of its existence<\/strong>. There has been the Ice Age where quite literally the Earth froze over. Interestingly enough, some lakes were created during this time as glaciers worked their way into the land, creating holes. Then, when they eventually melted, a lake was left behind. This is how the Great Lakes were formed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p> There have also been great floods throughout history. Just take a look at this top 10 list<\/strong><\/a> of known floods in human history.<\/span> Now consider that humans have only been around for about 200,000 years. The earth is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old. This means humans have only inhabited earth for .004% percent of it’s lifetime.<\/strong> Basically no time at all. \u00a0So we don\u2019t even know the amount of flooding that has happened over Earth\u2019s history.<\/span><\/p> There have also been millions of tectonic shifts, eruptions, and many other changes that we likely aren\u2019t fully aware of. There was even a time where all of the continents on ear formed together called Pangaea, which existed 335 million years ago. Take a look at the image below which shows it with modern day countries revealed.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t I only bring this up to show how throughout points in history the Earth has had water connected and then disconnected many times over. This is the main reason that fish of various species exist in many different bodies of water that may never be connected today.<\/strong> But historically, it is quite possible that large scale flooding, glacier development and melting, or other connecting forces brought these together along with the animals that lived within them.<\/span><\/p> So if a river had a largemouth bass in it and it flooded, the largemouth bass may have washed out with the flood and into the new pool. They then would have reproduced naturally in the new lake or pond that formed and voila, fish begin to grow. Because the earth has underwent so many changes in its lifetime – there are endless possibilities into how fish ended up in the well-known ponds and lakes that have been around for centuries.<\/span><\/p> But, that doesn\u2019t explain how a fish could end up in a pond or lake created only decades ago?<\/strong> How could that have occurred? Let\u2019s discuss several theories of that below<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t Generally lakes or ponds aren\u2019t developed in places that have no natural water features to them. Beavers or even humans will dam up rivers or creeks to create natural pools of water that become ponds and lakes, or springs feed into the pools which creates them.<\/span><\/p> So this creates a very natural way for fish to get into new lakes or ponds. If there is any body of water connecting the new lake or pond to old waterways – fish will end up getting in it somehow<\/strong>. Fish naturally travel and end up finding their way into the new area. If there are no natural predators in the area, they will quickly reproduce over the years and their population will grow.<\/span><\/p> So the first sure sign to know if a pond or lake has had fish naturally introduced is to look at the other creeks, rivers, or waterways that they are connected to and what may already exist in those.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t As mentioned above, flooding is also a major contributing factor in fish ending up in lakes and ponds. Historically this is true but it can even happen currently.<\/span><\/p> The means is quite simple – a river or creek that is close to a pond or lake rises due to flood conditions. Maybe a heavy rainfall or other natural occurrence. As the water rises it becomes connected for a very short period of time to another body of water. The fish, not knowing any better, travel during the flood into the new water. Then as the water levels decrease again, they are stuck in the new water without a way to return home.<\/span><\/p> Will many fish make this trip? No. But it only takes one male and one female to create an entire population of fish in a pond or lake.<\/strong> With no natural predators in the water, they can grow exponentially for a few years.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t An interesting opposing natural occurrence that can cause fish to randomly appear is a long period of drought. Perhaps a body of water or river existed but a drought made it dry up for many years. Then as rains come back, the water re-appears and there is fish in it! How could that possibly be?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>How fish got into rivers, ponds, and lakes historically<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
But what does that have to do with how fish get in new water systems?<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Fish in new ponds and lakes due to connected waterways<\/h2>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Flooding brings in new fish<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
Mudfish and old waterway connections<\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t