As you know, each year we stock many of the ponds on the property with an abundance of trout.
Trout, rainbow trout specifically, are a freshwater fish that lives in an ideal habitat that consists of running, cold (65*F or colder), oxygen rich water like mountain streams and rivers. Although they can live in lakes, this is not the best suited environment for them, particularly one that is as shallow as Swan Lake. Because it is so shallow, the water temperature warms quickly. By late July, it isn't uncommon for out water temperatures to reach 75*F. It is critical to understand that as water temperature increases, dissolved oxygen content decreases. This puts a tremendous amount of stress on the fish and their metabolism slows down. This is the point where they head to the bridge on #10, trying to find any bit of cool moving water possible or they head to deeper water. Other species of fish like bluegills and bass, thrive at warmer water temperatures and become the more dominant species this time of year.
This time of year, occasionally I am asked why the fish seem to be behaving differently or why members aren't catching as many fish. Many feel we are "fished out" by this time of year. That is never the case, rather the fish aren't interested in feeding right now. Spring and Fall are the best seasons for fishing because the water conditions are more in line with the ideal trout habitat.
The extreme drought we are facing this year, exacerbates the issue. There is little to no water flow through Swan Lake. It is important to remain patient this year until the conditions change. Fish that are caught and released have a hard time recovering from that trauma. Unfortunately the fish don't understand the seasonal nature of Highlands CC.
Finally, the breezes we experience each day continue to push the small amount of aquatic weeds we have over to 10 pond. This is good from the stand point I am able to treat them in one spot. It's bad because it's ugly. Please keep in mind during times of extreme drought, I am limited with what I can put in the pond. Anything that goes in the pond, will be irrigating the golf course. On top of that, if I sprayed a high rate of aquatic herbicide all at once, it would cause all of that material to die and start decomposing at the same time, thus sucking more oxygen out of the water. The decomposition process consumes oxygen that is already in low quantities for the trout.
