Fish Gone !!!

[midagetrolop]

The heron has had all my fish ! Can anyone tell me if the plastic herons work to keep others away? Looks like I shall have to net when I restock - am gutted, I have had the pond for a few years and no trouble - until today.

[merciasounds]

Either that or the local cats are treating your pond as a local Yo Sushi! Plastic herons are okay....best to put some fine netting overthe pond if you can - your local garden centre should be able to help you

[woofgang]

Net! I left my net off for one stinking night and the heron had all but two. If its a cat taking fish, they tend to trash the pond marginals but herons do it more neatly.

[SlackAlice]

The plastic herons are useless in my opinion. A lot depends on the design of the pond you have, a heron likes to walk into the pond and if it's too shallow at the edges you have a problem. It also likes to stand on marginal plants or between them as well.

I thought about this when I did my final pond and made the sides sheer and a metre deep except at one end which has a small shelf for marginals. There is plenty of depth for the fish to be out of range to the heron. I've had the pond fully stocked now for about 15yrs and have only lost one to a heron (numpty decided to hide in the marginals, I guess). I get regular visits from a heron but he has been unsuccessful.

When you re-stock get a couple of young Orfe as well. These fish are surface feeders and quite nervous. They will tend to raise the alarm very early if they see anything unusual at the surface and the other fish will respond by hiding at the bottom.

Cats will take fish but they tend to leave some remains behind.

[paddywak]

My pond is about 4 feet deep, but only 2 foot is in the ground the rest being built up out of brick with coping on top with a rockery at back and shelfs for marginals etc, Ive a plastic heron standing on the rockery and in 15 years I've never lost fish to a heron despite seing them quite often, in fact it was only last week that I had one perched on the roof, Sean my across the road neighbour said it had been their about an hour

[slinkycat]

Flipping herons! Know how you feel, we have had our pond cleared out in the past. The plastic heron worked for a while, but I think the real one gets used to it. We have the pond netted at the moment because the heron has been over, but its not ideal because the marginal plants are growing and pushing against it.
Not sure if its true but my husband read that herons won't step over a barrier to get to the pond, and it did seem to work when we strung fishing line between canes inserted around the edge of the pond.

[pond50]

try netfloats they work for me available from the netfloats web site

[sallybb]

We net our pond, caught Heron the other day walking across the net stabbing at the fish, noticed some have injuries. Plastic Herons do have some effect, but during breeding season when Herons are looking for a mate they look upon the plastic one as a potential mate. Read somewhere that during breeding season best to use two plastics instead of one.

[midagetrolop]

Thanks all. Better news though I have one fish left alive a golden orfe - I had about 10 golden orfes some shubunkin and goldfish about 20 in all. Been talking to my neighbours gardeners this morning ( they're a bit posh next door) and he has said he has a barrier round his pond with a couple of trip wires at about 1ft and 2ft high and to get a plastic heron and move it about and that will do the trick. Thanks again for info.