Beavers In Ponds 2024
dhami013 reply :
I have recently made a deal with a man to manage his private lake/pond in exchange to fish his water.
I used to fish it back when I knew someone that lived there. But since that person moved I hadn't been able to fish it. Well the man agreed and so I got out on the water this weekend. Something I noticed since I hadn't been there in almost 2 years is that there are some beavers that have recently inhabited the pong.
I'm wondering is this bad for the fish in any way? If so what measures should I take to get them re located?
hookingem reply :
Beaver's are vegetarians, so if you think they are the culprit to a poor fish population that is false. Really besides downing trees they are not that big of a problem. If you insist on having them removed DO NOT take any actions to do so yourself. You could be breaking the law by doing so. Contact VDGIF and ask about beaver relocation.
Grey Wolf reply :
Always caught bass around beaver huts.
Raider Nation Fisher reply :
The beaver lodges generally hold fish. Plus by telling trees into the pond they add lots off structure for the fish to hang out at.
Raul reply :
Bad or good depends a lot on what/where the beavers are doing, beavers are one of the few species that can modify greatly the environment with their actions and it depends what they can affect.
Let´s suppose you have a nice cabin and a stream flows through your property, if the streams flows right at your doorstep and suddenly beavers decide to make that stream their home well, then what´s going to happen is going to be bad for your cabin, they are going to build a dam blocking the stream flow which is going to create a pond and ..... maybe your cabin is going to become part of the cover found in the pond several feet below water level, so that´s bad news for you.
In another aspect, and supposing they are not going to cause any property damage then beavers may not be detrimental but actually a blessing, they are hervibourous, they do not harm the fish not eat them ( like otters ), they create habitat for the fish ( beaver huts ), they fertilize the pond with their droppings, attract other wildlife ( like waterfowl ), they deepen the pond, the only bad news would be for the trees surrounding the pond.
dhami013 reply :
Aighty I just didn't know if their eating habits would interfere with the nutrients needed by the fish.
joshholmes reply :
not at all. they don't feed on aquatic vegetation
Georgia Jeff reply :
If the beaver hut is on the dam of the pond they will burrow holes into the dam however. This in turn could weaken the dam and possible cause it to burst. This has happened in one of the ponds that I fish in. It hasn't collapsed yet however.
Here is an exerpt from an article from North Carolina Wildlife.org
Beavers construct two types of houses or lodges apart from the dams. Pond lodges are constructed of sticks and mud and may reach 15-20 feet in diameter and 10 feet high. Bank dens are dug into exposed banks and are sometimes covered partially with sticks and mud. Dens and lodges usually have more than one underwater entrance to the dry protected nest site. The nest site inside the lodge is covered with wood shavings which are less susceptible to dampening than grass or leaf bedding.
Impacts
Opinions vary widely on whether the beavers' activities are beneficial or detrimental, and depend on how the interpreter is affected by their activities.
Negative Impacts
Generally, beavers' negative impacts affect man's land use practices. Their ponds flood timber, agricultural crops, lawns, and roads. Their dams obstruct bridges, culverts, and pond drains, causing erosion damage to these structures. When feeding, beavers girdle and fell trees and shrubs, and damage agricultural crops. Their bank dens and burrows often can weaken dams, dikes, and road beds.
Positive Impacts
When beaver ponds are situated in areas that do not interfere directly with man's land use practices, the impacts of beaver presence can affect man's environment in a positive way. Often beaver ponds are situated in areas that do not interfere directly with man's land use practices. In these cases, the positive impacts of beaver ponds far outweigh the negative impacts by slowing run-off from drainage areas and retarding erosion. They also filter silt, agricultural chemicals and pollutants from streams, and generally improve water quality for fish, wildlife, and man.
Beaver ponds provide quality habitat for other furbearers, waterfowl, fish, non-game wildlife and endangered species. During periods of drought they provide water for wildlife, livestock, and irrigation. Beaver ponds often provide abundant recreational opportunities to sportsmen for hunting, fishing, and trapping. In addition, trapping for beavers and other furbearers and leasing beaver ponds for waterfowl hunting can provide valuable supplemental income to landowners.
Beaver ponds provide ideal habitat for ducks. North Carolina's native wood duck populations increased significantly following increases in beaver populations and wood duck harvest has more than doubled since the beaver population increase. Wood duck nest boxes, combined with natural tree cavities in beaver ponds, make these areas ideal brood habitat for wood ducks. In some instances, landowners have partially drained the ponds during the summer, and planted them in Japanese millet to provide winter feed for waterfowl.
dhami013 reply :
Thanks for the article I appreciate it. Luckily they aren't inhabiting the dam so I won't have to worry about it being weakened.
TheLastRodBender reply :
Beaver dams are AWESOME. There's, imho, no negative to beavers. In addition to what others have said, they will also keep the shoreline groomed, making it easier for you to find a spot to cast from without finding the business end of a tree.
NH Fisher reply :
A local pond I enjoy fishing had some beavers showup late in the season last year. I didn't notice much of a change in the fishing but was getting alittle annoyed with the tail slapping on the water. Guess they didn't like me fishing there new home.
Big Fish Rice reply :
As long as they're not Woodchucks, there's no danger. 
Glenn reply :
Great question! Perhaps this will help:
http://www.bassresource.com/fish_biology/Aquatic-Furbearers-Nusiance-or-Necessary
Sam reply :
Beaver huts are fantastic fisheries.
LMB love them and I have caught many by tossing a wacky rigged Senko on a weekdless hook into the water by a beaver hut.
The problem is that snakes like to inhabit the tops of the huts that are out of the water.
So if you go by the hut or walk on or around it, be aware of black, water and copperhead snakes.
But for fishing, it will be great!!!!! 
dhami013 reply :
Thank you Sam, and all others for the good information and links. I don't think I'll have to worry too much about them living in the small lake.
Fishes in trees reply :
Beavers are good. Otters are bad. Otters can ruin a pond or smaller lake. They don't practice catch and release. It's probably against the law to shoot the otters. Do it anyway, don't tell anyone and don't get caught.
p.s. - pellet guns or air rifles are much quieter than 22's. That's what I'd recommend
MaineBassMan reply :
Other than being very destructive to the property they are great for fishing. The waters that I fish here have lots of beaver huts and each hut has a feed pile. These feed piles sometimes get washed down stream or river or further out into the lakes. These are great natural brush piles. I pull lots of bass off from each one of these huts and feed piles.
RoLo reply :
Typically, any creature that infringes on man's selfish interests is deemed a "bad" creature.
Beavers are often beneficial to the fishery but sadly, they're also capable of maligning man's environment.
When I lived in Georgia, a friend of ours granted my wife & I permission to fish several ponds on his tract.
Mario complained bitterly about the destruction caused by beavers on his property.
I thought to myself that he was being melodramatic and unsympathetic to the natural rights of beavers.
Just before sunset we ended up fishing the pond behind Mario's house.
I kid you not, the damage caused by beavers was unlike anything I've ever seen.
It's well known that beavers relish aspen, but Mario's beavers felled anything you would dub "timber".
They virtually denuded the shoreline of his home pond, where downed trees pointed in every direction
After all is said and done, I adore beavers.
They're highly industrious creatures, yet always conscious
of your presence. It's kind of flattering when they betray
your presence to all other beavers, by slapping that flat meaty tail
on the water surface.
Roger
BILLYsobx reply :
What about grass carp are they good for bass habitat I have seen grassy ponds turn barren
Joshua Vandamm reply :
Beaver are ruining my pond! Seriously about to shoot them. The 2 just moved in and slap the water scarring fish anytime I get near the water.
Their dam sucks, the spook fish...not good for ponds at all.
lakes/rivers etc. sure. Not ponds.
On 4/6/2011 at 10:44 PM, NH Fisher said:A local pond I enjoy fishing had some beavers showup late in the season last year. I didn't notice much of a change in the fishing but was getting alittle annoyed with the tail slapping on the water. Guess they didn't like me fishing there new home.
Same here they just showed up. Did they stick around and ruin the spot?
On 4/8/2011 at 3:27 PM, Fishes in trees said:Beavers are good. Otters are bad. Otters can ruin a pond or smaller lake. They don't practice catch and release. It's probably against the law to shoot the otters. Do it anyway, don't tell anyone and don't get caught.
p.s. - pellet guns or air rifles are much quieter than 22's. That's what I'd recommend
Do otters tail slap also? Maybe these are otters.?
boostr reply :
There's a pond I've been going to for the past 3 years and there's a beaver lodge built along one of it's bank. They've been there for years and they haven't devastated this pond or it's surrounding at all. I've seen some of the biggest bass hanging around it. Actually caught one of my PB bass in one if there home made channels that they create to get access or get out of their lodge. Come to think of it 99 percent of the time I always catch a bass off that lodge. They do not take to kindly to you standing on their house though... Don't ask me how I know.
Bankbeater reply :
A lake I fish use to have a couple of beavers on it. They would build the den right on the bank. They're gone now, but the logs from the den are still there, and the bass still hang around it.
catchinghogs NH reply :
hey i was wondering the same question im stocking friends pond they already have small bluegill and they said there is trout but i doubt it and small mini shiner 1-2 inches long i want to put bass in and there is beaver dams years ago a poind near this one broke and apparently it killed all the fish and washed them away? another problem ive heard is that removing beavers is good because they caiuse the bottom layers of mud to make the water muddier i guess and not clear idk if its true but the pond in some parts has nasty red rusty colored water and idk how to fix it i really want to get this pond to the way it used to be which was an old fish and game fishing pond!
Joshua Vandamm reply :
On 5/11/2018 at 11:15 PM, catchinghogs NH said:hey i was wondering the same question im stocking friends pond they already have small bluegill and they said there is trout but i doubt it and small mini shiner 1-2 inches long i want to put bass in and there is beaver dams years ago a poind near this one broke and apparently it killed all the fish and washed them away? another problem ive heard is that removing beavers is good because they caiuse the bottom layers of mud to make the water muddier i guess and not clear idk if its true but the pond in some parts has nasty red rusty colored water and idk how to fix it i really want to get this pond to the way it used to be which was an old fish and game fishing pond!
Mostly they provide structure. Your major problems are not the beavers. That sounds like you need inflow and good filtration to get started.
Also runoff is probably what’s causing the rusty color. Sure up the bank with rip rap or dig a trench around it.
Lead Head reply :
I don't know why, and I'm sure it's rare... but there are occasions when beaver will eat fish. After watching one munch on a large perch in a local pond I did a little internet research and it turns out others have seen similar behavior. There is even a YouTube video of a beaver eating a fish. Most documentation I could find was of beavers eating freshly cleaned fish carcasses but I saw what I saw. And before anyone asks... yes it was a beaver, otters don't swim up to the boat and tail slap.
Call me crazy if you want... you won't be the first (or last unfortunately)
ratherbfishin1 reply :
Pro tip...
dont go noodling????????
Joshua Vandamm reply :
On 5/12/2018 at 5:14 AM, Lead Head said:I don't know why, and I'm sure it's rare... but there are occasions when beaver will eat fish. After watching one munch on a large perch in a local pond I did a little internet research and it turns out others have seen similar behavior. There is even a YouTube video of a beaver eating a fish. Most documentation I could find was of beavers eating freshly cleaned fish carcasses but I saw what I saw. And before anyone asks... yes it was a beaver, otters don't swim up to the boat and tail slap.
Call me crazy if you want... you won't be the first (or last unfortunately)
Or it’s an otter. Pretty similar looking.
Lead Head reply :
It wasn't... when it was done it came over and slapped the water behind me. Had to get the boat paddle and slap the water back at him.
Joshua Vandamm reply :
On 5/17/2018 at 6:46 AM, Lead Head said:It wasn't... when it was done it came over and slapped the water behind me. Had to get the boat paddle and slap the water back at him.
LOL. I believe you. Otters slap water just the same tho.
Lead Head reply :
Really? I've never had an otter water slap at me, they usually just run off and hide. There aren't as many otter here as there are beaver so I don't have nearly as much experience with them. This particular beaver was in a pond I would occasionally fish near my house. Our water slapping battles were epic.
Joshua Vandamm reply :
Lol. Otters slap even louder than beavers. They roam away from rivers and hop from pond to pond killing the biggest fish. Vermin sobs.
lmbfisherman reply :
I've had an otter get really pissy at me, not only did he slap the water he was barking back at me and seem to me warning/taunting me to get off his river.
shovelmouth83 reply :
On 5/11/2018 at 11:54 PM, Joshua Vandamm said:Mostly they provide structure. Your major problems are not the beavers. That sounds like you need inflow and good filtration to get started.
Also runoff is probably what’s causing the rusty color. Sure up the bank with rip rap or dig a trench around it.
if you do did a trench around make sure you have a battle buddy with you and armed. a beaver will charge you and use that dam tail. i have a small lake here and it has two beaver dams. they dont mess with us until we mess with them.
buzzbaiter83 reply :
Beavers don't hurt the fish at all. Muskrats, Otter, & snapping turtles will eat anything they can get though.
Hook2Jaw reply :
I'm not here to troll or start an argument, but...
Beavers do consume fish.
I've never personally seen them do it, but I do know a man that has. There are multiple accounts of it and several articles written about it online, as well as a YouTube video showing one munching away at a salmon head. Much like a red deer biting the head off a nesting seabird to consume it's brain, beavers eat fish brains.
Most accounts are of beavers munching on carcasses discarded by bears and humans. I do not personally believe they consume many live fish, but I believe given the chance one will. Mostly, they seem to dine primarily on dead fish, and in particular, the brain.
Beavers are the scavenging zombies of the rodent family, it seems. 
einscodek reply :
Turtles, beavers, frogs => fish (sometimes real big!)
bigbill reply :
Beaver will swim near me and slap their tail. I’m talking a 48” long Beaver encluding his tail. There is a drainage pipe to keep the pond at a certain height. The Beaver fill the pipe every night, the town shows up with a backhoe to clear the pipe. We have turtles too. When the turtles are active forget about fishing. The otters are out at twilight first sign of light in the morning. I see otters everywhere I fish at.
NittyGrittyBoy reply :
In GA, we actually had a bounty on beavers a few yrs back. Dept of Natural Resources would pay you for every beaver tail you turned in.
They were out if control and ruining local fisheries, not just for "selfish man" but for other species and animals.
If you have a few and they're not hurting anything I say leave em. But keep a close eye because it won't take long and you'll have an issue on your hands.
NCbassraider reply :
Lot of inaccurate info in here. Beavers are vegetarians. Otters don't tail slap, they dive and run. Beavers tail slap only if you get too close to their lodge. They are territorial and two established Beavers will keep others out. They even run off their young eventually.
Otters constantly roam so they have no reason to tail slap anything.
Most states wont let you relocate either as they are rabies carriers. Besides, they will just come back.
Otters will decimate a pond or small lake. A family of 4 can clean out a small pond in a short period of time. THey eat about half their body weight a day in fish and the adults take big fish first.
I have lived this nightmare and have been trapping them non stop. If you own a body of water, educate yourself on what otter scat looks like and watch for it constantly. Use trail cameras and check them every few days. Otters come and go, even in a great fishery they will come in and out with days in between.
Joshua Vandamm reply :
On 2/5/2019 at 12:34 PM, NCbassraider said:Lot of inaccurate info in here. Beavers are vegetarians. Otters don't tail slap, they dive and run. Beavers tail slap only if you get too close to their lodge. They are territorial and two established Beavers will keep others out. They even run off their young eventually.
Otters constantly roam so they have no reason to tail slap anything.
Most states wont let you relocate either as they are rabies carriers. Besides, they will just come back.
Otters will decimate a pond or small lake. A family of 4 can clean out a small pond in a short period of time. THey eat about half their body weight a day in fish and the adults take big fish first.
I have lived this nightmare and have been trapping them non stop. If you own a body of water, educate yourself on what otter scat looks like and watch for it constantly. Use trail cameras and check them every few days. Otters come and go, even in a great fishery they will come in and out with days in between.
Otters do tail slap. They do it as a warning. And to signal others family of danger. I’ve seen them on documentaries doing it. They’re louder than beavers even.
Russ E reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 10:52 AM, Joshua Vandamm said:Otters do tail slap. They do it as a warning. And to signal others family of danger. I’ve seen them on documentaries doing it. They’re louder than beavers even.
growing up in Eastern Iowa, where otters were reintroduced and common on the rivers and some ponds, I have never heard an otter slap the water as a warning. They do make a lot of noise snorting and chattering when they feel threatened.
even if they did slap, there is no way their tail can make a slap anything near a big beaver.
A big beaver on the other hand will scare the crap out of you when they slap the water.
Bluebasser86 reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 11:25 AM, Russ E said:growing up in Eastern Iowa, where otters were reintroduced and common on the rivers and some ponds, I have never heard an otter slap the water as a warning. They do make a lot of noise snorting and chattering when they feel threatened.
even if they did slap, there is no way their tail can make a slap anything near a big beaver.
A big beaver on the other hand will scare the crap out of you when they slap the water.
Otters are noisy critters with all their chattering, but simple physics makes it pretty clear which one would make a louder tail slap. I've heard giant 60-80lb beavers on the rivers tail slap and it sounds like a giant boulder dropped into the water from a tall building. Lots of videos of beavers tail slapping out there, none of otters that I can find.
NCbassraider reply :
On 2/8/2019 at 10:52 AM, Joshua Vandamm said:Otters do tail slap. They do it as a warning. And to signal others family of danger. I’ve seen them on documentaries doing it. They’re louder than beavers even.
I am around them everyday and have never seen one tail slap. I also could not find any video on youtube of it occurring. If it happens it is rare and certainly not typical behavior and no chance in hell louder or a bigger splash than a beaver. I have had a beaver sneak up and hit my boat like a tsunami.
Beavers do it as a warning if you get too near a den as they are territorial. Otters are not territorial and would have no reason to do so. They communicate to their young in other manners.
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