Ducks And Geese 2024
Preytorien reply :
I'm fortunate to have a great small lake near my house to fish, and it produces almost every time I fish it, but i'm restricted to the bank there.
Last night, much to my chagrin, I see a large portion of my most productive shoreline swamped with geese and a few ducks. Some were in the water, most were on the shore. The ones in the water were in pretty shallow water.
Do the presence of ducks and geese scare away fish for a while?
I get so irritated at em'
Raul reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 12:09 AM, Preytorien said:I'm fortunate to have a great small lake near my house to fish, and it produces almost every time I fish it, but i'm restricted to the bank there.
Last night, much to my chagrin, I see a large portion of my most productive shoreline swamped with geese and a few ducks. Some were in the water, most were on the shore. The ones in the water were in pretty shallow water.
Do the presence of ducks and geese scare away fish for a while?
I get so irritated at em'
Nope, it don´t scare them, you have never seen baby ducks/geese being attacked and swallowed by bass ?
churchcc12 reply :
I don't think fish really care. I've caught a lot of bass around ducks/geese. A few weeks ago I caught a 20" smallie around about 70-80 ducks and 40+ geese. I wouldn't worry about it personally
MassBass reply :
Don't snag the ducks, it will be a fiasco!
Senko lover reply :
No, it doens't scare the fish, they're used to it, but you might try taking a shotgun to them......
bigbill reply :
Go to YouTube and watch baby duck attacked by pike and bass. Watch the homemade duck lures.
Paul Roberts reply :
It's almost certainly situational. A big commotion, or a new presence, could put fish off a bit. But they'll probably get used to it. Fish and let us know.
Catt reply :
In a couple months us Cajuns will start hunting ducks & geese in the morning & fishing for bass, specks, & reds in the afternoon.
All in the same marshes!
bigbill reply :
My baby ducks arrived. Great winter project. There 12 for $6 plus ship. 2" inches long. I'm thinking a self sticking slot car small lead weight on the bottom, a wire leader with hook and a Buzzbait prop in the front. Some orange yellow plastic for legs. Just found 100 yellow feathers on Amazon for $2.78.
Raul reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 4:39 AM, bigbill said:My baby ducks arrived. Great winter project. There 12 for $6 plus ship. 2" inches long. I'm thinking a self sticking slot car small lead weight on the bottom, a wire leader with hook and a Buzzbait prop in the front. Some orange yellow plastic for legs. Just found 100 yellow feathers on Amazon for $2.78.
Hmmm, where you at ? ahhhh, the Northeast, well, you shure do need a winter project cuz we fellers down here in the deep south don´t need no "winter" projects, hunt early, pick up your kill, go feeshin in liquid water, finish fishing maybe an hour b4 sunset, go hunting again.
jignfule reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 12:09 AM, Preytorien said:I'm fortunate to have a great small lake near my house to fish, and it produces almost every time I fish it, but i'm restricted to the bank there.
Last night, much to my chagrin, I see a large portion of my most productive shoreline swamped with geese and a few ducks. Some were in the water, most were on the shore. The ones in the water were in pretty shallow water.
Do the presence of ducks and geese scare away fish for a while?
I get so irritated at em'
Have shotgun,will travel.
ned_riggins reply :
My lake is swamped with duck hunters. Its hard to fish because I dont want to be rude and blow up a hunters spot and also dont want to tick off someone with a gun.
bigbill reply :
When I was logging I never cut during bird and deer season during the week. Sunday's was no hunting. But I still seen hunters in the woods.
I was doing work for the state cutting a very large maple tree in the pouring rain. It had very large poison ivory vines. I figured it would keep the dust down. It was bow season. I'm running a 100cc saw with a 32" bar the bow hunter walks up behind me. As I swung the bar out of the cut I seen him in the corner of my eye. If I swung the saw completely around I could of cut him in half. I just let off the throttle. The state ranger called me to cut it. I took seven cords of firewood off that one tree.
bigbill reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 4:53 AM, Raul said:Hmmm, where you at ? ahhhh, the Northeast, well, you shure do need a winter project cuz we fellers down here in the deep south don´t need no "winter" projects, hunt early, pick up your kill, go feeshin in liquid water, finish fishing maybe an hour b4 sunset, go hunting again.
Up here in the northeast we cut trees during the winter. I would cut 50-100 cords every winter. No one had a better workplace than me. I could shut the saw off, sit on a stump and hear the falling snow hit the ground. At 64yo those days are gone now. I do little projects now between plowing snow.
RoLo reply :
I feel like I'm on Candid Camera.
No...waterfowl does not upset our piscatorial counterparts,
in fact wildlife dovetails together better than most of our human subsets 
Roger
A-Jay reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 9:29 AM, RoLo said:I feel like I'm on Candid Camera.
No...waterfowl does not upset our piscatorial counterparts,
in fact wildlife dovetails together better than most of our human subsets
Roger
I agree with Allen Funt on this one . . . .I mean Roger.
A-Jay
Kentuckysteve reply :
These ducks eat bait fish.Would not surprise me if theres not a big bass swimming under them somewhere.
Catt reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 9:57 AM, Kentuckysteve said:These ducks eat bait fish.Would not surprise me if theres not a big bass swimming under them somewhere.
Here's a little trick!
Learn to identify which ducks eat aquatic vegetation!
They will show you where the grass is greener, which is interesting information to have during winter when most grass is dead or dying!
BaitMonkey1984 reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 4:53 AM, Raul said:Hmmm, where you at ? ahhhh, the Northeast, well, you shure do need a winter project cuz we fellers down here in the deep south don´t need no "winter" projects, hunt early, pick up your kill, go feeshin in liquid water, finish fishing maybe an hour b4 sunset, go hunting again.
Well that response settles my old age dilemma of what I would do if I moved out of the northeast. I like fishing more so thought I would fish more than hunt, but I like your idea of doing both in the same day.
bigbill reply :
Hunt n fish the same day being retired count me in.
Raul reply :
On 9/3/2015 at 9:57 AM, Kentuckysteve said:These ducks eat bait fish.Would not surprise me if theres not a big bass swimming under them somewhere.
Ducks do not eat bait fish, they are vegetarian, but baitfish getting scared while them eating the vegetation and moving away from it yessir !
Kentuckysteve reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 4:57 AM, Raul said:Ducks do not eat bait fish, they are vegetarian, but baitfish getting scared while them eating the vegetation and moving away from it yessir !
Someone needs to tell these ducks then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVU_wOy0zAM
I have fished right beside them while they were eating the baitfish.
Canyon explorer reply :
We have a small lake , 2 acres, that hold quite a few bass and huge bluegill and I have never noticed any detrimental effect. In the spring and late fall we often have > 100 geese and ducks coming and going.. We do have to treat the lake 3-4 times a year as it does get to fertile with excess algae and aquatic grass/weeds because of their droppings. The winter turnover however always has a detrimental effect .
desmobob reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 4:57 AM, Raul said:Ducks do not eat bait fish, they are vegetarian...
I wish someone would tell that to the Mergansers and Cormorants around here!
Tight lines,
Bob
A-Jay reply :
Steaming Pot of Homemade chilly tonight ~ Duck & Gesse all up in here ~ it's bad.
A-Jay
Catt reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 7:13 AM, desmobob said:I wish someone would tell that to the Mergansers and Cormorants around here!
Tight lines,
Bob
Mergansers! Dude ya raise those on the farm!
Cormorants aint ducks or geese!
Dogmatic reply :
I have a small lake I fish, and I'm certain that the bass follow the two resident swans (Ozzie&Harriet) around when they're feeding. I always catch bass, nice fish too, right under, or directly behind them.
scaleface reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 5:20 AM, Kentuckysteve said:Someone needs to tell these ducks then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVU_wOy0zAM
I have fished right beside them while they were eating the baitfish.
That was cool.
desmobob reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 9:04 AM, Catt said:Mergansers! Dude ya raise those on the farm!
Cormorants aint ducks or geese!
Mergansers on the farm? I don't think so!
No, Cormorants aren't ducks, but like the Mergansers, they chow down a lot of fish. Same with Loons (not a duck, but looks like a duck).
Tight lines,
Bob
RoLo reply :
Mergansers are diving ducks whose diet consists of vegetation and small baitfish,
mergansers cause no measurable harm to predatory game fish.
Cormorants are blamed for a lot of things, not the least of which is the decline of yellow perch.
Although the evidence seems powerful it is basically circumstantial rather than concrete.
In any case, cormorants are neither ducks nor geese, in fact their plumage
doesn't even shed water.
Roger
desmobob reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 9:28 AM, RoLo said:Mergansers are diving ducks whose diet consists of vegetation and small baitfish,
mergansers cause no measurable harm to predatory game fish.
I guess that depends on whether or not they're feeding in your favorite trout stream or in a pond or lake. Do you have many trout streams in Florida?
How about Ospreys and Kingfishers? You would think their aerial attacks and resulting huge splashes would spook the fish for a while, but it doesn't seem to be the case where I fish.
Tight lines,
Bob
Catt reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 9:24 AM, desmobob said:Mergansers on the farm? I don't think so!
No, Cormorants aren't ducks, but like the Mergansers, they chow down a lot of fish. Same with Loons (not a duck, but looks like a duck).
Tight lines,
Bob
Ya can buy Mergansers at any feed store around here, farmers raise them with chickens.
RoLo reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 9:35 AM, desmobob said:I guess that depends on whether or not they're feeding in your favorite trout stream or in a pond or lake. Do you have many trout streams in Florida?
Tight lines,
Bob
If mergansers are frequenting my favorite trout stream, I would view that as a positive sign of health.
If the mergansers abandoned my trout stream, that would be a harbinger of ill-health,
a problem invariably caused by man (not mergansers).
A fellow once told me that purple martens are great to have because they eat all the mosquitoes.
Then I asked him: "What do the purple martens eat?" (talk about a blank stare)
Roger
desmobob reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 9:44 AM, Catt said:Ya can buy Mergansers at any feed store around here, farmers raise them with chickens.
Mergansers are diving ducks and can barely walk on land. And they are known for their disagreeable taste and are avoided by most duck hunters (which I am). Why would anyone raise them? Are you sure you don't mean Muscovy ducks?
Tight lines,
Bob
bigbill reply :
Since ammo is expensive why not hunt quackers with live minnows and a baitcaster? Lol
I like eating duck.
Catt reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 9:51 AM, desmobob said:Mergansers are diving ducks and can barely walk on land. And they are known for their disagreeable taste and are avoided by most duck hunters (which I am). Why would anyone raise them? Are you sure you don't mean Muscovy ducks?
Tight lines,
Bob
Duck hunter?
No disrespect here Bob but I'm a Cajun & live in Southwest Louisiana the heart of arguable the best duck & goose hunting in America.
You don't know what Merganser, Muscovy, Guinea Hens are raised for?
desmobob reply :
On 9/4/2015 at 11:27 AM, Catt said:Duck hunter?
No disrespect here Bob but I'm a Cajun & live in Southwest Louisiana the heart of arguable the best duck & goose hunting in America.
You don't know what Merganser, Muscovy, Guinea Hens are raised for?
I live at the southern end of Lake Champlain in the Atlantic Flyway... plenty of mighty fine duck hunting here, too. And no, I don't know why someone would raise Mergansers... I hope you aren't planning on keeping it a secret! ;-)
Tight lines,
Bob
Preytorien reply :
This thread has really deviated off topic. HA
Mr_Poche' reply :
.On 9/3/2015 at 4:29 AM, Catt said:In a couple months us Cajuns will start hunting ducks & geese in the morning & fishing for bass, specks, & reds in the afternoon.
All in the same marshes!
I second this motion. Bast and cast.
lo n slo reply :
A little story relating to geese, and goose hunting, and fishing, if you will. As I was fishing a long winding cove one late fall morning, I noticed some geese hanging around in the water about 10 yards off the bank. I was alone. I have this habit of talking, sometimes singing, to myself, making up my own lyrics. Yeah I know. Anyway, just about the time I realized that those geese were decoys, I noticed a guy crouched behind the bushes on the bank with his goose gun. He had to hear me and my "singing". I threw up my hand, appologized for my intrusion, and spun my boat around, trolling motor set on max, feeling like an idiot. I am a bad, bad man. ; )
RoLo reply :
Mergansers are wild ducks of the 'diving' variety, as distinguished from puddle ducks (aka Dabblers).
Over the years, I've harvested all 3 mergansers: American, red-breasted & hooded
(the hooded merganser is stunningly beautiful). As it happens, the 2nd duck I've ever taken
was a red-breasted merganser, I was 10 years old
Roger
Catt reply :
On 9/5/2015 at 8:50 AM, RoLo said:(the hooded merganser is stunningly beautiful).
Roger
And now y'all know why farmers raise all 3 Mergansers!
Farmers around here raise Mallards & Pintails
powerduster reply :
They're everywhere!The only thing that bothers me are the amount of feces. I'm not even talking about the ducks, but the canada geese. The ducks are fine by me.
k3bass reply :
To answer the original question I would say yes. If your scare 20 geese or ducks along a shoreline and they take off it is definitely going to spook the fish.
Mr_Poche' reply :
Well I set out to test the bass following ducks theory yesterday after noon. I hit a local pond in a public recreational park. The pond had an abundance of ducks and cover. I started working a white hollow body frog between and behind the ducks. On my third cast in between 2 feeding wood ducks a fish exploded on my frog like an episode of shark week. It was the most violent frog strike I've ever had. Rod loads and I set the hook. At this point people passing by are in awe and cheering me on.
One person even helped me land the fish by taking my rod as I lipped the fish. It was pretty cool experience. 
scaleface reply :
I Googled domestic mergansers and came up empty. The article I read states that only Mallards and Muscovy's are domesticated but anything can be hatched and raised on a farm .
Catt reply :
On 9/6/2015 at 11:56 PM, scaleface said:I Googled domestic mergansers and came up empty. The article I read states that only Mallards and Muscovy's are domesticated but anything can be hatched and raised on a farm .
Humm!
The post before yours Mr_Poche´ stated & showed a picture of a bass caught between 2 feeding wood ducks...that's pretty domesticated!
scaleface reply :
There are domesticated squirrels in my back yard .
powerduster reply :
mallards are actually wild, but you're right, pretty much any wild waterfowl can be hatched and bred in captivity quite well. Muscovys are indeed a domesticated duck, and quite common to see around city ponds and lakes. I believe there are a lot more domestic breeds than you may think -- most notable of these breeds are the peking duck -- bred to grow large and quickly for their meat -- great egg layers too.On 9/6/2015 at 11:56 PM, scaleface said:I Googled domestic mergansers and came up empty. The article I read states that only Mallards and Muscovy's are domesticated but anything can be hatched and raised on a farm .
Hurricane reply :
Can't stand going to the pond and dodging goose crap...
RoLo reply :
On 9/8/2015 at 1:16 AM, BillsFan721 said:Can't stand going to the pond and dodging goose crap...
Spread a large sheet on the ground, those droppings make excellent fertilizer (don't forget your umbrella)
Mswen reply :
I live a couple of blocks away from a nice little 7 acre lake with big bluegills and crappie, and plenty of bass, not to mention some monster snapping turtles. We also have a flock of geese that shows up every year. The birds themselves don't bother fish, but every spring and summer that lake has a major algae bloom that ends up covering up to a third (or more) of the surface area of the lake. Aka green moss, it's the stuff that sticks to everything and anything. And of course it extends out from the bank, making fishing difficult or impossible. This spring it had already started before the ice was entirely melted. Well, anyway, all the nutrients from the goose poop play a significant role in fueling those algae blooms. The geese are not solely responsible, as the stream that feeds it travels through farm country and picks up fertilizer runoff, plus runoff from the lawns surrounding the lake, but they play their part, they poop all over the path, and they make all kinds of noise.
In general, I like seeing wildlife while I'm fishing. But a flock of large birds (or a gaggle of geese) in a small lake or pond can be bad news.
powerduster reply :
I'm an animal lover, but I have to agree about the geese. I'm not a hunter or know anything about it, but sometimes I feel like they should increase the bag limit or season to keep the population under control. I kind of feel the same way about the whitetail deer as well. I had so many close calls the last few years that I try avoid driving at night.On 9/8/2015 at 3:29 PM, Mswen said:I live a couple of blocks away from a nice little 7 acre lake with big bluegills and crappie, and plenty of bass, not to mention some monster snapping turtles. We also have a flock of geese that shows up every year. The birds themselves don't bother fish, but every spring and summer that lake has a major algae bloom that ends up covering up to a third (or more) of the surface area of the lake. Aka green moss, it's the stuff that sticks to everything and anything. And of course it extends out from the bank, making fishing difficult or impossible. This spring it had already started before the ice was entirely melted. Well, anyway, all the nutrients from the goose poop play a significant role in fueling those algae blooms. The geese are not solely responsible, as the stream that feeds it travels through farm country and picks up fertilizer runoff, plus runoff from the lawns surrounding the lake, but they play their part, they poop all over the path, and they make all kinds of noise.
In general, I like seeing wildlife while I'm fishing. But a flock of large birds (or a gaggle of geese) in a small lake or pond can be bad news.
Mswen reply :
On 9/11/2015 at 2:06 AM, powerduster said:I'm an animal lover, but I have to agree about the geese. I'm not a hunter or know anything about it, but sometimes I feel like they should increase the bag limit or season to keep the population under control. I kind of feel the same way about the whitetail deer as well. I had so many close calls the last few years that I try avoid driving at night.
I'm not sure how much good simply increasing the limit would do, since they tend to be problematic in areas where hunting wouldn't be safe. In most cases (with geese) it's not so much overpopulation in general as the population getting out of control in areas where they have few predators to limit their expansion. Maybe they could allow bowhunting in certain situations, like some municipalities do with deer, but that typically generates limited interest. We worked with US F&W, and about the only thing we were allowed to do on our own was to oil the eggs to prevent them from hatching. But then a whole team of F&W agents showed up about 5 am one day (they like to get done before the bunny-huggers are up) and "harvested" most of the remaining flock.
bigbill reply :
I notice when the snapping turtles are there the bass bite shuts down so bad I go home.
Kentuckysteve reply :
On 9/12/2015 at 11:51 AM, bigbill said:I notice when the snapping turtles are there the bass bite shuts down so bad I go home.
I like jugging for the turtles.
ward131 reply :
On 9/12/2015 at 11:51 AM, bigbill said:I notice when the snapping turtles are there the bass bite shuts down so bad I go home.
I was fishing along when I felt a hit. set the hook and reeled up a snapping turtle. My jig got him right through the roof of the mouth. If it had been a bass it would have been my 11th in about a 100yrd stretch.
Preytorien reply :
I live in a suburban area, and with the number of retention ponds I fish, there are geese EVERYWHERE. They're a nuisance, and are aggressive while they're sitting on eggs. Some neighborhoods have tried to curb the geese population by taking the eggs, but the DNR have such strict rules that the amount of red tape discourages the HOA's to do anything about it.
One of the more brilliant ideas I've seen is one neighborhood strung a line of fishing line all around the perimeter of the lake, that way when they geese attempted to get out of the water, they'd have to jump over the line, which they can't do very well, so they stopped coming around. Other lakes have lifelike owl or raccoon statues every several hundred feet or so since they're natural predators of goslings.
Either way, I wish they'd lift the restrictions on geese in any manner, HOA's need to have the ability to manage their properties from goose droppings, water pollution, and aggressive geese.
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