Fish Cages – A Must For Every Dock

Harvest, harvest, harvest! It’s one of the four “required” steps for successful pond management. You’ve heard us preach about it for years. Some old friends who see us coming, probably cross the street to avoid another sermon on the topic. Bob recently offered a great suggestion during a Purina pond management seminar that should make the task easier. Construct a holding cage!

How many times have you fished until sunset, returned to the dock with a stringer of fish, and dreaded taking an hour to clean them? You could be home in an hour. Now you can release them in the cage. Call a neighbor who’s been asking for a mess and tell him to raid the cage or clean them when you return in a few days and have more time.

See the accompanying photo for a neat cage design shared at the POND BOSS conference last fall. Make the frame and lid from sturdy PVC pipe. The volume of fish you anticipate storing will determine length, width, and depth. Measure combined square footage of top, bottom, and side panels. Obtain a piece of rubber or string netting with those dimensions to cover the frame. Place the assembled frame in the center of your covering, lift edges to the top rod, and attach with wire ties. Strap styrofoam or foam floats on each side near the top. If possible, keep the cage in a shaded area during warm seasons.