Trout in pond all disappeared

[MPSR]

A pair of Otters will clean out a pond in one season..  My parents farm pond was getting hammered 7 years ago.. The Otters somehow vanished LOL. Back to a trophy bass pond for the time being.. Also Snapper do a good number on trout especially as it gets warm and they troll the bottom where it is cooler.

[bucky]

I know thats far inland but how about mergansers or cormorants, lately I have been seeing those black bastards  in the spring time in places I have never seen them before

[SPEARFISH]

Old age

 

[TroutandBucks]

Could be age they died of 5 years. Fish do die sometimes after ice out too. Could be lots of different things 

@Bucksnbows is the trout expert and he may know 

[rgw]

Otter 🦦 or mink

[bob kudile]

i had 100 trout in my pond for about 5 years some up to 5 lb. then we had a local tornado in my area and that knocked down most of the trees between the pond and the spring that fed the pond. the water temp spiked from 60 deg all summer to over 70 deg most of the summer. i had one golden trout that we called goldie,she was the queen of the pond and about the last to die.  i had two german shorthairs that patroled the pond all day till dark. my neighbors and my wife and i would sit out after supper and feed the trout liver pellets. my one gsp would wade out and eat with the trout until the vet ripped me a new one as the dog was getting overweight. now i have only a few bass. over the years i had to deal with beavers , snappres, blue herrons and land eels and water snakes . one snake got a wild brook trout on me one day as i took a shot with my pistol and 22 mag bird shot. i missed the snake and hit the trout,my bad.

[Nomad]

Are these them?

 

[bob kudile]

no, mine were much bigger.

[SoxFan]

Sad to lose the fish, but 5 years is a lot. I agree with cams to catch predator action. 

[formakos]

The pond is about 16 ft. deep in the center.  It did have a thick coat of ice last winter.

[Dakota560]

I stocked 150 trout this year in Hunterdon County.  Rainbows, Browns and Tigers.  About three weeks later, saw three minks hanging around the pond, two weeks later every trout was gone.  Caught a few trout that had the puncture marks around the head from being grabbed, and a lot of fish started coming up scaled.  Pond is spring fed, 12 feet deep and maybe an acre.  Minks / otters but more so minks are excellent swimmers and fish in smaller size ponds they can wipe them out quickly.  They call them water wolves.  Once they find a pond, they'll work it at night until every fish is gone.  Unlike otters, they bring their catch back to the den so you won't see carcasses or any signs of remains.  Once they taken all the fish they desire, they'll move in to another pond or food source.