Cold weather brings an end to some natural hiding places, like plants that provide camouflage

When the shadow of a heron, raccoon, or crafty cat looms over the pond, alert fish take cover; shouting – bubbles rising from little mouths: “Incoming – dive, dive, dive!!!”

Be sure they have at least one easily accessible fallout shelter. Several of these bunkers, strategically placed around the pond gives them even better odds of escape. The water’s edge is generally the most prone to predator attack, so take care to bunker those areas heavily.

Though not a garden pond, below is a lovely example of shelters that protect and disguise colorful salt water fish.

Where’s Waldo?

Here are several easy ways to add hiding places to your pond:

• Stack flat rocks under water to form a cave
• Lay one or several pieces of drain pipe in locations throughout the pond (black ones are less visible)
• Place a clay pot on it’s side on the bottom of the pond (really big fish may want to wear it as a helmet if they can’t fit inside of it completely)
• If you just want to buy something ready made, aquarium supply stores offer all kinds of under water hide outs in different sizes, shapes and colors. Some may be a bit silly for a pond. No doubt, you can find plenty of treasure chests and castles in stock.