Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Hello

What a great site!

Been lurking for a while, just registered today. I purchased 30 acres in Northern California that has a 3 acre pond on it. I have been reading this site religiously. The caliber of people that post here is fantastic. I have learned tons and yet realize I know so very little!

Anyway, about the pond, as I said the pond is a little over 3 acres and is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Nothern California. The pond was named "Hidden Lake" by the local folk long before I purchased the property so that's what I call it. I realized that 3 acres isn't really big enough to justify calling it a lake but what the heck I didn't name it! As near as I can determine the pond was created during the 1940's by building an earthen damn across a small valley on the property. The pond is spring fed by two or three springs so it maintains water year round. The springs don't quite keep up with evaporation so the pond does vary some in size. The pond also gets fed from a seasonal creek during winter and spring.

I have caught large mouth bass and green sunfish and once saw a catfish (don't know what kind) so I know that at least those fish are in the pond. The fish population seem way out of balance. I catch 20 bass for every Green Sun Fish. According to a publication that I downloaded the bass appear to be somewhat stunted (their weight isn't as much as it should be for their length). I will have to correct this problem. (I'll ask about this in the correct forum).

I created a web site for the ranch (a term I use liberally) if you want to see photo's. The address is www.hiddenlakeranch.us

I'll attempt to post an image below...

Sorry about the rambling, I'm just excitied to be here!

Welcome Jeff and glad you joined us in the PB journey. Ask away and we will be happy to join you in your pond journey. You will find a bunch of good folks (fish nuts) here including a few from your area. BTW beautiful pond/lake.

As ewest says, welcome aboard, Jeff.

One thing I noticed is that when the locals have a name for your pond, it's not such a good thing.

When I bought our land w/ a pond already there, I learned that people from a several mile radius knew it as "Blue Hole." This is because many times in the summer, the deepest section of my pond (maybe 1.5 - 2 acre section) takes on a deep turquoise blue color. What I learned was that everyone thought it was their own little "Blue Hole."

Not to make negative thoughts though. Congrats on your new pond. The good times far out-weigh any bad times even on the worst days.

Hi Jeff,

It sounds like you might have a population somewhat similar to Dave in El Dorado's. What kind of size and condition are your GSF?

BTW - the rule is if I have 3 acres, it's a lake. If you have 3 acres, it's a pond.

WELCOME
Beautiful lake/pond

Welcome to the forum, Jeff!

We're really glad you're here. This is the perfect place for a pond nut to hang out with other pond nuts!

Bruce

i would be remiss to not post on jeff's first thread....i just found it....welcome to PB jeff.

been really busy w/ work, hope you guys didnt miss me too much (prob. glad i took some time off :rolleyes: )

jeff sounds like you have exactly the same issue, we should post a thread together to inquire as to the best mgmt strategy for our situation. unlike many here, i love the GSF, and want to manage if possible for a balanced LMB/GSF population, but as i am learning this could be quite difficult.

seems like you might be high enough to consider trout as well, esp since you have supplemental water during summer (i currently dont).

D.I.E.D.

Welcome Jeff, cool photos on your web page !

Wow, thank you all for the great welcome. I am really excited about being here. These type of informative sites make me so glad that Al Gore invented the internet.

I agree with you Sunil about people thinking a pond is theirs. This particular property has been never been developed and not managed for years so I have my work cut out for me. On several of the properties surrounding mine the owners have horses. I have nothing against horse owners but these particular folks had cut the fencing so they could ride around the lake. Horse droppings everywhere plus the horses had been ridden up the the pond edge when it was wet and the ground was chewed up. I repaired the fencing and posted no trespassing signs - neither of which made me real popular with the neighbors. But ya gotta protect your investment.

Theo:
We have only caught five GSF. All of them were approximately 7 to 8 inches long and I would say 4 to 5 inches wide. I say approximately because three of them I caught from a kayak and I didn't have a scale or measuring tape with me. The other two were caught by my dad and not weighted or measured. As far as condition I would say good, they looked healthy, had beautiful colors and fought like crazy. I must say that color wise the GSF is one of the nicest looking fish I have ever seen.

Dave:
It does sound like we have very similar conditions. I would enjoy meeting you sometime. I am a complete novice (a polite term for idiot) when it comes to this pond stuff so I am absorbing as much info as possible. A joint posting would be great. I do have three questions for you... (1)Have you ever stocked any fish in your pond? (2) If yes who did you get them from and what was your experience? I know that the Iron Oak Fish Farm in Placerville has both BG and GSF and also LMB. (3) Is it true that we Californian's can't get sterile grass carp?

Thanks again everyone for making me feel so welcome. I'll be the member posing the dumb questions.

By the way I didn't mean to ignore Ewest, Fatty (your name cracks me up every time I read it), Bruce and Eastland. I appreciate the kind comments and the generous welcome.

Jeff,
Regarding your GSF comment......my kinda guy

Regarding your questions 1) I have stocked Gambusia and GSF thus far, I got the gams from Placer Cty (LOL....they only had nine to give me, i planted in May, and now i have literally 100's if not 1,000's ), the GSF i obtained from a local ranch pond.

2)my only info on local sources comes from the CA State Fish and Game Aquaculture report, that lists all licensed fish farms in state.....it turns out not to be too accurate (prob. needs updating), out of the locals listed (Sac, ED, and Placer counties) i only received one call back from a guy in Elk Grove, we can share info off-line here at some point, feel free to e-mail me. I am interested in your info on the Iron Oak Fish Farm......do they have redear sunfish (RES)?

3) I dont know about a grass carp, but prob. a call to CA Fish and Game would answer that in a hurry.

Final comment....there are no dumb questions WRT ponds on this forum, (i've seen (or given) a few dumb nswers :rolleyes: ) but seriously, this forum is very forgiving and extremely helpful to those who show interest in and a desire to learn pond mgmt.

nuff said.

Jeff,
What a beautiful pond. I have had 2+ acre pond in Zephyr, Texas for about a year. I also have way too many small bass in my pond. I have been catching and releasing them on the bank for the coons to eat. I have stocked the pond once so far with Bule Gill, Redear Sunfish, a few Channel cats, Tilapia and Grass Carp. I'm sure there are things in there that I havent' discovered yet, but that is half the fun. Just recieved my aeration system yesterday so am anxious to get it going. We are in a terrible drought down here and Zephyr Pond is low but hanging on. Welcome to the site and remember pond management is a distance race not a sprint.

Jeff Awesome place indeed. While admiring your website I notice you have a "Amphibious All Terrain Vehicle" MAX IV. I have been wanting one of these types of ATV's for our place. My question is how does it handle in the water? Can it be used to fish from. I always thought it would be neat to be able to fish my 2 ponds (one is in front of the other) without having to drag the boat over the dam. Here's a picture of the fishing holes for reference http://rockytoppers.com/location.htm

Heybud, thanks for the kind words. I have been thinking about what you said about pond management being a distance race and not a sprint. Good advice for a newbie.

I think that I have been trying to manage the pond like a giant aquarium or pool, expecting an immediate fix to any situation that arises. I am trying to adjust my thinking to more long term goals. Being a "Type A" personality that is not always easy! I am going to try an application of moderate quantities of adult beverages to re-adjust my impatient attitude.

Jeff,
Good plan on the adult beverages. "Sometimes I sits and drink and sometimes I just sits" while contemplating my next mangagement decission.

Rocky, first off, you have a beautiful place, great photo of it!

Here is the low down on the Max IV. They are perfectly capable of going into water however I would not consider it a replacement for a boat. The reason that I say this is that is they are not as maneuverable as a boat. The Max uses a skid-steer system whereby you disengage power to one side (three of the six wheels) in order to turn in that direction. That works great on land but is slow to turn in the water. That being said people do fish from them. Some people have even mounted an electric trolling motor to them for fishing.

Even with this limitation I absolutely love my Max. It is very powerful and gets great traction in mud, or bogs or forging streams or wetland areas. During the spring on the east side of my pond I have an area that is fed by a stream. When the stream is running it creates a large wet marshy area, the water is 2 feet deep in many places and gets full of reeds, etc. I take my Max in there all the time with no problems what so ever. For utility purposes I use the Max to tow a brush mower, drag tree limbs that I have cut, etc. My Max has a winch mounted on the front that I use for all kinds of stuff.

I also have a 14ft Gregor Aluminum Boat and a kayak. Personally I enjoy fishing from the kayak the most. I have a two person kayak but I often fish in it by myself. It's quiet, easy to paddle, and is light enough for one person to drag around. You could easily drag a kayak from one pond to the other. If you get a good kayak they are not tippy like a canoe.

My suggestion is that you by both a Max and a kayak. Every time I drive the Max I feel like a kid again. I take it all over the ranch, over logs and rocks, up and down steep inclines, through the marsh, etc. It takes a while to learn how to drive it well so you must practice quite a bit ("stick time" to use the AATV lingo). I order to ensure maximum efficiency I "practice" all the time.

For more info on AATV's go to... http://www.route6x6.com/
You will find some great info there.

Thanks for the info Jeff, I have also been considering a mule type atv sense I run cattle and I thought it would be functional and fun. Another reason for wanting one is to use for off roading in the high country in the rockies were we vacation each summer. Our 4x4 truck has it limitations. I noticed that they make a buffalo model that has a dump bed like a mule. This seems to be the thing I need it has it all. Being from CA have you ever taken your machine to the mountains and if so how does it handle the terrain? down steep grades etc... Ho and what is the price range of these machines? Thanks again
Rocky

Hey Rocky. I have not taken my Max off our ranch yet but I have gone up and down some fairly serious inclines on the ranch. It will climb up grades that are difficult to walk up. In the Max you sit in the vehicle so it doesn't feel tippy. A group of AATV folks take them to the famous Rubicon Trail (which is about 50 miles from the ranch) and they do fairly well there. My wife and I plan to do the Rubicon get together in 2007.

Check out this website for more info (play the video, it shows them in water)... http://www.maxadventures.com/


New they are faily expensive. A buffalo sells new for about $13,000. See this link for more info...
http://www.realatvs.com/maxsales.html

I bought mine used and then had it shipped. With shipping it came to about $5,200. Mine was used but completely reconditioned by Richard at Route 6x6. If budget is an issue (it was for me) I would suggest looking for a used Buffalo. With the tilting bed you would have both fun and utility.

By the way I am not in any way affiliated with any of these people. I don't sell these vehicles or get any form of commision or anything like that. I'm just posting the links for your info. I have personally dealt with Richard of Route 6x6 and had a great experience with him.

There are two main manufacturers of the AATV, Max (made by Recreational Industries) and Argo. The both do the same thing. It's kind of like a Ford vs Chevy thing, some people swear by one brand, others by the other brand.

Hope this helps some.

Rocky here's another photo of my Max IV...




I forgot to mention that another feature of this AATV that I really like is that since it is sealed along the bottom (like a boat) you don't need to worry about the exhaust starting a grass fire. As you can see in the photo the engine is up high. Also it has a great muffler/spark arrestor. In my area fire is a huge concern!

Jeff thanks for the info I'm keeping my eye out on a used one, wish me luck. And thanks again for all the info.