I would not allow the field drainage into your pond. Explore diversions for the water. Better watershed water would be from greased inward slopes built from the spoil from the pond. Farm field water will often be turbid (silt sedimentation) and contain lots of nutrients to grow usually nuisance algae and weeds. Try to divert it. Silty water is not the best for SMB habitat.
The 6" fish in your son's aquarium was likely a creek chub and not a bluntnose minnow. BNM only grow to 4.5" long max. Most that you catch will be 1.75"-3". Anything over 3.5" be suspect & give it a second and third look. Your son probably had a creek chub which also has a lateral stripe but no distinct rear tail spot. There is a big difference between the size & shape of the mouth for BNM and creek chubs. Learn the difference. Also on BNM learn to notice the appearence of crowded scales on the top between the dorsal fin and head. Key featuers of BNM: mouth size-shape, lateral stripe with posterior spot, and crowed scales on top behind head. If you make a mistake and add a few creek chubs they will never reproduce and 20-50 in one acre will not cause problems although they could prey of SMB fry and ck chubs will easily grow to 7"-10" long before they die if the larger 14"-15" SMB don't eat them first.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 06/11/12 09:43 AM.
