Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations Creating new spawning habitat

Hi all.

I am taking over management of a 10 acre pond in central Missouri near St. Louis. The water contains mostly LMB, BG, and CC. The lake has a huge muscle population. While you can find muscles darn near anywhere in the lake, the area designated as the beach/swimming area is one monster shell bed. It is a 75 yard wide roped in beach. The beach extends to roughly 9 feet of water at about 40 yards out. The first 1/4 of the way out from the beach is all sand. The sand then turns to a bed of small shells for about 10 yards, and the rest is black mud. There is an expansive stretch of bottom where the shells meet the mud that is edge-to-edge potholes. Hand-sized bluegill (and some redear) sit on these beds from early May to late October. Once June rolls around the beds are constantly disturbed by swimmers until the Fall. There are similarly sized areas just outside of the beach boundries/ropes that are designated "no fishing". These areas slope exactly as the beach are but do not have shell beds - just sand leading to mud - and no spawning beds. So, my question....

Assuming I am not getting maximum production (bass food) from my beds on the always busy beach....would it be feasible to create habitat in the protected area outside of the ropes? No one swims in these areas. I was considering a dumptruck of pea gravel spread out in 3 to 6 feet of water on top of the mud. I feel as though it should work - but thought I would ping you guys to get your more educated input.

Thanks.

That would work, but first see about moving some of the muck out of the way. I've moved muck in a public lake by directing a boat motor over the area, and having the prop wash act as a jet of water and flush the muck from the area, leaving the heavier denser sand. You have to tie the boat to something to keep it in one space.

Check with the local gravel yard. If other stones, slightly larger than pea gravel is available and cheaper, use it. It doesn't have to be washed, but rounded stones would be better than sharp jagged edged ones. You could go up to 1" in diameter or so. The BG will still use the area with that sized stones.

There was another thread very recently that asked the same question.

Good to see another st louisian here. Im in alton, actually, work in midtown. How about you?

Thanks for the motor tip - I might see about doing that. I was curious about the stone size - I'll probably have to compromise between whats ideal and what's affordable. That pretty orange pea gravel probably ain't cheap!

I'm in Bridgeton, MO, BTW. Lake is in Warrenton.

See this thread for good info on BG spawning beds with pics of beds and rock size.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199269&page=1

Here is a new thread also.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=319819&page=1

Don’t waste money on pea gravel but use larger rocks (road gravel size).

Thanks for the links - they were very helpful. I will se what's available in the larger sixed gravel.

On a side note...Does anyone know if there's anything I can do to expand the existing shell bed? Odd (to me) that they exist only in the beach/swimming area. Could it be the sand.

One more thing....
I am going to get some $$ estimates for my gravel soon. I know the size of the area - but nothing I saw in the posts/links mentions a recommended depth. Gravel depth I mean - not water. Should I be spreading 1", 2", 3", etc.? My guess would be that a few inches would suffice. Thoughts?

Look at the pics on the link. A small shovel of gravel in each bed is best - not a big thick layer of gravel in a square. Make the depressions just like the pics in a clean clay area (not subject to silt washing in on top of them).

Here is one pic from :



http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=199269&page=1

Eric, what do you recommend for an area that has some muck, and the BOW can't be drained down to create individual beds?

I did most of mine with the water up. You wade with buckets of rocks. You can add a clay area to raise it up some and work from there. Another method is get a pump and power washer and send the muck to deeper water. Can use a big hose under pressure (like a fire hose). I have also raked out nesting areas (50 X 50)with the water up , made depressions with the back of a shovel and added rock. It can be done with some work. Avoid muck areas and those with silt washing in. Look for descending clay points underwater 2 to 6 ft deep. See what areas the BG are using and match that. Got to think outside the box.

Great ideas!!