Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations thirst for knowledge

Hello everybody. Three week reader, first time writer. I would like to start by saying thank you to everyone who makes this website and forum what it is. I enjoy coming home and reading the new posts everyday. I have a little bit of land near Jacksboro, Tx. with a nice little pond. My question is how does someone with absolutely no knowledge about aquatic ecosystems and pond management start a foundation of knowledge that I can then build upon. As much as I enjoy reading the posts and the magazine, about 50-60% of what is written is a foreign language. Are there any good books for beginners? Once again, thank ya'll for the great reading and as I learn to post pics I will share my little slice of heaven. Thanks

Howdy, B-n-T!

I recommend Lusk's "Basic Pond Management". Covering pretty much the whole gauntlet of pond ownership, it's comprehensive without being too technical. Plus, if you're a native of the great state of Texas, he writes with the same accent you read with.

Unless you have absolutely no desire for advanced pondmeistering, get his "Raising Trophy Bass" at the same time. It's not much more technically advanced, just a little more niche oriented. I value my copy, even though I'm a big bream guy.

Both available here.

Welcome to Pond Boss. The Texas Parks and Wildlife has some good papers that aren't too technical.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water/habitats/private_water/

Like Theo said "Basic Pond Management" and "Raising Trophy Bass" are excellent books.

Welcome to my world, BnTx.
This forum is comprised of the entire range of aquaculture knowledge; from the fish-neophyte (me) to the fanatical, upper eschelon of expertise...guys like Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, Ewest, Cecil Baird, Dave Willis, and yeah...even Theo and Dave Davidson. (there are others in that group; just runnin' out of suckin' room) The rest of the folk fall in between. We are all grateful for the never-ending, nearly 24-7 service that these guys provide. Ya just gotta stay tuned in, read the books, and ask the questions. That's one of the many beauties of this forum; there ain't no dumb questions. The worst that can happen is some wise guy like me or Jeffhasapond will try to twist it into a yuk, ultimately realizing that we just walked thru the entire restaurant with toilet paper stuck to our shoe.
Use the archives and the search function, then settle in and start a thread. It worked for me...it's gotta work for others.

Well I never!!! Ok, well maybe sometimes.

Stuck to your shoe, IF YOU'RE LUCKY, Brettski. :p

Welcome aboard Big.

Ahh the quest for knowledge, you start out naive and innocent. Trolloping along the pond side trail of life like poor Little Red Riding Hood. And then one day you meet the Big Bad Wolf and suddenly your whole life changes. Suddenly you worry about oxygen crashes, excessive vegetation, water quality, relative weight monitoring, predator to forage base ratios, optimum aeration run times.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, I really do, but you see finding this forum is like seeing Sasquatch, you think you saw what you thought you saw but you just have to look a second time to be sure, and your life will NEVER be the same again.

Innocence be gone. Buy all of Bob Lusk's books, read, read, and then read some more. Ask all the questions you want and even ask the questions that you don't want. There is no such thing as a stupid question (ok well maybe some of my questions are stupid, but aside from that). We have world class experts here that are willing to take you on a journey into...... the twilight zone.

Dang was that poetic or what? I know, I know, before ya say it I will..... Or What.

Welcome to the PB forum Big . Good advice above. Most states have free on line info at a very basic level. Not as good or in depth as Lusk's books or as up to date. TX has one. Here is a link to one.

http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1428.pdf

Check the archives FAQ for links to Links to Identification Sites http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=22;t=000021

...alright... one end was stuck to my shoe

Better than hangin out yur trousers.

Welcome Neighbor. Where's your place? I've got a couple of places just South of Bowie; one off Pickett Run Rd. and another off Wagonseller. Yep, I've got water holes on each.

Along with the books, I would keep reading Pond Boss magazine. I've been doing this stuff for awhile and accumalated a little knowledge but every month there is an article that I read 3 or 4 times. The one this month was regarding water quality and it was written down on my level. Every month there is something in there that I've always been too dumb to ask.

Some of these guys are experts. The rest of us are either junkies or students and sometimes the experts learn from the students/junkies. Most of the experts are guys that have screwed up more often than the rest of us and don't mind sharing their mistakes and what they've learned. Most of us have erred and killed a lot of fish.

The essential thing, to me, is what Bob Lusk calls maintenance. He says a productive pond is like a garden. It has to be cultivated, picked, weeded, etc. You have to eat some fish and ignore the catch and release mantra that is so prevalent on public lakes. Like a baloon full of air, pond density (biomass) has a limit or everything explodes and you have nothing. In Jacksboro, you probably don't need to fertilize. Our waters are already pretty fertile due to our soil alkilinity base.

Don't hesitate to ask questions. Everybody here will enthusiastically bail in and give advice. Like I say, we're junkies. Tell us about the size of the water hole/tank/pond, its condition and just what your goals will be for it.

Thanks ya'll. I'm still looking for a pop-up book about pond management.

Dave Davidson 1

IF you take Hwy 59 south from Bowie about 15 miles to FM 2127 and turn West, it is about 3 miles west of Post Oak almost to 148.

Yeah, I know the area. Did you get all of the rain that you needed?

Tell us about the size and condition of the tank.