Pond Boss

Bruce, I am very interested in your Dad’s Pond?
Does anyone one else have a Dad’s pond?
My son does…

Tell us about them.
How were goals determined?
What species and why?
Consideration of management problems?
Tell us about them.

MY DAD’S POND


When I was a kid my Dad took me fishing all of the time.

Practically all of my greatest childhood memories center around fishing and I have my Dad to thank.

When I was renovating a small pond of mine winter before last, it dawned on me that I should dedicate the pond to my Dad. Better yet, why not give it to him?

I started hinting to my Dad what he would do if he ever had a pond. He said he would want some good eating fish that he could catch for a quick meal, and he also said that he’d rather catch a big panfish, than catching a lot of panfish.

So I used the information received from the Pond Boss forum and put together the following plan.

Here’s the document I created.

My Dad’s dream pond


1. Water quality

A. Temperature at various depths
B. Oxygen levels at various depths
C. Nutrient load
D. Silt load


2. Fishing

A. Types of fish
B. Numbers of fish
C. Ability of fish to reproduce
D. Fish concentrating structures


3. Landscaping

A. Dock for fishing
B. Mowed area for walking
C. Native grasses
D. Waterfall

4. Security

A. Electric fence
B. Cameras
C. Stainless wire


My first concern will be to manage the water quality to create minimal stress on the resident fish and to virtually eliminate any possibility of fish kill events.

Water temperature will be kept between 39 degrees F. and 83 degrees F. I will accomplish this by committing between 4 and 16 gpm of water flow throughout the year. I will trench in poly pipe from the hydrant to the pond and deliver water through horizontally oriented sweeper nozzles.

Oxygen levels will be managed by placing a Kasco .75 hp circulator which will run year around in the opposite direction of the water delivery. This will aerate, destratify and degas the water column. The cost will be approximately 900 dollars annually for power to run the well and 750 dollars annually to run the circulator. This should create a rotational environment which will assure good quality water. Bob Hampl will create a bracket for the circulator float pad that will allow the circulator to rise and fall with the water level, and preclude the need for mooring. The excess water will flow by gravity to the primary 1.25 acre pond below the dream pond.

Nutrient load will be managed by the flow through created by water delivery from hydrant. The circulation should keep nutrients suspended in the water column and allow nutrients to outflow through the 12 inch overflow. Fish population will not exceed 250 pounds, which should require no more than 160 pounds of feed each year. Periodic applications of alum should keep rooted vegetation from entirely taking over the pond, thereby keeping nutrients suspended for outflow to larger recreational pond. Estimate need for alum would be about 200 pounds each year, applied gradually during April and May with frequent pH check to make sure water stays between 7.4 and 8.4 pH.

Silt load will be managed by immediately planting native grasses in the disturbed watershed. Norm Kopecky will be consulted to find ways to establish vegetation on north side of pond to minimize turbidity. Consistent water levels should allow for stable shoreline aquatic vegetation stands. Fall of 2006 will collect American Pond Weed seed heads for stocking in pond.

Fish populations will consist of fish with state record capability. A total of 150 bluegill will eventually be stocked, all males, with good apparent genetics and feed training. These fish will be inspected, hopefully with the end result being fish virtually free of parasites. Female yellow perch will be stocked. Fifty of these fish will be introduced, all feed trained in spring of 2006. If 80% or more survive the summer then this species will continue to be of interest. If most die off during heat of summer then they will no longer be used. Hopefully 10-15 all male redear sunfish can be procured and they will be stocked as well. This particular mix should allow for no reproduction and make it possible to tightly manage the overall pond biomass.

Fish will be concentrated with structures fabricated from scrap PVC kept in the maintenance pile.

I completed the construction phase in February of 2006, then started to acquire and/or grow the fish.


Then I contacted a very generous attorney friend of mine who put together the following document.


HOOVER POND LAND TRUST


BE IT KNOWN, that on this the twenty third day of June in the year of our LORD TWO THOUSAND and SIX, we the undersigned in and of our own free will and with grateful hearts establish , for the perpetual enjoyment of the land and pond so designated


THE FRANK CONDELLO HOOVER POND LAND TRUST


WHEREAS, this land and water in all its glory was created by the grace of God and man , in his image likewise , we do acknowledge the gifts so freely given by our Creator to us including the Honored life of our beloved father Frank Condello ;


AND WHEREAS , on this the occasion of the ___ birthday of said Frank Condello we proudly profess our love for him and our heart felt thanks for all that he has accomplished specifically including the many gifts of time , talent and treasure he has devoted to the establishment , caring and wellbeing of our family ;


AND WHEREAS , in acknowledgement of said gifts it is our pleasure to Honor him this day and in perpetuity by creating this LAND TRUST reflecting his love of nature ;


NOW THEREFORE, we the undersigned do hereby establish the FRANK CONDELLO HOOVER POND LAND TRUST.

So far the pond has been a great success. My Dad fishes it regularly and the fish population is gradually beginning to resemble the original plan. There have been some modifications of the fishery—namely the addition of (hopefully) 25 feed trained female smallmouth bass by fall of 2008. There was a change from male redears to females. Also we substituted a surface agitator for the circulator because the circulator kept the water too muddy. The bluegill condominium was later invented to concentrate the bluegill and has performed quite well.


My Dad--definitely enjoying his pond...

How do you follow that! I feel like who ever bats behind A-Rod, or
whoever followed Bear Bryant. Stories like that are great reading and very inspirational. Unfortunately, I don't have one to share, but even though my dad is gone, I hope to be able to do something like that for someone in the future. Bruce, you're a good guy!!!

Man, that is awesome! I regret not living close enough to my dad to have done more of that sort of stuff. It's easy to say that I would have, but to actually DO it is another story. Such unselfishness to give back a portion of what is received. I'll bet your daughters build you an RAS one day.

Nice job Bruce ! How do those YP taste. That smile makes it all worth while.

Thanks Bruce, for the story of your Dad’s pond.
You have given us bits and pieces of the story previously, but to see it in its entirety is both interesting and appreciated.

We read many post on the forum about kid’s ponds, and they are important, but so are Dad’s ponds. The smile on your Dad’s face tells it all...

Your Dad’s photo tells me that he is a young man in age as well of spirit – you have many days on this earth together to live life to the fullest.

Keep us up to date as progress continues.

You have one lucky Dad, or maybe it’s the other way around?...
George