The Pond Boss Convention V ( Pon Con V ) is underway at Big Cedar Lodge Mo. !!!!!

Pics and more to follow.


Conv Center





View from Falls View Lodge to Marina





Marina and BG




Inside Conv Center




Marina





Pond with Fountains

Is "Bid Cedar" a subliminal?

Have Fun All!

One of these years it'll have to be during the summer so my wife and I can attend. I hope you all have a great time!

Looks beautiful!

Made it. 600 or so miles

I second this one

Slides from the Pond Pro session??

Yup, Thursday AM session. Wishin you were here Dave. We are thinking about you.

Fire alarm works in Falls Lodge

2 Oclock in the morning and the, very loud, fire alwarms going off in Falls Lodge, three floors of folks in interesting night clothes headed to the exits.

Seems like a false alarm but sure got a chance to meet some nice folks.

About to start the main meeting !

Hey Guys - Treasure the memories - they are priceless!…
Have fun everyone!
George

To all who are posting while at the conference... Thanks for taking the time. I'm sure you guys/gals are very busy as it is...thanks again.

Beautiful place by the way!

Sounds like JHAP had something to do with this..?

Hanging out in the moderators booth ~ great talks going on!!

Chris and Omaha(Josh) - Josh is NEEDING that cup of coffee!!


Wild Bill Cody and Bruce riding shotgun!


Nate Sunil & Eric before the weigh in ~


TJ Blaire & BRUCE! TJ looks sweet...



My dad trying some of catmando's famous deer pastrami

Any updates?

Probably not until hangovers are dealt with

Sincere thanks from Susie and I to Fred, Bob, Eric, and the rest of our Pond Boss family. Thanks also for all y'all do for the Jesse West Foundation. We hated to miss this year, but I can assure everyone that the prayers and support from the Pond Boss family have been a huge part of my good health. All of you who were at the banquet tonight know just what I mean!

Sorry to hear you couldn't make it this year Dave.

I wanted to paint up a reproduction green sunfish for an auction item for the Jesse West Foundation but my custom molder didn't come through. I will definitely come up with something for the next convention.

I'm sure a green sunfish from you would be a beauty, Cecil. I've always thought those big males would make a pretty aquarium fish. Besides, I will bet we could get JHAP involved somehow!

Cecil, re: Greenie. I could throw a couple in a cage and feed them for a year+.......

Dave, I didn't hear what the total was from the auction.

Update (for those guys that missed it). The walk and talk lunch was postponed until tomorrow due to buckets of rain and lightening. Lots of great topics were discussed in teh conference. Greg showed us an 8.2# LMB that was really close to the 2 1/2 year old mark....

Bruce had some amazing footage of basically hand feeding BG to 9# LMB. He trained the LMB to eat them in the quarry at his house in less than 2 weeks.

Up and going on day 3. A talk on BG spawning habitat selection. by Mark a SDSU PhD student. PB Forum members helped make his studies doable.

Auction raised almost $9,200!
The PB family rocks!

OMG Cody is up doing show and tell !!!!! What a hoot.




And yes Bruce can sleep through anything.

A must watch! Wild Bill auctioning off Blakemore Lures! $380 took them.

We didn't really have enough cameras to capture Bill Cody.

As always, Mr. Cody used humor to teach us about the little things around our ponds.

He'd show us something so we could try to guess what it might be.



Then he'd finally tell us.



This year, he must have felt intimidated. As Bob started to walk towards him -- his presentation was over!



And, as always, everyone truly enjoyed Bill's presentation. If you didn't see the video above -- that is what Bill did when he finished his presentation. He may have missed his calling.

Scott,

The molder has a large specimen in the freezer to mold but just never got around to it.

Chris Blood with TH.

The conferecne was a blast. It was a pleasure to get here again and meet the PB'ers that I only know as screen names, and the others that I know in person. I apologize to the ones that I didn't spend enough time with, but unfortunately, I'm the driver and I have to sleep sometime.

TJ, I hear there was some thunder Fri. night over in Branson??

Yeah, I know, I'll probably have to make a trip to Nebraska to catch up on stuff that we didn't catch up on at the conference.

Bob and the PB Office "behind the scenes people", THANK YOU VERY MUCH for doing all the work and putting this show together.

As for the banquet Friday night, well, lets just say that it wasn't held where it was supposed to be held, this "banquet" facility was completely off the hook for amazing construction, furnishings, and ambiance. I'm completely blown away that the staff could put everything together on such short notice.

Brian, it was great to meet you and your wife. We will have to get together when I next visit Texas. I'll make sure to schedule it so there's time in your schedule to make it to see George too. I'll remember to toss a certain rifle in the car as well..... If you ever have a layover in Chicago or Indy, let me know and I'll hop in the car if I can.

I know I missed a LOT of people in the post above, but we're hitting the road in about 6 hours and I really should hit the bed.

Good times all around!

Certainly just not enough time to connect with everyone..

Txt n drive not safe but quickly what a conference best yet in many ways. I miss my family but even more hate to leave the pondboss family. Yes missed talking to many. Thanks to everyone for doing such a great job. Caleb newest fish technian learned alot and met some great people. We have some good ideas in the woks as well due to conversations we did fit in. Safe travels everyone.

So is all the attendance at the conferance only PondBoss members, or is it open the the general public if they want to attend?

I would imagine it is open to any one who pays the registeration fee.

I am just wondering if there are more people involved than just pondboss members. Are there alot of people attending that don't care or use the forum?

I met a handful of people who have yet to venture onto the forum. They were either in the business or had ties to Bob somehow. Hopefully after talking with so many of us they'll give it a look-see.

It really was a fantastic and fun time. I fully echo all that ESSHUP said above, especially about Bob and the Pond Boss staff.

We've been to all of the conferences, and all have been great. Each one was better than the previous, but this one really was exceptional.

I can't wait to get home and try some of the stuff I learned at this one.

It was a spectacular times! Great to see everyone. Great to spend time with others in the business and land/pond owners who have the passion for managing their natural resources. Getting to discuss how we can all be better stewards of land and water is what the conference is all about and that has been Bob's dream all along. I have some ideas for him that hopefully he can incorporate in the future.

Great times. Excellent venue. New ideas to incorporate into business. Thanks to everyone who attended. Special thanks to my brother Chuck for going and helping, couldn't have done it without you. And a special special thanks to Leigh Ann and Sherrie. They did a tremendous job.

I took a lot of pictures. Several have been posted on the Texoma Hatchery Facebook page. As soon as I shake off some cobwebs I will try to get some of them posted up here. There is a great one of the moderators... but I won't say much more.

Just got home!

What a great time!

More stories to follow....light explosives....escape by vehicle.....

Fire alarms, explosives, informative speakers, and upgraqde to the "Top of the Rock" for the banquet, awesome weather for the fishing tourney and the rescheduled pond side demos, excellent digs to stay in and amazing friends....what a conference!!!!!!

What a good time. I was glad to meet everyone. And learning a few things, well that was a bonus.

So, Blair Oh, Canada was outside at 2AM on the first fire alarm (I think), and there were these older ladies sitting on some of the rocks.

Then lawn sprinklers came on and aced them.

Also, haven't heard much from the gang who ended up going to the Dirty Beaver in Branson on Saturday night.

I think Young Blood was their designated driver which means all bets were off!

Yes!! Agree 100%

Words can't explain what goes on at a PB conv. A look back at the prior Pon Con threads in the archives will give you an idea.

Every time I am amazed by the old friends I see and the new ones made. People from 27 states and several other countries.

I know I missed some people I wanted to see but hope they were busy talking to others who they saw.

Very well put! Rainman, you add a lot to these get-togethers! Thank you for being there.

I am starting to think Dwight sabotaged the fire alarm circuit to keep everyone in Falls View up all night.

This was taken somewhere around St. Louis at 11:00 or so in the morning on the way back home as I was clipping along at slightly above the speed limit. This is from someone that said "I can't sleep in cars or airplanes".

I'm glad that I had earplugs in the console for Mike and I.....
(Not really - it wasn't THAT bad)

Sunil, does that answer part of your question?

fish n chips, I met some people who were there because they saw the conference advertised in the magazine. As long as you pay the registration fee, you can drink from the well of knowledge. It is "open to the public", but I can't begin to imagine what it costs (both in actual dollars and in hours worked) to put it all together, so I don't mind the registration fee one little bit.

highflyer, I enjoyed your talk about your pond. For those who missed it, here's a pic from his presentation of this young guy who thinks he can teach highflyer how to flyfish :

Finished up my chunk of Catmandoo/Ken's Venison Pastrami!

Delicious..Nutritious.....!!!

Skunk done right!!

This was the first PB conference for the me and Jodi(aka, the Mrs.). Just like the forums, the presenters and other attendees at the conference were fun, friendly, and eager to share their knowledge of ponds, fish, and anything aquatic.

As states earlier, the facilities and the setup by the Pond Boss crew were superb. We'll be at future conferences if able.

Thanks to all involved!

DJS it was good to meet you and Jodi and enjoyed the conversations. Next time you may have to give a talk on Bass , Lilies and Blueberries. For those who missed it DJS and Jodi sent Bill Cody to give Bob the "it’s time to quit " sign on the last talk. Priceless - Bill loves revenge.

DJS and Jodi thanks for your participation in the silent auction. Thanks to everyone else who helped also.

A request to all who went and took pics. Post them or email so we can share. My camera batteries ( including the backup set)went out so I missed a lot of pics (Fri night and Sat). That is why the thread pics are so limited as compared to prior times. Someone who got good pics of "Top of the Rock" needs to step up and post them.

Hey Scott, appearently your batteries were still functioning enough to snap a photo of me "resting my eyes".

Thanks to everybody at the conference! Had a great time as usual. There were many that I wanted to say good-bye to but missed the opportunity. See you all in 18 months, I should be fully recovered by then.

Blaine, that was Mike's phone.

Thanks Scott! Under the bus I go..........

You promised to keep the identity of the photographer secret!

You mean you're actually looking at the forum? When did this come about??

Nope never promised. I see a set of duals went across your midsection now.

Blaine, check your conference stuff for a Pond Boss t-Shirt. Mikey accused me of taking his and I know I don't have it.

http://www.customink.com/signup/1mbrwlwi


Willis T-shirt Group Sign-up Sheet

Welcome!
Dr. Willis has positively impacted so many people during his career (and still is!) so we thought it would be a great idea to make t-shirts to honor his contributions. Thus, we are ordering Willis Nation t-shirts for anyone who is interested.

Signed up for one just now!

A few pictures from the conference. Obviously in no real order.

Trying to figure out how to resize some images because they are too large to post. If anyone has any comments please share. Thanks

Sorry Mike, don't have your shirt. In fact, I am missing my Texas Hunter shirt that Chris Blood gave me so I think a full blown investigation into essup's wardrobe is warranted.

However, based upon all of the photos flying around... The saying "if you snooze you lose" could be ringing true.

Blaine, how was the Beaver on Saturday night? Not a peep about it yet!

Service was terrible. Quite a few got up and went to another place because they couldn't get drinks. Bar was interesting, actually kind of fun. Did you end up at the buzzard?

Yeah, but it was lightly attended, and shut down shortly after last call at 11:30. Everyone pretty much packed it in.

Okay, I did not make the fishing tournament, But I hear this guy would have taken second place!!!



And not even the Patented "Condello Pose" help to make him look that menacing!!




Man did we have fun, and it was great to see everyone in real lfe!

Didn't get a chance to say bye but I did have a great time. See you in 18 months if not sooner. Keep in touch my friends!

there were several people I didnt even get a chance to talk with besides just the hello...highflyer I had several questions for you too!! next go around!!!

A few more pics - not mine but from Sue and Bob.
















More pics

Maybe this will be a little easier. There are several photos from the conference on the Facebook page below.



https://www.facebook.com/TexomaHatchery

Chad, if you're not a member of facebook they won't show up.

I an not on facebutt either. They collect way too much info and they are bad at protecting that data.

No facebook for me!
George

More pics from Chad and Dave Willis who now has his rod.


The Willis Rod











From Chad

Top of the Rock










Hands on



Back Row, Bruce Condello, Bill Cody, Dwight Bremer, Josh Milcski (Omaha), Eric West (ewest)
Front Row, TJ Hudson (teehjah), Chris Steelman, Sunil Ramchandran (Sunil) Rex Rains (rainman) Ken Grymala (catmandoo)

Eric,
Sent you a PM...

Got it with reply.

Sunil Im still upset with John Wilson recommending the Rowdy Beaver. We had a group of ten there for over twenty minutes and not even received drinks much less food. Blaine Scotty and Chris stayed. I convinced TJ to inform the watiress who was overly rude and yet to submit order that we are out of here. It was not pretty scence he said. Our tails were tucked and headed to Timeout SPorts bar. What do you know an establishment who appreciated our business. We got to watch the game on big screen and enjoyed ourselves. So there is yoru recap.

Sorry we missed saying good bye. Good times but now playing catch up before leaving again at 6 am.

I think there should be an organized grouping probably at a meal the last evening to say goodbye and what we liked and disliked.

I was elected the harbinger of bad tidings - which I didn't mind so much as I was roundly scolded by her only moments earlier for "speaking out of turn"...the only thing funnier than their collective scurrying for the exits leaving me to deal with "Flo" was her confused expression as I explained disappointment our orders still hadn't made it to the kitchen or bar after 20 minutes! LOL - we were hungry and thirsty!


Great to appear every morning earlier than ever - bummer this supposed "breakfast" is so elusive for me.
Great banquet on the crazy cool Top of the Rock - bummer I almost fell to my death off the deck to the 5th fairway below in front of an audience of my peers - sigh.
Great to meet the intelligent and engaging Cargill guys at the show - bummer I still don't know if they provide a comparable product to AM.
Great to see all my pond boss family again - bummer I didn't get to spend more time with Eric, Ken, Scott or Cody [et al] as I'd originally planned.

Thanks all for another great experience!

Agreed...I always miss the opportunity to say goodbye to all.

I wonder if Dr Willis has been out there practicing with that new fishin' rod?

The Willis Rod




ds




Would someone be kind enough bring an "outlander" info on the "Willis Rod"?
Specs - Rod builder - etc?
Curious minds want to know...

George, Bing is the one that knows the builder. It's so purty that I wouldn't want to fish with it!

Dwight, George, and Scott: I would dearly love to fish with it. The rod "feels" great. It would be a perfect walleye jigging rod -- good backbone, but a light tip. However, that gorgeous rod will be mounted on the wall of my office. George, I don't know if you can tell, but look at the South Dakota pheasant feathers imbedded in the rod. Lusk asked me for some feathers so Debbie could decorate LL3. Amazing how the rod builder worked those into a rod like that. Also, the butt plate is a North Dakota commemorative quarter, representing my early years in the profession! Very cool. The rod was part of the fund-raising efforts by PB for the Jesse West Endowment, and then they gave me the rod. What a group!

The rod was made by Ken's Custom Rods. I found their web site, but apparently Fred Bingaman was the mastermind behind this connection. So, let's see if Fred spots this thread and posts about the rod maker. I can attest to the skill set!!

Thanks Dave - I am so happy for you over this everlasting token of appreciation of your many acievemants and contribution of your gifts of knowledge to us!
Thank you Fred and others, for this gift.

Great work on the part of the rod crafter.
George

George the pics don't do the rod justice. I do know via Bing that it is a St Croix blank. It feels great in your hand. The hand work to add the special items and for looks is gorgeous.

I ordered a wall-mount rod holder today. I will take a picture once it is mounted on the wall. I took the pictures with an iPad, but obviously need a better quality camera.

Dave, the action on that rod is great. I had it in my mitts at the Conference. But, it's so beautiful that I wouldn't want to risk scratching the finish on it while fishing.

Dave - Please take it out to a pond by yourself and cast it a few times. You deserve the fun of using it at least once!

That pond with the smallies comes to mind...

The rod was custom made by Gary Rudy who has "Rudy's Rods". Here is a link to his information. Gary wrapped this for me last spring and included the blank, etc. info. when he sent me the rod. i misplaced the info. and when i talked to Gary last week he indicated he doesn't remember all of the rod details. Basically Bob and I talked to several forum members and got their input. Gary they made the final choise based on the info we supplied him.

http://www.blackrivernews.com/Rudys-Rod/73/45.html

The Mrs. ate breakfast there when we spent wednesday night at the Ramada next door...she was impressed....sorry it was a bummer for you guys.

It might have been awesome...but we never had an opportunity to find out!

DJ...It was an honor to be paired with you for the fishing tournement and grabbing the second pace slot was cool too....it was great to meet and discover your beautiful wife Jodi shares the pond passion! We all look forward to you attending the next conference!

Flyer...the second place fish was just a smidge larger.....2.95# smallie

Rex, what'd you catch it on?

An off white grub

More pictures of the conference...Not sure why some won't load...just click on links to view

The first things you see when entering the winding Big Cedar entrance are the breath taking views...Waterfalls, immaculate landscaping, superb guest services and amenities galore....We got there about 2 weeks before the Fall Peak colors of the deep Ozarks.









The Amish handcrafted and reclaimed hand hewn barn beam Top Of The Rock was an amazing site for the banquet...Some of the attendees gathered ad a lighted table and the birch/sycamore trees surrounding you upon entering the foyer...




My Partner Daniel (DJStauder) in the fishing tournament showing off his first ever Smallie catch, and a nice one it was! Also the final tally board for the tourney...


[img]http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa4/Rainman_pics_2007/IMAG0164.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa4/Rainman_pics_2007/IMAG0165.jpg[/img]

Our Bestest buddy from down under, Scotty Tucker holding a surprise visitor to the Hands On activities Several of us were hands on with the Tarantula. We were educated by the tarantula wrangler - Mike Champ, ( showing off the fangs that had just bitten him...)

[img]http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa4/Rainman_pics_2007/IMAG0190.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa4/Rainman_pics_2007/IMAG0191.jpg[/img]


The shock boat from Midwest Lake Management (Shawn Banks) was, as always, a crowd favorite and this year included the opportunity for attendees to go on board and experience the shocking first hand...it's what Hands On is all about!

[img]http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa4/Rainman_pics_2007/IMAG0182.jpg[/img]

A sample of just a few of the critters looking down over guests in the Falls Lodge rooms..Fortunately, the spectacular views, jacuzzi and fireplace soothed the wife's being creeped out over a stuffed beaver staring down at the bed...A "jackalope" was pretty cool as a joke in the room also...

[img]http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa4/Rainman_pics_2007/IMAG0180.jpg[/img]


I'd like to offer a heart felt thank you to Bob Lusk and all the PB family for allowing me the honor of helping coordinate the Pond-side Hands ON portion of the conference for the third time...It's an honor and pleasure to work with the vendors and attendees each conference! I look forward to PonCon VI !!!

Rex,

Jodi is a very special person. I definitely "married up!" hehe

Rex:

I the pictures will show if you put them in another post. I found that there's only a certain amount of space/data available in each post. See the next post, I was able to move the pictures that didn't show in your previous post.

Here's the pictures that didn't show in Rex's previous post.




Our Bestest buddy from down under, Scotty Tucker holding a surprise visitor to the Hands On activities Several of us were hands on with the Tarantula. We were educated by the tarantula wrangler, Mike Champ showing off the fangs that had just bitten him...





The shock boat from Midwest Lake Management (Shawn Banks) was, as always, a crowd favorite and this year included the opportunity for attendees to go on board and experience the shocking first hand...it's what Hands On is all about!



A sample of just a few of the critters looking down over guests in the Falls Lodge rooms..Fortunately, the spectacular views, jacuzzi and fireplace soothed the wife's being creeped out over a stuffed beaver staring down at the bed...A "jackalope" was pretty cool as a joke in the room also...




I'd like to offer a heart felt thank you to Bob Lusk and all the PB family for allowing me the honor of helping coordinate the Pond-side Hands ON portion of the conference for the third time...It's an honor and pleasure to work with the vendors and attendees each conference! I look forward to PonCon VI !!!

Pics from Sue – Vertex fishing tournament moved see Sue's post below.

Thanks Eric ~ I was going to tackle that, but I'm glad you did it for me ~ can you believe this was one week ago today??
The tournament and conference over all was so much fun! I wish I could do it all over again!!




1st




2nd





3rd - big fish and 3 species award winners

Sue I put the pics on your post so you could add to or change the text. Thanks for hosting the event and the pics !

Top of the Rock























Big Cedar

Wow, well done Eric. You are quite the photog!

TJ my camera went down on Fri. Those above were taken by my better half (and much better photog).

No one mentioned the skunks this year........

There was a cat however, and at least one table reacted, assuming it was a skunk.

You are right. Maybe they learned from previous conferences -- and their olfactory senses may have become sensitive to flash powder.

Skunks don't like loud bangs late at night or cats.

In the case of Omaha; we need confirmation from a reliable source on all his recollections (as they return to him) from the Conference.

Things are coming back in patches. Very traumatic patches.

Does anybody have contact information for any of the young fellas from SDSU?

Check your PMs.