Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations pond update and always questions!

Hello all!

I hope your ponds are alive and well! I am always lurking and learning but sometimes you just have to post the questions. I spend a lot of time in the archives before asking questions so as not to be referred BACK to the archives! Hahahah.

My pond is doing ok but as always there are issues! First we have a large bloom of filamentous algae. This is the earliest we have ever had it and it was bad! I spent 2 days pulling it out of the water then sprayed Cutrain plus. I then added aqua shade to hopefully slow down the growth. I have tried every thing to find the nutrient source and I am convinced it has to be from to many fish! I have aeration running 24/7 shaded water, chemical treatment and 7 days later the stuff was back! I am currently reducing my population by half! Could it come from my well water as we are adding 51840 galons every 4 days?

Our CC have vanished! 1 nice cat was caught in March and that has been the last fish anyone has seen. They do not eat(never did see them eat pellets),nor can I catch one. We had 50plus large cats in a small pond and the pond is checked daily and no dead cats have ever been spotted what could have happened?

Our feed trained LMB are pigs! The have tripled in size in a year and appear to be very healthy I just have to many F1 northern cross and I am actively seeking homes for them. I do have some small LMB in the 3 to 5in range that have to be survivors from the fish kill two years ago. I was happy to see a smaller class of LMB to help curb my exploding BG population. But could the small bass be from my current 14 inch fish……what size do they spawn? Could a 3 to 5in fish be last years spawn?

The HBSB are strange fish! I caught some that were fat and happy and have doubled in size! I also caught HBSB that were so skinny they looked like zippers! I guess they never learned to eat pellets and can’t catch BG! I also caught some that are the exact same size as when they went in the pond a year ago!

The BG are huge! I only took 2 pictures and I did not take a picture of my 2 ponder I caught as the camera was up at the shop! But the BG are by far the beast of the pond and the dominate fish! I allowed a neighbor to take a few to eat and he only kept BG over 10 inches! I have also been throwing a lot of 2 to 5in BG on the bank for the coons and birds to eat as the BG have exploded!

I will post a few pictures of fish and the new homestead that is finally complete. I bought the property built a pond then a shop and the house last are my priorities mixed up? We still have a new pond in our future and are currently in the planning stage first pic is 2 year old feed trained bass

next pic is a feed trained fat BG also a crappy.

and the last catfish to been seen!

The new home is done at last!

Your fish look fantastic.

I can't help much with the FA problem, but my catfish just started to show up for dinner in the last week or so. As far as I can tell, it is only my older catfish, that have been in the pond for a couple of years, that are feeding so far.

Although we caught (and released) two cats that were planted this spring, I've not seen the new fish eating pellets yet. I bought them from a local fish supplier about six weeks ago. I'm beginning to think that they may have come from a trapped out or electro-fished pond -- a service they offer for free -- and I forgot to ask where they came from. I'm sure there are far more cats in my pond than I am seeing or catching right now.

My water temperature has been varying quite a bit lately between about 62 and 72 degrees. I would assume your temperatures are pretty close to mine, unless you are real close to the coast. I don't think I'd get too concerned about the catfish for at least another couple of weeks when the water is consistently in the 70s.

Ken

My water temps are all over the place and drop as much as 10dg when I run well water in. We are along the cost but have not had much rain fall so I have been running the water every few days. I hope my cat fish are still there! I put in alot of time to catch a few with no luck! Thanks for the reply!

Salt thanks for the update. A couple of observations from your description. Nutrients in most ponds come from the dirt , with a small amount from fish unless the fish are at very high densities. The dye prevents the plankton from using up the nutrients. Raking out the FA (including that on the bottom) helps as it removes nutrients from the pond via it being locked up in the FA.

If you have lots of healthy BG in all sizes then you probably don't have to many yet. You could severely injure some small ones and put them back to feed the skinny HSB rather than feed the coons. Aging LMB from size alone is not easy or necessarily right. If you have widely divergent sizes (3in and 12in) of LMB they are probably from at least 2 different year classes. Well conditioned 12-14in LMB should spawn.

Can't help much on the CC - catmandoo knows more about their behavior in a pond than me.

Nice house and place. Feel free to ask questions with out checking all the archives.

FWIW, I have not seen nearly as many CC (observed feeding or caught angling) as I have expected so far this year either.

Sounds right to me. I bought a property with a pond on it, built a small barn or large shed (not sure where the size cutoff determines which is which) am now in the process of building a shop/ag building and will then build a house.

Congratulations on finishing your house construction. That must be a huge relief!

Thanks for the replies! The CC are a mystery! I fished with every kind of bait with out so much as a tap! I do have a lot of BG but very few 1 to 2 inch fish. The bass gobble them up and at times drive them right out of the water. I have started supplementing the forage with BULL HEAD MINNOWS. Although the minnows are salt and brackish water fish they live well and long enough to get eaten. I added perhaps 15lbs of them when I was home and very few made it! It looked like tuna feeding when I dumped the minnows!

The house and farm in general has been a 4 year project that has consumed me! It is finally at a point that I can enjoy it and relax! NOW’’ it is time to start the new pond! This pond is pondboss inspired and should come out 110% better than my first pond!
Thanks ALL! If any of you find yourself out East on the MD/DE cost let me know I will be happy to take you fishing!
Here are a few pic taken of my family rock fishing!

oops let me try again....

SaltH20,

Could it be???? Have I found another Eastern Shore boy here? I'm in south of Salisbury, near the Wicomico - Somerset County line.

Brian

Absolutely sir! Our pond was originally built to supply water for a flood and shoot waterfowl impound. We live on the MD/ DE line just above OC in Frankford DE! DO YOU NEED ANY FISH!

I in fact do need some fish! What are you proposing? Do you have any small bass? I don't have single bass yet.

Cool another easternshorman! We have too many F1 lmb! They are all twins right around 14 inches. I want to part with 20lmb, and all the BG you could haul in my tank. I work a two week on two week off schedule and will be back on dry land May21st. I also have crappie and GSF. How big is your pond and do you have a forage base established?

My pond is 1.25 AC. I stocked 100+ bluegill caught from two other private ponds last spring. They have spawned, - as I can set a minnow trap and catch bluegill much, much smaller than anything I stocked. I'm also catching them on small flies, - smaller than what I stocked. Same holds true for golden shiners. I caught 20 or so shiners when fishing for bluegill last spring, and tossed them in my pond. They spawned and I can see lots of little shiners hitting the pellets when I feed. I have a gazillion gambusia and a fair share of fathead minnows too.... plus lots of frogs.

I would be interested in whatever I can get from you, - whenever I can get it!

You wouldn't happen to have a source for yellow perch would you???

Brian

When I get home I can fix you up with some fat bass and I have a place you can catch,,,,, all of the yellow pearch you could want some of them are real slobs! Do you have a live well?

I have an Easternshoreman's redneck livewell. It consists of a friends horsefarm water trough (around 150 to 200 gallons) and a battery powered bubbler, fit snug in the back of my pickup. Will that work???? And another question.... where have you been all my life!?!???!!?

That will work! If you want small LMB or HBSB I have a local supplier that is top notch! I would like to get my fish out before it gets to hot.

SaltH20,

Do you know approximate prices on his small LMB and HSB? I'd like the fellows number if you can vouch for him, - as I'd like some HSB and haven't yet found a source. One supplier quoted me $1.75 per fish for 2"-3" HSB, if I pick up and transport. I'm still waiting for him to call me when they're available. Another supplier won't return my calls, - he emailed me a few weeks ago to tell me that his very busy and will contact me in the future.

I agree with you, - I'd like to move the fish soon too, before the Delmarva heat & humidity sets in.

my email is brwaller@salisbury.edu

Brian

I emailed you the information. If my supplier is the VERY BUSY guy let me know. He will be coming to my pond to do a Hydro shock survey and collect some fish when I am home next. I cant wait to see what is in my pond.........the darn cat fish have made me do it ......I want to know where they went!