Hi! I am excited to be a member of this forum as I just purchased some land in Point Blank Texas that is approximately 3 acres in size and was built back in the 40's.
The shape of the lake is like a horseshoe that wraps around 2 sides of my 18 acres of land.
My goal for the pond is to maximize fish yield of LMB. I have fished it and gotten a number of 2-3 pound crappie out of it, some blue gill, and a couple of red ear perch. The maximum depth is around 20 ft. The water color is a tea color but clear to almost 25 inches at this time. There is a fair amount of shallows that harbor batchs of stink weed (which I would love to reduce). I just got a moultrie feeder and believe by reading your forum that I should begin to feed the bluegill with Aquamax or something along that line (fishmeal content).
I am unclear about what my dissolved oxygen content is throughout the day / night so I am not sure if I need an airator or not.
I am really excited to find this forum as I am new to pond / fish management.
Crossbow, Welcome! For some reason I was half expecting to see your location listed as TenPoint, Texas.
For maximum LMB management, you want to eliminate any and all predators other than LMB. That means crappie, etc. Pour the forage to them, making sure that they aren't overpopulated. They should be going to sleep with their mouths open and waking up with a full belly.
It's amazing on how much forage a single LMB needs to grow. To put one pound on a single LMB, you need roughly 10 pounds of forage.
Start a log book, get a good accurate scale that weighs in tenths of a pound and a tape measure or ruler. Record weights and lengths. They will bounce around from Spring to Fall/Winter, but after a year or so you'll get a feel for the pond, and how they are growing. Look in the archives for a Relative Weight Chart. See how the fish compare to the chart. You want them to weigh more than the weights vs. lengths in the chart.
Yes, feeding the BG and RES (Red Eared Sunfish = red eared perch) will help the LMB grow bigger. Pond Boss also sells a book called Raising Trophy Bass - it's worth the price.
Take and post some pictures of the LMB that you are catching - we like pictures.
I'm sure others with more experience than I have on raising large LMB will be chiming in shortly.
Hello Crossbow and welcome to Pond Boss. Beautiful pond!
If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you purchase a book for your Library that is written by Bob Lusk. It's one of my favorites named "Raising Trophy Bass"
Also check out some of the "Free Pond Boss Articles" (there is a clickable button at the left). There are quite a few discussing bass production.
Thanks for joining in and posting.
JHAP ~~~~~~~~~~ "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." ...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
Thanks. I ordered the book! Any advise on pond aerators? I would love to find a solar powered one that can handle up to 4 acres and I do not mind building it myself.
Poke around this forum, just read and absorb for a while. You'll learn an immense amount, especially regarding some of the finer points of big LMB production: aeration, feeding, Florida genetics, tilapia, etc.
It looks as if you have a great pond, you should be able to grow beautiful fish.
I would think twice about a solar powered aerator. Dissolved oxygen(DO) crashes occur during times of still, cloudy, overcast weather. And, the low DO condition can kill in as little as 15 minutes. A couple of days without sun can render your aerator useless.
That is also a consideration regarding windmill aeration. Windmills have gotten much more efficient and can attract the slightest breeze.
However, IMO, a couple of days of no wind and no sun can be disastrous with anything but Reddy Kilowatt.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Welcome Crossbow from a fellow Texan. "Point Blank, Texas"? Isn't that not far from "Cut & Shoot, Texas"? Gotta love it! Looks like a nice pond from your pictures. Good luck with your project.
I would think twice about a solar powered aerator. Dissolved oxygen(DO) crashes occur during times of still, cloudy, overcast weather. And, the low DO condition can kill in as little as 15 minutes. A couple of days without sun can render your aerator useless.
+1 And the only solution to combat this is to have the solar panels charge a bank of batteries. By the time you are done designing a solar aeration system that will properly aerate a 4 acre pond using a PV charged bank of batteries you will be into HUGE money. I went through this exercise a couple of years ago for my pond.
Do you have electricity within 1,000 feet of the pond?
JHAP ~~~~~~~~~~ "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." ...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
Welcome Crossbow from a fellow Texan. "Point Blank, Texas"? Isn't that not far from "Cut & Shoot, Texas"? Gotta love it! Looks like a nice pond from your pictures. Good luck with your project.
My farorite names for towns that are "pond related" are in Oklahoma....Nowata and Lotawata.
