Forums36
Topics40,956
Posts557,914
Members18,494
|
Most Online3,612 Jan 10th, 2023
|
|
13 members (FishinRod, catscratch, ghdmd, phinfan, Theeck, Cliff76169, Justin W, Shorthose, canyoncreek, Boondoggle, Bigtrh24, Donatello, 4CornersPuddle),
820
guests, and
220
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547
|
OP
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547 |
Wondering how my SMB are going to get these dudes under control.. wish I could have gotten a better pic but there are 7 craws in this pic.. When I pull up to water on 4 wheeler to feed, some even come up the bank a foot or so to pickup a few pellets? Too much training??
Last edited by Snipe; 09/03/19 01:43 AM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,053 Likes: 277
Moderator Lunker
|
Moderator Lunker
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 16,053 Likes: 277 |
Pretty neat. I've never seen feed trained crawdads.
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
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 1,470 Likes: 107
|
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 1,470 Likes: 107 |
That's pretty cool. You must have a billion of those pinchers in there. If they swim away from the table not full its their own fault for sure.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,746 Likes: 294
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
|
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Hall of Fame 2014 Lunker
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 13,746 Likes: 294 |
That is a great situation to have if you have smallies, or LMB for that matter!!!
Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:" "She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,054 Likes: 12
Lunker
|
Lunker
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 1,054 Likes: 12 |
So cool. Did you stock them?
Just a Pond Boss 'sponge'
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,344 Likes: 101
|
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,344 Likes: 101 |
My crawdads took to feed too. It's added entertainment at feeding time. I have even seen a crawdad pinch/push a common water snake out of the way to get to his feeding spot. Not very bright, but he got away with it even though the snake was big enough to eat him.
Crawdads are a funny thing...I set a trap out one night and had almost 100 of them in the trap by morning, but I rarely seem more than a dozen at feeding time. I wonder how many are in my pond.
Fish on!, Noel
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547
|
OP
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547 |
Since the flood, and now all of the mats of FA are gone, the Craws along with the remaining Tilapia are having a rough go I think.. My Sago pondweed has been consumed as has all of my groups of APW. I found out the Tilapia will bite anything in the water so I believe I need to start removing some. I see many of the smaller (less than 5") sizes turning their body flat and sliding up into near zero water to grasp at the very narrow film of FA growing where water meets shore. Interesting to see one extreme to the other..balance will come with time and some help.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547
|
OP
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547 |
So cool. Did you stock them? Yes, I put a couple of pounds in with FHM last summer. The density of FHM and GSH seem to be the target for SMB right now. When I was removing mats of FA before flood, when the boat was full I'd head to my spot I was unloading and the bottom of boat would have hundreds of all sizes flopping around. As I strung FA out on bank, the remaining craws would climb out and head downhill. I think the SMB are going to need to consume the over-abundance of FHM before they start working on the smaller craws much-had no idea they would explode like this, but the entire pond (shoreline) is riprap so again, I shouldn't be surprised.
Last edited by Snipe; 09/03/19 01:43 PM.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
|
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68 |
Crays can create turbidity issue and denude pond of vegetation - been there done that multiple times. As long as density of apex predators is sufficient shouldn't become an issue. My experiences were with my trophy lepomis pond...BG/RES couldn't keep up with YOY crays to manage the population effectively and had resulting issues. Perfect balance is where cray population is dense enough to manage any FA, but not so dense that beneficial macrophytes [pondweed] get's hammered and leads to turbidity issues.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547
|
OP
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 2,247 Likes: 547 |
SMB are just passing through that 12" mark with a strong hatch pushing 4+". FHM and GSH are so damn thick I don't think they (SMB) are spending much time looking for craws. Truly, the 1 thing I was most worried about appears to be the 1 thing I don't need to worry about.. Forage. :-))
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 114 Likes: 10
|
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 114 Likes: 10 |
Brad 1.5 acre pond with LMB, BG, BCP, CC, FHM and lots of crayfish, unknown type. .5 acre pond with FHM and GSF. 12 acre irrigation reservoir that I don't know what to do with. New pond, roughly 1.5 acres. Pond Boss Subscriber.
|
|
|
Moderated by Bill Cody, Bruce Condello, catmandoo, Chris Steelman, Dave Davidson1, esshup, ewest, FireIsHot, Omaha, Sunil, teehjaeh57
|
|