Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait Beginning Winter Drawdown

I started two syphon hoses on my three acre pond three days ago. Dropping it about six feet will put the dock entirely out of water, and allow me to do some maintenance. In the 72 hours since I started the lake has dropped about 11 inches. With the shrinking diameter of the surface the daily rate has gone from less than two inches the first day to about four per day now.

It has been three or four years since the last draw down and there is a lot of debris to clean up around the banks and some re-arrangements I want to make to my aeration system that will be much easier to do with the water level lower. Already I have found a missing bucket, and perhaps I can find the dock storage box and steel fish ruler that have gone swimming on me. I'm not too sure I will have that much luck with the steel brag stick, the socket wrench or the needle nose plyers. As explained in the following link, I use a cheap and dirty method of syphon, and it takes a little longer than pumps and bigger hoses, etc., but I've got all winter.

http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=97478&fpart=1

Bing

Thanks Bing . Have any pics. ?

I started this post in order to keep a record on how fast the pond dropped, how far down I took it, what changes I saw from the several years ago when I last dropped it, etc. I believe the draw down started eight days ago, Tuesday of last week. The last time I saw my pond was last Friday AM before I left for work and it had dropped 10 inches or so.

I had a little in home accident friday evening and fell down some stairs. Turns our I tore, ruptured and partially severed my Quadracept muscle in my right leg. I had surgery Saturday and I am in, and will likely be in a Rehab. enter in St. Louis for a while. I will be here at least through next Monday, and perhaps a week or two longer. Therefore there won't be any further first hand updates on the draw down.

I do know that it has dropped about 24 inches, but don't have any first hand observations to pass on about it.

At the very least, my family and friends will monitor the lake's fall and shut off the syphon when it drops 5 or 6 feet. That level where the posts to the dock are and part of what I was trying to accomplish was getting the post out of the water to reposition aerator hoses at the bottom of the dock, etc.

Bing

Sorry to hear that, Bing. Hope you start felling better soon. Those major muscles are sometimes easy to re-aggrevate, so take it easy, too.

Bing sorry about the fall. Get well soon. The pond will wait. BTW do listen to the doc and follow orders. To much to fast and you may have to start over.

Yowwwch! Here's hoping you heal up ASAP.

speedy recovery bing, its great you got family and friends to help out.

I've met Bing....he's an ornery old hunk of hickory that barely bends in 100 mph wind. He'll be back on the job with Mother Nature before you can say RCA Victor.



(get well soon)

Wow, sorry to hear that Bing.

I sure would appreciate if you PM me the address you'll be staying at while in St. Louis. I'd like to send something along.

My gut twisted and I 'm not real sure what the muscle is. Get well soon Fred.

Jeeze Bing you're not supposed to do that! I hope your recuperation is rapid.

Time to chime in Bing with an update. How is the recovery coming along?

I started this post in order to keep a record on how fast the pond dropped, how far down I took it, what changes I saw from the several years ago when I last dropped it, etc.

Unfortunately, a week ago last Friday I had a little in home accident and fell down some stairs. Turns out I tore, ruptured and totally severed my Quadracept muscle in my right leg. It tore loose from the knee. I had surgery in St. Louis a week ago last Saturday and spent a week in the hospital and in a rehab unit of the hospital. I know this may sound like bragging like we do about pond size or bar-b-cue recipes, but my surgeon said in his 20 years in practice this was the worse example of this injury that he had seen. (You gotta brag about something).

I had the 30 or so stitches removed from my knee and returned home yesterday. I am doing great. I will be home bound for five or six more weeks as the tendons or ligaments reattach themselves to my knee. My right leg is in a strap on cast type of thing and I cannot bend my knee for any reason for at least that period of time.

I have some pain, but managable with little white pills. Those of you who know Connie know that I will receive the best of care. Also those of you who know me know that I already walk with a limp as I am a Polio survivor, having had that little issue when I was less than a year old back in 1941. This has caused a life long limp with left leg issues and a weakened right arm. This helps complicate things because I injured the right, "good" leg. It just means I need to make some adjustments, getting in and out of chairs, bed, etc.

With all of this said, Life Is Good. My wife has always liked that logoed phrase, and I have a significant collection of "Life is Good" t-shirts. Most of them just say Life Is Good with a fishing motif. I wear one every day, and couldn't agree more.

Oh, by the way, although we have had over an inch of rain since I started dropping the pond it is down about 3 feet (half way). I can stand in my kitchen or on the screened porch and observe the fall and think about getting well enough by spring to do a little of the pond maintenance I had planned.

Thanks for caring, God Bless you all.

Bing

Bing, don't hesitate to call if you need something done!

Bing, thanks for the update. I know a lot of people were worried about you. Take care and just relax, eat, and watch football and you'll be back to normal (?) before you know it.
Best wishes, Randy

rmedgar: "Take care and just relax, eat, and watch football and you'll be back to normal (?) before you know it."

Rmedgar: Thanks, actually Taking care and just relaxing, eating and watching football is mormal for me.

Bing

Probably too cold to get out much anyway. Good timing for the fall heal just in time for sprign pond work. Wishing you the best in recovery.

I hope you didnt drain your pond just to find the stuff you droped in? Would have been much cheaper to buy a rare earth magnet N50 1" x 1" x 1" and you probably would have found all your stuff. Ebay has them for about $15-20.

Originally posted by robbor:

I hope you didnt drain your pond just to find the stuff you droped in?

Robbor, I am not sure if you were kidding or not, but I will answer as if you were asking a serious question and making a serious suggestion.

No that is not the reason for my winter drawdown. If you have an older pond in an area of abundant rainfall there are some good reasons for this function. The most recent two issues of Pond Boss Magazine had a two part story on the advantages and pitfalls of drawdown. If you are not a subscriber I'd suggest you subscribe and buy those back issues.

Bing

I thought I'd update this thread, even though there is not much to tell, and because of just watching out the window I can't give you an accurate update on the pond's condition.

With the help of friends we kept the syphons in until about the first of December. At that time, despite about five inches of rain in November, the lake was down six or seven feet. Just enough to allow for the work we wanted to do around the edges and to the aeration system. We removed both syphons around December 1 and from my screened porch I could see most of what areas needed to be cleaned up, etc. Friends and local workers went around the bank and picked up most of the "random structure" mother nature gives you, tree limbs, etc. plus a couple of tubs, buckets, assorted ropes, etc. I'd say they picked up 8 or 10 mule full of debris.

THEN, it started to rain. 2008 set a record for the most rainfall in this part of the country. Around 60 inches and counting. I am not sure, but I would guess normal is in the 40 inch annual range.

Anyway, as I sit here with lake water once again on three sides of the house, I can see the water going over the spillway. Yes, it added six or seven feet in less than a month. I do have an adequate watershed.

However, with the help of mother nature and friends we got at least two goals accomplished. Removed the debris that had accumulated, and since we had about two weeks of down to zero temperatures, I think mother nature probably did a good job of killing some of the pond weed type of seeds I was hoping to expose to the environment and kill.

Two out of four goals, from the comfort of my recliner ain't bad.

As soon as we get a couple of warm days, and catch a couple of friends with not much to do we will start over, drop it down around 6 or 7 feet again, primarily to totally relocate and upgrade the aeration system and add some structure. Just in time for the recycled Christmas trees to be available.

Bing

Indeed. If I had that high a batting average, I'd never leave the recliner.











I would move it out to the dock in the Summer time so I could fish.

All things considered (ie; your tumble and subsequent surgery/rehab), you dun good Bing. Nice to have help available for such a time-constrained project...takes friends to a new level.
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I don't know that I have seen a pic of your "pond-surrounded" homestead. I know you spend alot of time, effort, and $ to naturalize your habitat and surroundings. I would love to see a pic of the results.
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How goes the rehab?

I will get out and take some pictures when weather and leg permits. The pond was described and pictured in a Pond Boss Magazine a few years ago. I am not sure of the issue, but it was a part of "Pond Boss World Tour III". (I wonder when they are going to do World Tour IV). Since then we've added aeration, a fountain, and soon a Green Monster light.

Not much rehab yet, just recovery. My leg is still in a full leg type of cast, not being about to bend the leg sure is a problem, no driving, of course, but not being able to bend it at all presents all sorts of daily issues. I go back to the doctor on January 5 and perhaps then I can start to do some rehab and begin to bend the leg at the knee again.

Brettski, thanks for asking.

Bing

I was fortunate enough to see Bing's home/pond this year. He has a beautiful place. I wanted to get a closer look but it was raining so we observed from the covered porch. The whole place has a great back to nature vibe to it.