Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Sunfish-Including Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass why pond management?

so many rewards come from pond management - the pride of accomplishment, the satisfaction of overcoming challenges, and the sheer fun of catching fish you've raised yourself. but for me, as well as many of y'all, the biggest reward is the abilty to pass something on to those you love.

here are a few pics from a little outing with my niece and nephew this spring. i was so tickled to see them enjoying themselves at the pond catching these nice bass. many folks would tell you that kids are not supposed to catch fish like this. it creates unrealistic expectations. it makes fishing seem too easy. it sets them up for disappointment. really? well, if i've got my way, these kids will always be able to catch fish like this. they won't ever be disappoited when they come to uncle paul's pond. they'll ask every time they see me when they can come back and catch some more fish.

sadly, this pond was ruined in the flood of the century shortly after these pictures were taken. the water got so high that the vast majority of the fish were washed out into a field through the overflow. there was so much water coming out of the pond that i found dead fish over 100 yards away from the pond once it stopped raining. it was kind of brutal to see all those dead lunkers out there in the field. i won't complain though. many folks lost much more in that flood than just a few fish. i have since rectified the problem so that i won't lose any more fish due to high water. i have been in the process of re-stocking. the setback has only made me more determined to succeed. i have scrapped many of my old techniques in an effort to improve. time will tell. but if i have my way, i'll be seeing plenty more pictures like this.

hope y'all are catching some too.

nice fish!!

Have you chased water much after a big rain? and obviously you had more on your mind than just that with the recent flood.

There are certian ponds around hear, where after a big gully washer, a guy can go out with a butter fly net and catch half a 5 gallon bucket of fish with no effort in the soaked field the pond floods into. Lots of Bluegill, Next is bass and occasionaly crappie, havent seen a perch yet.

i've tried it. the problem with the pond i manage is that the water runs out through a ditch. the ditch goes through a field and two patches of woods. it leaves our property pretty quickly and it goes on for so far that there's no way i could trace it. and the birds and coons get to the fish pretty quickly once they're in that ditch. just never seemed worth the effort to me. easier just to catch more fish and re-stock.

i won't have to worry about it anymore though. i've built a fine mesh wire fence accross the overflow. now high water can leave the pond but the fish can't. should have done that years ago. lesson learned.

Do you have provisions for the mesh clogging with debris during high water events? Or is that a non-issue?

Here's jignpig's pics:

Those are some fat egg laden females it would seem. Very healthy looking!

it's pretty much a non issue. i just take a few seconds and clean the debris off every once in a while and it's good to go. the fence is about 3 feet high and reinforced with metal and wooden stakes behind it, so it's going to take a flood of major proportions to cause any trouble. i am knocking on wood when i say this, but we had record floods the past 2 years. nothing has happened even close in comparison as long as i've lived in west tn. so i'm hoping i'll not have to worry about it again in the forseeable future. better safe than sorry though. unfortunately i had to learn that the hard way.

thanks. they are fat for sure. possibly with eggs, but more likely with food. if i remember correctly, most of the spawning activity was over with when these pics were taken. after the spawn, i try to feed them heavily so they can quickly recover and regain lost weight. in fact, post-spawn is when i've been able to recruit a lot of "new" fish into a supplemental feeding program. they are tired and hungry and will more readily take a chance on what they perceive to be an easy meal.

" in fact, post-spawn is when i've been able to recruit a lot of "new" fish into a supplemental feeding program. they are tired and hungry and will more readily take a chance on what they perceive to be an easy meal."

Interesting aspect there, jignpig. From your boots in the picture, I can tell you're serious!