Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Welcome to Pond Boss

Hello, and a warm welcome to the ever-growing family that is the Pond Boss Forum! Now that you're here, please take a moment introduce yourself. We'd love to learn a little about you, what brought you to Pond Boss, and how we can help you achieve your pond management goals.

Are you a pond owner, planning a pond construction project, or do you manage other ponds?

What are your pond management goals: Trophy fish, a well-balanced fishery, wildlife preservation, recreation, or something else?

Are you presently seeking help with an existing issue in your pond like clearing muddy water, managing excessive vegetation, or growing bigger fish?

These are just guidelines - feel free to share as much as you wish. Once we have this information, we can help direct your issues to the proper forum topic detailed discussion.

Please go to the "New Forum Member Introduction" room, select "New Topic" at the top left of the screen, and begin your introductory post. Again, welcome to Pond Boss Forum - we look forward to getting to know you and your pond!

Hi my name is Jim I live in Hampshire County WV. I just closed a deal on a new pond. I know noting about ponds but the fact that they have water in them and thier pretty. I quess that I will learn alot, because I know nothing. I hope this will be a great learning experience. Thanks in advance for any help. I think we will mostly be useing the pond to attract wildlife,my wife is a photographer.Our pond will be about an acre and a half. We will introduce fish frogs and the like when suitable. My wife and I are both retired and have lived in Hampshire County for almost 40 years. Jim

Welcome Jim. I'm about 15 miles east of you, right on the state line east of Capon Bridge.

Good luck with your pond. One really good thing about Hampshire and Frederick counties is how easy it is to build great ponds. I guess you won't be digging for a few days though. It is wet. My pond is over the spillway this morning from all of yesterday's rain, and that doesn't happen very often. Come back and ask lots of questions. We'll be glad to help in anyway we can.

Ken

Is a permit required to build a new pond on a property in Hampshire County?

Generally a permit is not required, but there are some "what if's."

Nothing is exact. Generically, if your dam is going to hold less than 25 vertical feet of water, you don't need any permits in this county.

Send me a PM if you have other questions, and we will try to assist you as best as we can. In general, Hampshire County is a great place to build ponds. Our land doesn't perc very well due to all of the clay, which makes for great ponds. It just means that you have very poor septic tank drain fields. Hampshire County strips the clouds heading to Northern VA of much of their moisture. It fills our ponds, so our ponds stay near full-pool most of the year. The county fathers are generally in favor of having more and more ponds.

Regards,
Ken

Hello! My name is Bob Brocious. I am owned by a 134 acre farm in northcentral Kentucky near the town of Carrollton. It is an old tobacco, carn, cattle farm. It has owned me since 1996. I have a 1.25 acre pond that is smothered in duckweed every year. I have tried carp to see if they could stay ahead of the duckweed but ... the weed wins every time. My goal is to produce a healthy pond for swimming, fishing and garden irrigation.
My sense is this pond is 30+ years old. Cattails surround it. I believe it is 12'+ deep at its deepest point. In this drought it has gone down a good bit but is a LONG way from being dry. I think there is so much silt on the bottom that it will defeat any attempts short of draining it and cleaning it out.
I am eager to hear your suggestions and questions.
Thank you for offering this forum to help folks like myself.
Bob Brocious

Hey Bob welcome, I am no expert by any means I only been in this for about 4 years now. You have a set of goals that's good. I would break up your questions and put them in the particular catagory that they fall in on the forum. That way you will get more experts looking at your questions you may have and get some quicker answers. I can tell you this.

1. Be patient I have figured out nothing you do right in pond management seems to happen quick!
2. Getting that pond cleaned up for what you want it for will be a task but not one that is impossible that's for sure!
3. I know some others fellas on this site have had duck weed problems so maybe they can help with that.
4. Grass Carp if that's what your talking about I don't really think DW is on the top of their list for eating?

Have you ever considered making the pond bigger? If you did you could drain the old side into the new part and then work on old side. If you had the money of course. If not scratch that whole question

Good Luck Bob and keep us posted as to how it goes.

Hey Pond Boss community! I am new to the company and to the forum. I am looking forward to learning the forum as well as sharing experiences, comments, and questions regarding ponds and lakes.

Welcome Matt! Go ahead and start a thread to formally introduce yourself and your projects. We'd love to hear about them.

Glad to have you on board Matt!

hi my name is byron and i live in the columbia sc area. i am looking for helpful info on buiding a new pond from scratch. it will probably be just under one acre. i want to raise fish to eat and also set up a duck habitat. i wont require a dam and will just be digging a hole with spill way. what are some things i may want to consider as it relates to depths habitat species etc...thanks

Howdy, Friends and Neighbors,
I just found out about this forum and can't wait to glean a few pearls of wisdom from you wise folk.
To start with I live in NW Georgia and grew up fishing in ponds and cricks. To me there is no source of peace and solitude that can be found any where that matches what one finds around small ponds. No yahoos on skis, towed or self propelled, and no "Hats turned back 90 m.p.h every where they go so called PRO's". Never could figg'r out how to catch a fish moving that fast. The closest lake to me was / is Alatoona, and as far as I knew then, was where we went IF we wanted to just ride around in a boat all week end. Back then it was called "The Dead Sea", if that tells ya'll what the fish'n was like. Some say that it's better now, but you still can't grind me up, mix me with beer, and pour me on fishing a place like that. So needless to say I love me some pond fish'n.
The main pond that I grew up on was our family pond and is 2.5 acres and from 2'-8' deep, run off fed and built in the early 50's. It had all of your basic fun for a kid to catch fish, bream, small LM bass, channel cats, and brown bull heads. From 1983 till a few years ago I did some traveling, working for "Our Uncle", and didn't get in much fis'n at all. When I returned home for good all I could think of sit'n on the side of that pond sip'n some thing cool, and drowing some bait. But, during my absence absolutely no one did any thing but cut the grass around it. The bream were in the three finger range, and you could catch the 10"-12" bass by the bucketful on chicken liver. And all of the cats, and bull heads were gone, nada, non existent.
Luckily for all concerned a friend of mine down the street had just dug out and fixed his Grand Pa's old pond so that his Grand Kids could have a little place to learn to fish. He had no fish and I had too many as far as bream and bass were concerned. I've spent the last two years "transfering" the small ones that I caught into his pond and a few larger ones from other sources and blood lines into mine. The transformation has been tremendous! I've got hand size and up bream, 1/2-1 lb. shellcrackers, some nice red bellys and the bass are growing and have even started bedding again. I've been able to put a few channel cats in from 10" to several pounds. And I added 10 lbs. of fathead minnows for forage.
My big problem, that I hope ya'll can help with. is that I can't find any brown bull heads around here any where. When I was a kid, if you had a mud hole that held water for more than two weeks you had "specks" in it. They have vertually disapeared around here with no explanation that I can find. Now I know that in other parts of this country, they are trash fish good for nothing but stealing bait. But some of my best memories as a child was the fact that no matter you're age or fishability, with just about any bait, you could have a ball with them, and they taste pretty good too. I've only found one hatchery, in Arkansas that will even admit to handling them, and they don't have a truck that comes any where close to Ga. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
I'm very glad that I found Ya'll, tight lines,
Taz

Contact Greg Grimes he can help you.. In the mean time there's alot better fish to stock that are fun for kids to catch and not as bad as the BH..

Yeah, Greg is on my list to contact. I heard about him on GON forum at the same time I found about this forum. And as far as how bad BH's are, well I may be one of the few that have fond memories of them, but I do, and would love to find them some where. Thanks.

I remember fishing for Bullheads in the creek than ran through the neighbors pasture as a boy. Nearly every day in the summertime, grab a rod, tackle box, and my Border Collie and have at it..... and I think they're pretty tasty also.

I wonder if 10 year olds still do that kind of thing......

Hey Sprkplug,
If I have any thing to say about it, they will, around here at least. I don't have any of my own, that I know of. Spent too much time lurking around foreign places. But, I do have plenty of young'ns around the family and friends who I would love to see hang'n around a pond instead of a comp., I-pad, or what ever it is that keeps their attention now a days. I know that to most folks BH's are nothing but bad news, and I'm fine with that. But there are a fleeting few that hold them in high esteem, if just for the memories that they hold. My pond is on it's way to being a great little pond for kids of all ages, my self included, with pan fish for the little ones, up to larger cats and LMB's for the more advanced. The one thing missing, IMO, is that middle fish that's easy enough to catch but puts up one heck of a fight on small tackle. Those little rascals have just gone extinct in this area, with no reason that I can find, but I've been hunt'n hard to find all of my adult life.

Lots of good memories that revolve around creek fishin' for Bullheads.......except we weren't refined enough to call em' that back then.....they were yellow bellies.

Don't get me wrong I spent my whole childhood life in the creek and ponds of bond county IL catching bullheads.. I've just learned with age theres alot better things to catch and stock too a pond..

We called'm specks here, I didn't find out the real name until just this year and it took a lot of digg'n on the computer to do it, in case you haven't figured out, I'm extremely new to all of this media stuff. Heck, the powers that be only allow me a few forums, and I have to have them checked out first, by my "Uncle", not parents. LOL!

You found the best forum on the web man.., helpful nice guys here I'm a member on prolly 12-15 forums and this is bar none the best group of people with the quickest best answers..

Yeah BK,
I'm finding that out fairly quick. From what little lurking I've done so far, it sounds like I've found a home here. Thanks for the info so far, and I didn't take it as bad that you didn't like the little brown fellas, I know that they can be the "Devil Spawn" in most places. Just gotta prick that blister, if you know what I mean.

Be careful what you wish for when it comes to bullheads.

Here is a link to a Pond Boss Bullhead adventure we had about 14-15 months ago.

Pond Boss Bullhead Roundup at Sunil's

It changed my perspective on bullheads. We had a blast! The bullheads were delicious.

In any case, welcome to Pond Boss. It is a fun place to learn about ponds, fish, and many other subjects that may or may not be related to reality.

Ken

Hey Ken,
Thanks for the warm welcome and great read, vids, and pics. THAT's what I'm talk'n about. Granted with enough friends, beer, ammo, and dinosaurs a large time can be had by most any one. But toss in a pond full of those little brownies and some grease to release them in and any one can have a blast. Looks like Ya'll had a boat full of fun, I just wish that I had a place like that close enough to get to on less than a tank or two of gas. Thanks again, and I'm sure that I'll enjoy talk'n to all of the fine folks on here.

Just found the forum today.
I live in North Georgia and bought a place about three years ago that has about a 1/2 acre pond. The previous owner had lived there for 20 years and said she never really did much with it. I am hoping to gain information on the forum that will help me produce and maintain a healthy and fun fishing hole.
Thanks in advanced for any support!
Questions to follow.......

Welcome Ottis! Jump right in and start asking questions! And post pictures!

Greetings, my name is Rick and I live just outside of Winters, CA on an old walnut ranch. I have been here for 20 years. About 15 years ago I enlarged a small seasonal pond on my property. It is now about 7' deep and about 1/4 acre. I have never had anything in it but Gambusia. I usually let it dry out when the pond weeds get too bad. But now my little boy, 9 years old, has gone nuts for fishing. I have thrown some blue gill and smb in there over the last couple years and they survived until the pond was drained for cleaning. Now I would like to get a permanent population. Our local fish are BG, smb, lmb and the Sacramento perch minnow (squaw fish). So I just cleaned the pond this spring and mosquito abatement threw in some type of very aggressive Gambusia that is about 30% larger than previous populations. I am now reading that people are calling Gambusia "damnbusia" and that they do more harm than good and that BG will keep the mosquitos down just as well. I want to get a population of BG and/or bass that my boy can fish. I will drain the pond it I have to but prefer not. Can I just keep adding DB and SMB and LMB that we catch or will the Gambusia overpopulation stop their reproduction? Right now there are only 4 BG and 4 smb and 1 lmb in there, all under 6 inches and about a gazillion Gambusia. I mean the Gambusia attack me when I get in the pond. Anyhow, that is why I am here. Oh, the pond is well fed all summer and runoff fed in the winter. I have no power out there, no aeration or pumps, etc. Bottom is mud, willows and oaks grow around it and cattails, etc., grow in it. There are no features on the bottom no rubble or anything else. There were hundreds of tree frogs but I think the Gambusia ate all the tadpoles this time. Thanks, Rick

Welcome!

Throw a few more predators in there (LMB,SMB) and the Gams will be whittled down - they'll eat them. No need to remove the Gams.

Skeeter abatement? Gub agency?

JKB, Don't make me drive to Michigan to straighten you out!

esshup is right . Don't worry about the gams just go ahead and stock over them.

That is good news. OK, we will keep throwing in the BG and the SMB and the occasional LMB, etc. I will let you know how it goes. Looking forward to being a member of the group.

Rick in Winters, CA

My name is Daren and I'm currently beginning construction on my ~2.6 acre pond in SE Georgia. I have a very reputable contractor doing the work and it should look amazing as I've seen some of his past digs. The pond will sit on a 5 acre plot and my house will be built with the entire back and side yard having a gorgeous view. I've been following Pond Boss for a while and it's been quite helpful. I look forward to commenting and contributing. Also-- I started a thread titled "New Pond Construction in SE Georgia" that has pictures attached. I would love hearing what you all think. I plan on tracking the progress from day 1 all the way until the house and pole barn are completed 5-6 years from now!

-Daren

Hi Darren and welcome to PB. !st thanks much for your service and we pray for all of you every day. May everyone come home safe.
Good luck on your pond and hope you can post progress pictures. Lots of great info,knowledge,and experience here on PB.
I will say in advance thanks for sharing your build with us and the pro's here will guide you in ways that will save you, frustration, harder than needed work, from fish kills and better weed control etc.,at a lower expense than just hit and miss or try it and see.

Thanks MPC, I appreciate it. I've seen a lot of valuable information on here and am really looking forward to learning more! I'll most definitely keep pictures posted throughout the duration of my build.

New guy here.. I've wanted a place with a pond for thirty years, I'm finally getting a bit closer. Spent a bit of time navigating around this site, but I'm sure I have just scratched the surface.
I've just purchased 40+ acres in Northeast Missouri. The land sits pretty close to Mark Twain Lake. It's mostly wooded, mature trees, but has about 15 acres in crops.
We've identified two or possibly three spots for ponds, but that's just my guess, which is worth zero.
I'll be trying to find a really reliable individual/company that can help me determine if a pond is possible on the sites, I think might work. All are deep in the woods at this point, and are where the water is draining off through the property now.
I know there must be a million rules and regs about how and where to build.
I'm hoping for no rock, and the right amount of drainage to fill it and keep it that way.
The ultimate goal is about a 5 acre pond, with a house to overlook it some day. While keeping the old trees surrounding everything.. I'm sure I'll have a million questions, and I'll do my best to search first before hand.
My first step will be to meet with the water specialist at the Missouri Dept of Conservation, and have him look over the land, and pick his brain a bit..
Then, if all goes well, I need to find someone in Northeast Missouri that really knows how to build a pond in the woods..
Jeff

Welcome!

Before getting the dept of conservation involved, talk to the guys at your county NRCS office.

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/mo/

@ Setterguy.

Welcome to Pond Boss. I have words of caution for you, when it comes to dealing with the MDC. Tread lightly. When the MDC becomes involved, your pond may become "State Waters". In the back of the wildlife code book,(the small thick booklet you may receive when getting a hunting/fishing license) there is a list of definitions. Read the definition for "State Waters".

After taxpayer monies become involved, your pond will become defined as "state waters". The officials will tell you that they will not regulate your pond persay. In my non-legal professional opinion, it at the moment is merely an un enforced law for the time being. Someday, it may become enforced. I'm not telling you what to do, but am trying to keep you from having any surprises!

Welcome to PB posting SetterGuy. JamesBryam may not be a lawyer ( non-legal professional opinion) but he has given excellent advice. I am and can safely concur in his thought and the warning about surprises.

For advice on ponds from many states see this list of state mgt books from the archives but better yet read and search on the Forum.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=113216#Post113216

ewest and James, would he have the same concerns if the NRCS were to be involved instead of the MDC?

Esshup, I can only assume that if money, and physical action is actually spent, that yes there would be some "ties that bind". I have noticed on googleearth, that there are many bodies of water, (in my area at least) When scrolling these bodies of water(including ponds) have a name that appears over them. While others, such as mine, which have not been built with tax dollars involved, have no name.

I am very uneasy of government involvement.

The laws are not written for the common man to be able to find and read, nor are they meant for the common man to interpret.

Many years ago, when a large amount of land went through the Federal Land Bank, the mineral rights were retained. Thus many people today, buy property, without knowing, the entity that owns the mineral rights have the legal power to start a gravel quarry in the back yard.

It gets pretty thick.

Taken from the website of MDC WILDLIFE CODE. Chapter 20

http://www.sos.mo.gov/adrules/csr/current/3csr/3c10-20.pdf

(58) Waters of the state: All rivers, streams,
lakes, and other bodies of surface water lying
within or forming a part of the boundaries of
the state which are not entirely confined and
located completely upon lands owned or
leased by a single person or by two (2) or
more persons jointly or as tenants in common
or by corporate shareholders, and including
waters of the United States lying within the
state. Waters of the state will include any
waters which have been stocked by the state
or which are subject to movement of fishes to
and from waters of the state.

Esshup,
I checked out the site. However, because I'm "unfortunately" so uninformed, and new to all of this, I'm not sure what or where I'm supposed to get from theUSDA/NRCS site..
Any additional guidance would be appreciated..
Also, why USDA before the Mo Dept of Cons? Just curious.

Thanks
Jeff

Wow, thanks! I had heard of that before, and when/if it comes to that. I'll not accept the funds.. It'll be hard enough to keep others out, without the state promoting its a public lake. Whew..

SetterGuy:

On the NRCS website, find the office that is in your county. Call them or go in to visit. They can tell you if your pond area will have enough watershed to keep it full, whether the soil is good, marginal or bad for retaining water, and other things. You are paying for them now through your tax dollars. They should also be able to tell you what size primary and secondary overflow you'll need, and give you a list of "pond builders" in your area. The key with that list is to ask them "If you were to call people on the list for quotes, who would the first 3 or 5 be that you'd call?"

Perfect! This is exactly what I need.
Thank you!

My name is Ray, I'm a fisheries biologist for a pond management company in TX. Just joined to see what kind of questions I can help with and maybe even learn a thing or two. 8+ years experience working in MS and TX. Any questions, just ask. Thanks....

Hi all, Mark here from Northeast Ohio. We own 76 acres of woodland East of Canton, and I am considering a (approx.) 2 acre pond on the property. We've got plenty of watershed and shouldn't have too much trouble with soil type (property used to be a clay mine).

Anyway, just wanted to say hey, and I look forward to learning all I can.

Welcome, All!!

Welcome Ray and Mark. John here but go by snrub.

Wish I had found PBF before I built my main pond Mark. Did find it shortly after it was built though and glad I did. You can learn a lot of valuable stuff on here and hopefully avoid some disappointing mistakes because of it while building and stocking your own new pond.

Ray I'm sure your comments and opinions will be appreciated and be a valuable addition.

Hi, my name is Jeremy and I am previously a Fisheries Biologist with a background in management of small impoundments, small trout streams and commercial fisheries. Now I deal with groundwater and the Marcellus gas drilling in Central Appalachia. I live on 50 wooded acres in NC WV with a 1/3 acre cold/coolwater pond in which I raise Rainbow and Brown Trout. I also own 3/4 mile of trout stream which I manage with supplemental Brown and Rainbow trout fingerlings due to limited natural reproduction and also the implementation of in-stream habitat improvement devices such as jack-dams and wing deflectors. I hope to contribute my knowledge of fisheries to the forum and also learn anything I can from others.

Welcome - your knowledge and experience will be very useful here. Consider writing about some of your pond experiences for Pond Boss magazine. The editor is always looking for pond related articles. Check out the contents and indexes of back issues of the magazine.

Several years ago there were regular articles by Mike Mitchell (High Country Waters) about cool water fisheries from Colorado. One particular article that will interest you is where he described feeding pellets and growing huge trout in stream management habitats.
Nov-Dec 2006 Issue. TO FEED OR NOT TO FEED? Mitchell presents solid evidence about how feeding fish can enhance free roaming fish populations. He discusses standing crops, quality of the ration, diet requirements, pellet sizes, frequency of feedings, nutritional efficiency, and how supplemental feeding enhances the food chain of stream habitats.


2006 Issue Contents
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92481#Post92481

Forum Archives for contents of all back issues of PBoss magazines.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=22&page=1

Jeremy,

Let me also welcome you to Pond Boss, but also as a neighbor, and as the vice president of the WV Aquaculture Association. I'm way over on the other side of the state in Hampshire County, although I was on your side of the state yesterday, bringing my granddaughter back to school at Fairmont.

It is great to have another experienced fisheries biologist on the forum, especially one with your type of background. We look forward to hearing from you regularly.

Ken

Welcome, Jeremy!

We can only abuse our current WV members with Deliverance and Redneck jokes for so long, thus we need new blood!!!

Welcome guys !

Hi, my name is Roland I live in westen NC amongst some of the most beautiful moutains and waterways NC has to offer.

VERY new with Pond management and have my hands FULL. I posted a thread about my pond and its condition.

I came across this page while doing some online research about pond repair/restoration. And I immediately knew I found the right spot just by browsing for an hour on here.

Welcome aboard !

Hello fellow anglers,
I somehow stumbled onto this site looking for information into building ponds on a google search. My father and I just recently purchased 100 acres down in Macon County, AL. This is our first property adventure, and we are both very excited to manage and grow a beautiful habitat for wildlife. On this hundred acres is about a 3/4 ac. pond that we would love to expand from anywhere to 2-6 acres. We know a lot about fishing, just not how to build a pond and properly manage it. Looking for any advice and information I can find to be more educated and knowledgable before we take on the task of expanding the pond. Here's to learning and talking about the beautiful outdoors!

Cheers!

Im excited to get info from everyone here to help with my pond as well as giving any feedback from my project that can help.

Good afternoon all my name is Chris frm central va just bought a home with a new 3/4 acre pond I'm looking forward to learning from you guys on here and to introduce myself I stocked the pond with LMB, CNB,RES,AND CC so far so good with the fish but i definitely need to do something with one side of pond due to bare bank im getting alot of sediment in where the main runoff is

Abassman83, Agull240, and Chris, welcome to Pond Boss!

Hello everyone, I'm so happy to be part of this forum. There is a major abundance of knowledge here.. I have been reading threads on here for some time now. I just purchased 14 acres of land and we will be constructing her dream home and my dream pond So, I decided to join up as I know I will have lots of questions coming soon

Happy fishing

Hay there to the Pond Boss guys and girls. To introduce myself I would like to say I have been a fisherman and pond swimmer all my life, woop's, no pond swimming here in La because of the big lizards that hang around. But I did swim those ponds in Okla when growing up. I have been a fisherman for mostly Bass but enjoy anything that will pull my string. I bought some land a few yr's ago and havespent most of my time food plotting for the deer. I am just about where I want to be with that so I started my pond this week. I started out by clearing 6.2 acres and presently have back hoe's and dozers working as I type this. I am not sure what the true size it will be but I am trying to use all of the area I can for the pond. Will be using run off water to fill if I ever get out of the drought my property is going through rite now. I would like to make this a bass lake but just not made the decision on where I want to take it "Trophy" or just a good bass lake. hoping I might be swayed one way or another through what I can learn from here. Ha, the more I read the more I am confused lol

TG welcome to the PBF! At 6 acres you can have both good bass and trophy bass! Bass need room to grow and you got plenty in 6 acres! Read up on here and ask some of the folks here how to plan!

Everything from habitat to forage and maybe even air one day you can find here and guys can help you with!

Show us some pics of that pond when you get time!

RC

New to the forum and just put in a new pond so looking for advise and direction. I have a tiny little pond (spring fed 30 foot diameter - 5 ft deep)for 25 years that has allowed my kids to catch bass and the dogs to swim. I just recently put in one just shy of an acre and when filled would be 14 feet in the deepest region (also having a couple of springs feeding it). Having lost my son a few years back, I now have a little grandson and want him to have a paradise to fish, canoe, ice skate, and swim.

What I have noticed in my readings so far on the forum is that most of you are located in the south or at least warm regions. I am in the Finger Lakes of NY and we have already had frost a couple of nights. Definitely things are different for me here but if someone could point me in the right direction for some help on getting this pond off on the right foot it would be appreciated. I am sure there are many questions to get to that answer so I will look around to see where to post the question and get started.

Anyway, I have already learned an unbelievable amount in about 3 days of looking around the forum. Starting to make some artificial structure from what I already learned here.

Dan

10X - There are a lot of members here north of the Mason Dixon line in winter snow & ice states of PA, NY, WVA, OH, MI, IN, IL, IA, KS, WI, MN and several members from Canada. Northern ponds and spring fed ponds allow one to think about using alternative BG-LMB fish such as yellow perch, smallmouth, walleye, pumpkinseed sunfish, chain pickerel, pike, and in certain situations trout. Numerous members have these cool water fish in northern 'warm water' ponds. Your 30ft dia spring fed pond is a candidate for trout either annual or seasonal grow out.

Bill is right - lots of northern ponds covered here. The mag even has a column specifically on Northern ponds every issue. In addition Bob Lusk managed several large NY lakes for several years and set up their fisheries program. Welcome.

10X, I am in the finger lakes region also, there are a few of here in this area. I live near Canandaigua, NY, and am a short drive to Honeoye and Canadice lakes. Fire away on the questions, but a lot here applies to all ponds, not just those down south.

Located just outside Watkins Glen so not that far from you liquidsquid.

Thanks for the warm greeting from all of you. Where would you recommend I start a post for my specific pond help?

So much information to absorb here.

Dan

Welcome to the forum!

Where to post depends on the question.

While most posts will get answered eventually, a question about aeration will usually be answered quicker if it's in the aeration section, etc. It's easier to break up multiple queestions about multiple things into the different topics.

"setting off on the right foot" could be anything from aeration to soil, and the answers all depend on the goals that you have for your pond. For instance, if a person wants help with stocking a pond, the advice will be completely different if they want a trophy bass pond or a trophy bluegill pond.

Fair enough - here is a brief overview of what I need help with:

I want the new pond to be a place to ice skate in the winter (really no planning here), canoe or kayak (again no planning), swimming (maybe some planning), but mostly for a good bass fishing pond mixed with some nice bluegill.

It is currently filling with water and has a long way to go. I know I will want to place structure in it and I am making an assortment now. Where to place structure is a question.

I also like to stock it by catching from other places I fish when the season is open (has worked very well for the little pond) but I realize I need food established first so another big question is how to go about this in the best way.

Thanks again!
Dan

Check out Finger Lakes AquaCulture near us, it should be a relatively short drive for you. Buy up a bunch of shiners and/or fat head minnows for this year, and get them in ASAP before temps get below 50F in the water. We have a few late fall warm temps coming, so now may not be so bad of a time.

Starting off with a several adult fish that spawn unhindered in a pond can easily cause the pond to be overpopulated soon after stocking. Survival rate from the first one or two spawns is usually dependent on existing adult density. An initial overpopulation is often hard to correct from an unbalanced adult spawner community. Adding proper numbers for a standard balance in the beginning is well worth a little extra money to do it correctly the first time.

Bill - how does one know what those proper numbers are? I am all for doing this right the first time but don't know what the right way is.

Thanks,
Dan

Proper numbers will depend on one's goals. There is lots of info here about proper stocking densities which do vary based on location of north vs south. Goals, species of fish and size of fish stocked also play roles. First one should decide on what fishes are desired while also being compatible in the fishery and then numbers can be established. For the very best fishery to be established, it is always best to first establish a strong forage fish community so the stocked sport fish will grow the fastest to achieve the goals. A strong forage fish base will result in producing larger, trophy class fish twice as fast. Typically predators will need 8 to 10 lbs of forage fish present for each predator stocked so food does not limit the initial growth of the predators.

What I suggest that you do is start your own pond stocking thread with size and configuration of your pond, your goals, initial plans, and progress so far. Then members will provide input for your project and a final plan developed. The thread can be updated with your progress and fish monitoring results to evaluate your success /progress over time.

As an example of what is possible with proper stocking plan:

Originally Posted By: Bill Cody
If 4"-5" SMB are stocked in April with a pond full of food (minnows & crayfish), then yes I have seen the stockers grow to 10.5"-12" maybe a few 13" by end of first summer (1mm/day) in TN with warmer water in October.

Reply from YolkSac: This is basically exactly what I've observed. Growth rates in the first couple of years in a new pond can be really stellar.
The SMB recruits will start preying on YOY of everything else immediately. We've had really wierd weather this year, I had what seems like a very late, very heavy SMB spawn this year and have schools of 2-3" SMB all over right now. They're incredibly aggressive--woe be to any late hatching BG. This is the latest in the season by far that I've seen such numbers of yoy SMB.
Cody Note: My only concern is smallmouth with BG which I think is a big mistake causing excess manual management and BG overpopulation. Smallie and BG are IMO a no no. Several others will concur. There are much better panfish to use with SMB rather than BG.

Bill,

I am in the process of stocking my pond too. How do I start my own thread?

Bill D. In the top tool bar row area click on Forum List. Scan through the list for an appropriate topic such as STOCKING A NEW POND: Types of Fish to Choose - click it. Then in the top row that also has page numbers (right side) there will be a New Topic button (left side); click it. It will give you a page to write in a subject title and your question etc. In the first post include your pond background including size depth, location, goals etc. This thread can then serve as your pond history. You can always return to this thread to post updates and more questions about various management concerns and problems.

Hi all, my name is Ryan Johnston. I'm a student at South Dakota State University. I just went to my first pond boss meeting this past weekend. If you were there you may have met me, but you probably saw me around. It was an awesome experience and I feel like it really broadened my horizons, and gave me some good ideas for pond management. Seeing the more applied side of fish management was awesome. Hopefully I can help people on the forum learn a little more about fish management and generate some good thoughts on new fish management techniques. Presently, I am doing research on fish habitat usage, as well as helping manage a couple of ponds here in South Dakota to hopefully grow some trophy bass.

Welcome Ryan and so glad you could come to PB VI.

We all look forward to your contribution to this Forum.

Ryan, your talk was very informative. Please keep us updated on how well the structure is working with the LMB to try and reduce their movements and concentrate them in smaller "home" areas.

Hi there, fellow pond people!

My name is Dan and I am about to close on a property in southern Alabama that has an old, 3/4-acre pond and a newer, 2.5-acre pond on it. They are both on the same tiny creek. The old pond is 400 ft upstream and 50 ft higher than the new one. There are 2 active beaver dams on the creek between them. I plan on managing them for LMB and BG fishing and for the grandkids to swim in, too. I've already seen LMB in the larger one, but I've no idea how many or what else is in there.

The little one is in rough shape from silting and vegetation, but the larger one looks pretty good:
http://s2.postimg.org/gh9p5bb3d/lake_house_06.jpg
http://s2.postimg.org/bp9j4qc4p/lake_house_04.jpg

One arm of the big pond is quite shallow:
http://s3.postimg.org/83lly5u6r/DSC_0022_1.jpg

I've been reading Pond Boss forums for a week, now, and found them a wonderful source of knowledge and experience. I'm looking forward to everyone's comments and advice as I begin my experience as a pond owner.

Welcome to the family, ask lots of questions and send lots of pictures. Lots of variety here


Pat

Welcome Dan.

Nice looking water holes.

Welcome aboard, DanL!

Have you done any analysis yet on the water? Alkalinity? pH? That's what was first recommended to me when I bought my land and is the usual advice given by the experts (of which I'm not).

Nothing done yet, Anthropic. I just learned today that the seller and I have agreed on a price. I'm on fire to get started, but I suppose I should wait until I actually own the place.

I know exactly how you feel, DanL! Took me six years of searching before I found the right place. Congratulations!

Heard that. I've looked at a lot of mud holes before finding this place.

Thanks!

It is getting harder and harder to find property with water on it. Good job

Truth.

I am still kicking myself for walking away (over a measly five thousand bucks) from a property with a beautiful 4-acre, spring fed pond several years ago. I thought I could find one just as good, cheaper. Hah!

I like the one I'm buying, but it's smaller and will cost more. Still, I feel lucky to have found it. As you say, good water property is scarce.

Hello, Im new to this forum stuff.I work on a farm of sorts. We raise and breed ducks. OK. So.... we have a pond thatsabout 400 feet downhill from the one that we use to raise the ducks on. Now we need to pump the water up hill,so it will circulate through the pns n return to the large pond. So i need to find a pump to do this. Its not a steep incline but its far. any advice? im sure i will have many more questions. Thanks in advance.

Hello from Michigan, been lurking for a while but a full day of rain has encouraged me to join the addiction. I will be leaning on this board heavily as I start the planning stage of our family gathering spot " The Pond".

Welcome duck and tc

Ask lots of questions and read even more. There are some great folks here that become family. Tell us what yall want from your ponds or will want and the guys can point you in the right direction... Also post pix when you can