Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Evaluating and adjusting fish populations NEW GUY with 40+ Year Old Pond IN NEED OF HELP!!!

Good Afternoon Fella's,

Long time lurker, first (or maybe second time posting).. Been learning so much from this site. Only to learn that I still have quite a lot more learnings aheads of me.

Background- appox 7-8 acre pond thats been in the family for 40 years. This pond is not fed by any other water source and maintains a average of 7-8 feet deep across the entire pond. Pond used to maintain a higher water level but seems set at the 7.5is foot average depth. No deep holes that we are aware of. At one time we have a very deep well pump that provided water into the pond but even when run for an entire month, we MIGHT see a 1/4 inch increase in water level. We dont run this pump anymore...

See attachment for GOOGLE MAP OVERVIEW


That being said, the pond was stocked (estimate) 9-10 years ago after performing a fish kill to start from scratch. Stocked with bream and LMB. Not sure of the stocking rates but it was performed by a local biologist (believe this was during the time that stocking was free in South Carolina).

I just started using feeders late last summer and had success getting the Bream to eat the feed quite quickly. I have suspended feeding until the spring kicks in.

The fish population is our current debacle as we have tons of 1 - 1. 5 pound bass. We've been pulling every single one of these out since about Novemeber of this past year. I'd say that we've pulled about 50 pounds of bass out of the pond in efforts to balance the population and allow the bass to grow bigger. All the bass we catch fall within that 1-1.5 poind range…ALL OF THEM.

As far as the bream. During the spring, we did catch quite a few nice big bream. We released these as we understand that we are more bass heavy of a population than we would like and need to help the bream out whenever possible.

Over the past 20-30 years, this pond had some very good years where huge bass were caught but also had a strong panfish presence.

There has also been years where the bream over populated the place and you couldn't catch a bass to save your life.

We've had some water weed issues in the pond over the past few summers. Some worst than others. This past summer wasn't that bad at all. Sometimes it gets so bad that a trolling motor is unusable and paddling is the only way to get around to the few open spots in the lake. (not sure what type of weed it is but I will see if i can't find the name of it somewhere).


As far as fertilizing,some years we do, and some years we don't. When we did, we use the blue bucket fertilizer from Carolina Eastern (10-34-0). We dumped this isn't a large trashcan in the bottom of the boat and then diluted it and then sprayed into prop wash all around the pond.

Maybe 5 or 6 years ago we have a large amount of lime dumped into the pond as this is a developed pond and surrounding woods (all pines) and needed adjust the PH. This lime wasn't distributed the most 'proper' way but I think some is better than nothing. Nowaday, we coiuld probably apply correctly if needed (which I'm sure it is).

Our objective (at a simplistic level), is to grow a more diverse range size of bass and to keep a strong bream population.

Now that i've given some background info. What are some suggestions or advice that the community of PB can offer. I am open to anything. and will be as quick as possible to responding to questions as possible.

Addition to all of this info-- This fall/winter we have been fishing much more than normal for the winter time and have noticed that almost all of the bass caught, were caught in the MIDDLE of the pond. Normally we ONLY fish around the edges where either we have man made structure or over hanging wax myrtles. This has been a huge change for us actually catching fish in the middle..also as i noted, the pond depth is relatively constant throughout the entire pond.

Nice looking pond, willbjew. Good info on the pond, too. For larger LMB, you are probably off to the right start by removing a lot of them that you catch. You probably should also be keeping pretty regular records of the length and weight of what you catch you have a rough survey of the population. If everything seems to be 1 - 1.5 pounds, then changes should be pretty obvious once you reduce the data to writing and can review it. As you see the sizes and relative weights change, you can make adjustments.

One question that I have relates to your forage base. I understand you have bream (Bluegill or some other species of sunfish?) and that you are feeding them. What other forage sources are in the pond?

Feeding is certainly a good way to get quality weight onto a fish in a reasonable time, so that's definitely a good decision. But are there any other forage species such as shiners or otherwise?

Remember that with a bass heavy pond, you will most likely achieve some nice sized BG through predation. The survivors will have more forage and will grow better. It sounds like you are at a point that you want to be with the "bream" being pretty nice sizes. Are the LMB the real focus at this point?

And also don't forget the important role of habitat in this equation! Make sure your forage species have a place to hang out and be relatively safe from predation so they don't get totally decimated right off the bat. Generally, cover should make up no more than about 20% of your total pond area. Tons of great info and ideas for cover on the site and you can spend hours reading up on ideas.

Well we have pallet piles and rock piles throughout the pond. Bunch of willows and wax myrtles that hang into the pond. I always see super small baby bream and bass hanging out around these trees.


Suggestions for fertilization/ liming?

Those areas about which I really don't know much. I do know you want to be cautious when fertilizing to ensure you don't sufficiently change the water chemistry such that undesirable vegetation growth occurs. Not sure if that could be why you've had an explosion of weeds that appear to make the pond nearly unfishable, but it's certainly something to consider. Ponds don't automatically need fertilization unless they are lacking in sufficient growth of the various algaes and other first level food chain species.

As far as lime, unless your pH dictates that you use it, you may not need/want to add it. Have you had a water chemistry analysis done yet?

I am in the process of having water analysis done. But would bet large amounts of cash (that i dont have) that surrounding water/soil is very acidic due to all the pine trees dumping needles year after year after year.



Is there a rule of thumb on pulling out a certain poundage of bass per acre or something? any way to sample a small area of the pond to get a idea of the total populations?


Sorry if these a rookie/dump questions.


Thanks in advance!

Will

It's possible, but as with all things pondy, it's better to take action based on the best information you can get or you may see a drastically undesired impact on your fishery. Which leads me to another point - don't take huge steps as you progress unless you've been advised to do so by someone who is intimately familiar with your particular situation and who you trust. One of the best approaches is to make an adjustment and then give it time to play out, measuring the results as you go. Taking big steps may overdo it and cause more problems than you had to start with.

As far as measuring fish, as long as your fishing and recording data all over the pond, you should have a decent idea of the overall condition of the fishery. It's going to take some time to see change in the relative weights so just be patient. One rule of thumb I've read here over the years is to take out as many fish as you can till you begin worrying that you've taken out too many, then take out some more!

In a pond your size, you probably have a lot of fish. Here is a link to a SC DNR publication that has a lot of good info for stocking rates and carrying capacity to give you an idea of a healthy balance. All of your management efforts should be towards reaching that ideal balance and harvesting is a key component of achieving that balance.

See what the real experts here have to say. Weekends can be a little slow so just hang tight and you'll get more feedback. And remember, there are no dumb or rookie questions other than the ones NOT asked! And post some pics of your place. That Google maps pic shows a really cool looking BOW (body of water) so it would be nice to see some ground level shots.

By the way, was just looking at the Google map pic again and realized where you are located. We are usually down there in Hilton Head a week or two each year and you are just up the road a few minutes. I might just have to drop in and pay a visit when we head that way next since I'm always looking for something different to do when we take some time off down there!

Howdy Will-
Very nice spot you've got.

I would heartily agree with everything Todd has said, especially WRT to LMB removal. It sounds from what you've posted that there are probably very few BG reaching that critical 5-8" range that will feed the 3-6# fish you're missing.

I sat on a log once and watched half a dozen 11-14" bass working a bunch of 3-4" blue gills in a cove at a pond I fish a lot. Over a six pack [about 2.5h] they probably took 20 of those gills....imagine that happening day after day all summer long and it's not hard to see why there isn't much for the larger bass to eat. So work those bass like crazy, especially this winter and spring before they spawn.

Feeding your BG consistenty will help a lot as well.

Are tilapia legal in SC? A heavy stocking this summer could help with both forage and weeds.

I'm also with Todd on fertilizing and lime.....be careful, and these might even be areas [especially lime in a pond with an acidic drainage] where it might be worth spending some money and having someone with practical knowledge and experience do a formal consultation.

And by the way, if you'd rather not have Todd visit but are too polite to say so, just mix in some strategically placed snake pictures along with your pond pics.......

With the pine trees, I'd expect to add a minimum of 10 tons of ag lime per acre of water and wait to see if any fertilizing is required (I doubt any would be needed)...All the trees would prevent a slinger truck making the job cheap, quick and easy, yet a pontoon boat would be pretty easy to spray off of in a day.

Pretty place!

Good advice so far. Having the facts ( info ) helps make good decisions. Water and soil tests first - they are inexpensive and help avoid wrong choices. Most likely need lime. Id the problem plants. Gather RW (size , weight and length) info on the LMB. Pics speak a thousand words - take some of the LMB.

As far as other forage, what do you mean? We have not stocked any type of bait fish in the pond. Just blue gill and bass. Is bait fish what you are referring to?

I believe they are saying forage, as in anything which the LMB will eat. That virtually means any type of fish, etc., that will fit in their mouth. Other forage would be good for the LMB besides BG that you have. Tilapia as mentioned might be one. Check out these current threads on it http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=319140#Post319140 and http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=319062&page=1 .

You would be best off if a new type of forage fish could be added that would be able to keep up with the huge appetite that LMB have. Not FHM. Also adding the proper habitat for the forage fish will help them from getting wiped out by the LMB. What those are, the pros here would have to help you out with that.

Per your links are you saying that tilapia are a good option for Forage fish to stock? Aren't these a seasonal fish that die off in the cold months. Are there other bait (forage) fish stocking options that are more sustainable options.


The pond seems to have plenty of habitat. Quite a few groups of 5-6 tires tied together in a circle and then placed different spots around the pond. Also the wax myrtles have 'wirey' branches that extend into the water all around the bank. As you can see from the google map, all banks have trees/bushes on them. Very little bare bank if any. in the middle of the pond, we have hauled tree tops out there and sank them but rarely (up until this winter , never) caught fish off of them. Historically all fish big and small have been caught from around the banks.

Thanks again in advance!

Tilapia will likely die off in SC...how cold does your water get?
There are multiple advantages that tilapia offer, but for you, the two greatest would be weed suppression and an extremely fast growing productive source of food for all those bass-nothing you can add is likely to produce more edible mass than tilapia.

In SC, you could also add threadfin shad. They might have trouble establishing in such a bass heavy environment, however. I can't think of anything else that wouldn't just be a single expensive meal for your fish-you've already got the best southern LMB forage going with your BGs. It sounds like your "forage problem" may be more of an overeating problem by the smaller bass. I'd focus on feeding the BG you have to encourage reproduction-and getting as many of those bass out of there as you possibly can. When you start catching 2-3# fish like those you see in some of the current fishing 2013 threads from Texas ponds-you'll know you're coming back into balance.

I need to get a reading on the water temp but i'm pretty sure that it gets cold enough to kill off tilapia. If i recall correctly,we stock some (how many i dont know- this was my dads doing), 5 or so years ago and they were stocked mainly for weed control. I never saw them past the first season. I just remember seeing schools of white fish swimming around.

I am getting water and soil samples sent off very soon.

Something I have been having issues with is getting ball park prices on different options available. I'm not looking for finite, down to the penny quotes. Just general back of the envelope figures. Just so i know what i am dealing with in order to come up with some-type of budget to work off of.

As the Map shows, I'm 20 miles south of charleston south carolina. Any body know what the going rate is for a delivered ton of lime is these days (Would need more than that but just getting general figures). I have the means to spread it throughout the pond.

First, let me just say that I think I am now on track to eventually catch up to JHAP based on your comment, Yolk! While he's off counting his beans (a la Dr. Evil - "One, two . . . three. All there!" ), I'm making useful posts!

As for the snake pics thing, that's just dirty pool, man!

As far as my comments about the forage fish goes, it would only make sense to thin out as much of the LMB as possible, then add them. Otherwise any new forage fish would be hard to establish. After thinning the LMB out, I would look into other forage with the help from the pros here. Once a specific type is determined, then find out what habitat they need to thrive. You may have alot of habitat in the pond now, but if it is not the right type it all goes to waste.

Tilapia are supposed to die off, and it actually works in your favor. When stocked appropriately, they eat all the undesired vegetation and turn it into offspring, which adds to your food chain. Then in the fall when the water gets cold, they become sluggish and easy bass prey. Rainman should be the one to tell you about this, though, as he's the expert and everything I just told you I just read on this site

For what things, specifically, are you gathering figures?



Your best bet might be to just go find a local landscaping company and inquire with them. Or, if you have any farmers reasonably close, stop in and introduce yourself and ask them about sources of ag lime.

Todd probably looks pretty good in Pink
Maybe he should get those pipes insured against an inevitable future failure

I can just imagine the screaming and the wild thrashing that goes on when TuTu Boy encounters a snake

Not so much tu-tu boy. Think more along the lines of Marv in the Home Alone movies!

I was referring to the cost of ag lime and then stocking of tilapia/thread fin shad.

We love you Todd, or should I say, Mr. G6

You do understand, that you have an ingrained public reputation when it comes to snakes

Gotcha. Did a Google search for ag lime in your area and wasn't having a lot of luck, which is why I suggest talking to landscapers or farmers. You know, you might even want to consider running by a local golf course - plenty of those within an hour of you - and asking the groundskeeper about suppliers.

Check in with the SC DNR about fish suppliers. Or see if others here have a good referral for you. Rainman on this forum is hooked in with great suppliers of all sorts of fish and may be able to offer some insights. Consider shooting him a PM if he doesn't check in any time soon.

I think you're probably already way ahead. JHAP's positive post count is subject to the LCL Punitive Divisor [as described by Dwight], and should be further reduced because many of his posts actually encourage propagation rather than extermination of green sunfish. I refer to this as the Green Sunfish Negative Multiplicand Corrective Effect. I would guess that his positive post count,when subject to these corrections, is probably closer to zero. In fact, it might even be negative.


This will be really hard to tell. I'd call the local Co-op to ask about lime-it really shouldn't be expensive to have it delivered by dump, if you can spread it yourself.
Tilapia? Again, really hard to say. Shop around a lot, might PM Rainman on here-I don't know if he gets over your way or not...ditto Greg Grimes, also on here. [If I'm leaving someone out, apologies, it's ignorance, not on purpose]. Same goes for TF shad. The shad can get expensive in a hurry, though.

Whichever you choose, if any, remember that the benefit will be very short lived if you don't correct the underlying problem first.....

So..... Would the below be a accurate start at a summary of this thread?

-Being detailed listing of fish caught (length, weight, location caught, time, month, day)--What else?

-Continue to remove as many 1-1.5 pound bass as possible before spawning time this spring.

-Get detailed water and soil analysis done yesterday.



What else??

How does $65 per ton delivered for ag Lime sound? Fair?

That's about what is here, I priced it in November.

Here are some pictures I snapped this morning. One of the dock. One of the small bass I caught this morning while killing time. And then a couple of the Land/House.

Yolk, given your propensity toward creative and fuzzy mathematics I believe that you could have a promising career in governmental budgeting.

limit your Joking guys.. This thread could disappear

I have no idea what is actually going on here anymore. Did I do something wrong?

Nope, you didn't do anything wrong at all.

Sorry, Will!
Your only offense has been to stumble upon a forum filled with people who are crazy about ponds-unfortunately, the craziness is not limited to the ponds, and sometimes overflows, sometimes in a "raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."

So, no, you didn't do anything wrong, and we'll try to get back to your question.

Your place looks great, and worthy of major investments of time and energy. The bass you posted looks like a pretty typical bass heavy bass-big head, mouth, little skinny body. I'd go back to bass removal as the cornerstone of your pond therapy, with the other suggestions helpful adjuncts.

Other questions?

Oh I'm just as crazy as the next guy. Just couldn't follow the inside jokes flying back and forth. Thanks for the clarification though.


I've heard a saying that goes something like.... "When you think you've removed enough bass, double the amount and your getting close" or something to that nature. I understand that it's a long term play and that results are not immediate. But is there a rule of thumb to use? Or keep removing the bass until I see some type of change next season?



Also on the structure suggestions, I've searched and browsed around everywhere on this site and see that this is quite the creative bunch when it comes to fish habitat. That being said, I understand BG like pea gravel/ sandy bottoms for spuaning but what are some other general habitat structures do theyprefer? Lower "bush like" PVC villages or more vertical structures.

Some of the advice provided above stresses habitat and with the exception of a few areas, most my ponds habitat comes from us hinde cutting trees along the bank, therefore we only really fish along the bank (from a boat) but the idea of putting structure mid pond and fishing there as well is very appealing!!!

Thanks

Will

Start keeping length and weight records of the LMB caught with the very next fishing trip if you aren't doing so now. Let us know what those numbers are. There is a relative weight chart in the archives that equals 100. Your fish are probably under that, which means that they aren't getting enough food.

That will also tell you if a particular size class of fish ARE getting enough to eat. A fish can't grow to the length that it is if it isn't close or above 100WR (or RW).

So, if you see lots of 10" LMB that are over 100 WR, but 12" fish aren't, then you know what size of forage fish you have to concentrate on producing.

The charts and your records will tell you when to stop removing fish - typically you slow down removing fish once you see the Relative Weights of the fish climbing well over 100.

As for cover (I think of cover as things that are not part of the pond bottom, such as channels, creekbeds, etc.- those are structure), the finer, closer together "branches" let smaller fish hide, while the more open types of cover let larger fish hide. It's a balancing act. Finer cover near spawing areas, coarser cover in travel routes and staging areas.

You'll know when the LMB are getting enough to eat when they start looking like this:




17.5" 4#, 4 oz. Small head, small tail for the body size. I have pellet trained LMB in my pond, but they all are tagged. This one was not, and I couldn't find a scar or blemish where it should have been tagged. Combination of lots of small BG and Tilapia I think.

What Scott said.

Without knowing exactly how many bass of each year class you have, and exactly of what your forage base consists, there's simply no way to give a number of either fish or pounds of fish to remove. But if you take the time to gather some objective data going forward, and are consistent, you'll be able to see when you're starting to make a difference. Getting to where you have fish that look like Scott's above means you've arrived, but you'll have to work to stay at that equilibrium.

I have 36 feed trained Largemouths swimming around in my pond that are tagged with Floy tags. The rule for my pond is that EVERY Largemouth that is caught that doesn't have a floy tag in it is removed. No matter if it's 2" or 20" long.

I'm still fighting a low forage fish population problem, even tho it doesn't look like I am by the conditon of that LMB. But, if you were to sample for forage fish, you'd see that they are struggling to keep up.

Looks great, Will! As the others have said, you definitely have a place with lots of potential, making it worthwhile to invest some active and ongoing management.

I think you should have a pretty good idea here of some basic tasks that will help you get started. Your biggest key remains, in my opinion, getting lots of LMB out of your pond and to keep doing so till you see that shift in relative weights of the fish you're catching.

I see what appears to be chara - an aquatic plant in the algae family - growing there in the shallows. I have a lot in one of my ponds and it tends to keep water clarity pretty high. The one year I aggressively worked at killing it/preventing it from getting started, my water was a horrible muddy brown all year. I do like clear water so the chara isn't a big detriment in my mind. It also provides a very dense cover for fry and young of year (YOY) fish.

Nonetheless, adding more types of cover never hurts but perhaps consider slanting it towards larger fish. And, as mentioned before, don't overdo it - 20% of the pond area for cover is a pretty solid rule of thumb. Use it creatively and working with itself to provide those "highways" previously mentioned, allowing fish to transition from shallow water to deeper water with cover to help them make the trip.

Keep your questions coming, but get started with these ideas as your time and budget allow. And keep us posted.

AND, and that's a big and, never let our pointless, mindless jesting and banter deter you from posting or from even joining in. Heck, most of our "inside" humor is just dumb fun stuff that has happened over the years and you are always welcome to jump right in and be a nut along with us!

Sounds absurdly expensive to me...In the Ozarks of Missouri, Ag Lime is delivered/spread at $12/T with a 15 ton minimum from most farm Co-Op's.

I find that statement hilarious as I know Jhap is a good accountant, and any good accountant will make 2 plus 2 equal "whatever the client wants it to be".. J/K

Get the details on water/soil. Document the catches, check.

Pics look great, more photos of the bass and bg would be helpful. As ewest said, pics are worth a thousand words.

Yes on harvesting continuing harvesting bass. Don't harvest any BG. If your bass have been underfed like this a long time then they might never be optimal fish. Since you restocked 10 years ago has the pond produced big bass? If not, your long term success is going to depend upon your current bass offspring.

As said before the key is to prop up the food chain while you're harvesting and changing the balance. Keep up the feeding program for the BG, aggressively if possible. Look for diversity in forage. The tilapia are a good option that will also take to feed. RES are an option that fill a different niche than the BG. As are shiners if you can get your LMB under control. It looks like you have enough vegetation to support them.

You're on a long term process here, and you're making good strides. It all won't be perfect in a year! Keep up the solid work and thanks for sharing.

Lime delivered down this way runs around $45/ton. Tilapia can work depending on your goals and we do have some overwinter (last year we didn't have a winter here). We work with a number of lake owners in your area with similar situations. All good advice given here. First step is to get a handle on your current situation via electrofishing, discuss your goals, factor in all your variables such as water quality, etc. and chart a course toward a successful fishery. Older bass-crowded situations don't always turn around quickly with just harvest and we've found the total pounds of bass needed for removal is quite monumental when trying to angle them out. Would be happy to discuss with you.

So I've been fishing a good bit in efforts to pull out as many bass as possible. I've probably pulled out 35 or so fish, including the picture ive included. The largest bass in the picture was slightly under 3 pounds.

I think this picture better represents the bass population vs the first pictures that i uploaded of the much smaller bass. As you can see, there are a good amount of <1 # bass but also some 2-3# fish as well.

Hopefully we can keep fishing enough to put a dent into the bass population (hopefully before spawning as well).

Working on the details of liming/ fertilization and will certainly get back to the group for opinions before taking action. You guys have been great!!

Strong work, Will!
You're right, those bass do look healthier and better nourished than the other one posted-they're probably stuffed with almost all your yoy BG.
Have you made any decisions about tilapia and/or threadfins?

Concerning the Tilapia/threadfin shad, I was under the impression that i needed to get the Bass population under control before even trying to add forage fish. did i miss understand this?

Now if anyone wants to purchase the plans to my customized structure (which is not finished in the picture attached), I only accept cash.... Kidding aside, i'm not quitting my day job to go into the structure business. That aside, after screwing in a bunch more PVC pipes, essentially making a long term Christmas tree structure. It didnt look half bad. At the point of the picture, It looked quite BAD.

No, not at all, I was just curious about your conclusions.
Tilapia go in later in the spring,when the water is warmer, so you could conceivably stock them this year-in fact, it might work out well. Threadfins would likely have a better chance next year when you'e wacked back the bass population. They're pretty expensive snacks, otherwise.

Agree with YS on potential tilapia stocking (May), but gotta make sure those bass numbers are correct otherwise tilapia spawning success will be nil. Tilaps and threadfins could for sure be expensive snacks! Great structure

Guys- I've searched around the net and this site looking for details on this but as far as trash pumps are concerned. I've used them in the past to drain pools, flooded areas, etc but never used them with the intention to use the outflow end as a water jet (think fire hose spraying lime off platform). Most of the outflow hoses have no end at the end of the outflow hose.

Will a generic 2 inch trash pump have the power to spray high volumes of water at enough pressure to move lime off a barge in a somewhat controllable fashion? Is there a special fitting that take the fitting from 2 inch to 1 inch outlet, therefore increasing pressure?

Think bigger - fire hose nozzles:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#fire-hose-nozzles/=lg4na5

Don't restrict the hose down to 1", the nozzle will restrict the hose enough for you.

You can use cam and groove hose fittings on the discharge hose.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#cam-and-groove-hose-couplings/=lg4om8

You can get those fittings from a farm supply store too. Just make sure that the discharge hose is rated for pressure, I don't know what pressure the pump will put out, but I'd hate to see it split on you as you're using it.

I am suggesting this as a possibility, but also as a question for someone who might know...

My experience with trash pumps are that you can put any size discahrge hose on them and they will still work, as long as you dont stop the water going thru all together. A discahrge hose that can take pressure would be more expensive to buy. Why couldn't you use the regular discahrge hose of whatever size that works for you, put fittings on the end to hook up the nozzle, but then NEVER fully shut off the nozzle? Adjust nozzle to give the stream desired. Thus pressure would never build up enough to blow the line?

Like I said, just wondering.......

Would a 2 inch pump be enough for my purposes here? In general, is it the size of the outlet (1-2-3 or 4 inch pump) or the horsepower of the engine that is more important?

I think a 2" would be plenty. If you haven't purchased one yet, I prefer the ones with Honda motors. They have a low oil sensor that might save you a motor.

I have not purchased one. Not sure if I will rent for the day for $55 bucks first to make sure that its what I need or just buy one. Have a particular model in mind that you like better than the rest?

No particular model. I have (IIRC) a 6 hp, 3" semi-trash pump that pushes 16,000 gph. That one is more than what you need for sure. It's moved a LOT of water in it's life!

Another random question for the group... Does anyone have a picture of what 1,5, or 10 tons of lime looks like? Icannot picture what this will look like and need to have a idea inorder to tell the crew where to dump it. I googled the subject but found top soil and gravel pictures that were better than not having anything at all but due to density, rocks didn't provide much clarification at all.

Thanks in advance guys!!!

I got pelletized ag lime delivered a few years ago. I was suprised at how small the pile was compared to what it weighed.

I don't know how powdered ag lime compares.

Powdered lime is a smaller pile. You could easily put 8 tons in a pickup bed.

The pile of lime doesn't look as big as one would think it does... One semi is about 20 tons. It looks like a lot less than that.

IIRC 8 tons fit on a 12' square blue tarp with room to spare. I did some looking on the internet and came up with a figure of 90# per cubic foot.

one more question... Ideally I would cover the lime with a tarp once delivered to keep from possible of rainfall until i spread it. If I cannot align times with co-op, is it a big deal if it gets rained on? Its not going to hardened up to make concrete is it?

What will you be using to spread it?

I've only worked with pelletized lime, spreading it on food plots because I couldn't get the larger equipment in the area to spread the ag lime. The pell lime will clump together when wet like pelletized fertilizer.

I have a tractor with bucket that will load onto large dock that can be disconnected from ramp and pushed around the pond with Jon boat. The use trash pump to spray off dock into water..... That's the plan.....

OK. Now I understand what it'll be used for.

The lumpiness shouldn't affect what you are doing with it. Once water hits it, it'll get soupy, and what clumps don't break down, you may be able to mechanically break them down. (whack them with the back of a shovel once they're wet.)

Update: I've had a busy weekend. Spread 12 tons of ag lime into the pond. Overall, it went well. I would do a few things different but that just comes with the territory.

I've attached some pictures of how we used our dock (which detaches from ramp) to use as a barge to move the lime around the pond. 12 tons of lime doesnt look like much at all. about a 4 foot high pile but damn it is dense material. Real dense. Spread very easily with my new water pump setup. Could have done it even quicker if my dock (which is quite large) had more buoyancy. I ended up sinking one side of the dock with each bucket load of lime drop on it by the backhoe.

All in all, great weekend. More details to follow. Just wanted to check in.
Will

Well done. I have used the same setup minus the backhoe.

Looks good! It IS dense, isn't it? 12 tons makes a pretty small pile for what it weighs.

It's amazing how heavy that stuff is. I probably should have applied more per acre but didn't want to bite off more than I could chew and get myself into a expensive mess.


Any suggestions moving forward? How long does it take to reflect in the water soil test?

Will it take effect in time for the first fertilization of the year?