Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations the beach clean-up and Lake Georgetopia

Brian you are one busy man. Way2go on all the improvements.

I'm not sure exactly what you are doing with the diesel, or how much you are going to be using, but did your diesel vendor have you apply for a "Dyed Diesel" number?

Tx Dyed Diesel

Mark,
We have a dyed fuel number. We have had the number for many years... I do as much as I can with Diesel because it has way more power(BTU's), it is safer, and last a lot longer in the tanks !!! And my diesel motors last a lot longer.

If I could find a diesel weed wacker and chainsaw, I would use them as well!!

The last post was talking a little to Allen's post where he talked about using the keys to "BORROW" a few things when he let Todd's guys in to stock Georgetopia and more about having fun with my son this weekend, we had a blast doing manly work and throwing the tomahawks!! Splitting the handles was just the icing on the cake. He is definitely the young bull and I am getting a little older.......For now, I can still take him, but it won't be long before I'll have to use treachery to win the fight!!

good deal

No shame in treachery.....lol.

My oldest boy is 17...treachery is all I have!

My 14 year old Grandson is now 6 ft tall. But he doesn't have my mean streak.

Well I got back out to the farm yesterday and had a blast!! I took a little bit of video of a LMB getting ready for the spawn.

Here it is:




Also, we got some needed rain (Thanks to Diego)!!

The rye grass is looking great and the OTS CNBG and FHMs are feeding on the AM500. I have 400 on order, but it is not stocked so I have to wait for it to ship, so for now, the 500 will have to do. The CNBG are eating the 500 no problem, and the FHM's are pushing it around and then eating it as it gets smaller.

As the area matures, it is clear to me that it was the right thing to do. And the wife approves!!

Here is a picture of the cleaned up area:

Like that video. Were some of those LMB tagged ?

Big lake looks good !

Yep, I was wondering if I should try to catch the tagged fish and check its progress.

Any thoughts?

Love the standing timber!

Makes me feel bad looking at 3(3-5 more to come)in. of snow here. If you need any help catching that one, send me a bus ticket. Satisfaction guaranteed(mine).

By the way, here is a picture of the big pond showing Georgetopia in the background. I must say, I like the new view!!



Ken, after the check debacle, I am shocked that you would trust a bus pass from a Texan..... Diego would be so proud!!

That is a beautiful place. HiFlier, I am a trusting soul(cold as the dickens here) so I would like to give you a chance to make amends.

Brian:

What tagging system was it, and how are the hogs doing?

No don't catch the tagged fish pre-spawn. Let them do their spawning first. Note on the catch data later that the fish is post-spawn. They will not all spawn at the same time so keep a close eye out for the next 2 mths. Spawn may be delayed due to the cold snap we are having (lows in high 20’s next 2 nights).

I thought I saw a tag on one of the fish in the video.

Ken, thanks, we love the place. It has been hard work, but it is a labor of love.

Scott, I am using the numbered tags from Greg Grimes.
The hogs are gone mostly for now as I have turned off the feeder, but they will be back when I get ready to harvest them

Eric, thanks for the info, I'll wait for post spawn to try to catch them. That tag has some alge on it, so when I catch I intend to clean the tag off so I can read the number and record the data.

Okay, it has been a few weeks so I figured an update is in order:

First off, Diego's funeral pyre has dried out enough to "get er" going again, so my nephew and I lit it off using some "made for the job" help!! I new it was going well when NASA called and asked us if we had a new volcano!!

Here is what it looked like as we got started:



As the fire burned, we got busy collecting junk wood from the new beach area and added it to the pile.

Here is how the new beach area is looking:




And as I pan to the south, here is how it looks right by the cabin:



The rye grass is coming up very well and as I "drag" the place with my little tractor, the area is getting very passable. There is still a lot of sticks to pickup and toss in the fire, but there is a noticeable difference.

Of course I can not talk about the area clean up if I don't talk about Georgetopia. Well Georgetopia got some new residence yesterday. George and I took a little trip to Overton Fisheries and we picked up some really nice Tilapia. Georgetopia got five pounds to get a head start on the Tilapia love machine so that when we get some CB LMB later this year, I should have a lot of food waiting for them to grow out on all summer long. Also, I added several pallets for the FHMs to call home.



Okay, so what else have we been doing, well I noticed FA coming back, so I needed to devise a good plan to get this under control.



Turns out that the trip to Todd's would be two fold. I got Tilapia last year from Todd and they took care of the FA very quickly, so why mess with success, I got Tilapia again this year. Here is how the FA looked yesterday.

So I got my boxes of Tilapia and headed to the waters edge.



Anyone who has been following our progress will note that the water is now over the old trail to the dam area, and I could not be happier!! As the pond fills, I am constantly amazed as to how the fish and other wildlife figure out where they want to be.

As I opened the boxes of Tilapia, I found them eager to get busy eating all the FA they wanted.





The water temperature was 65ish degrees and they swam off with vigor!! Some stayed close and others went off exploring their new home.



As we ended our days work, George and I could not help but notice the Purple Martins that now call our farm home. This years crop is better bigger and heartier than last years crop. We now have birds is nearly every net site in the little house and half of the bigger house is also full. I hope next year we have even more.



Next I'll add aeration to georgetopia. I have to see if I go solar or string 300 feet of 120V AC power to the area. This should be interesting.....

Brian, everything's coming together well. Congrats.

Yep, that one rates being called a lake.

Brian, looks great. I remember you talked about your solar setup on another thread, but I can't find it. Would you mind directing me to that thread, or explain the basics again - assume that I know very little about solar (specifically the number of watts/volts/amps etc needed). Thanks...

Brian...thanks for the update.
It looks wonderful.
Going to pay some big dividends in the future.

Thanks guys, the blood, sweat, tears, buffoonery, and fun has to be worth it. Then place gets better all the time and the "Learning" projects are the best. I'll learn a lot from success or failure. But I have to believe I am on the right track.

Rmedger, I have a solar system for my sprinklers that is going to be converted to an aeration system. I'll post some more as my plans thicken up.

Here is the link to the solar powered sprinkler system thread. You have to go through a bit to get the sprinkler part, but it is worth it. The Bass video is also fun to watch!!

LMB and solar powered sprinklers

Brian, thanks for the link. I noticed that I was asking questions back then, also, and I haven't gotten a handle on it yet, but I'll keep trying...

I'll will be setting up my solar again this year and it should be a more permanent solution for one of my power needs out on the farm. And when I do, it will get posted. The aerator for Georgetopia is one of the projects I just need to see if my current solar power is enough to handle the job.

Things are really coming along well. How are the OTS CNBG doing - any growth yet ? Be sure to keep data and pics on them ! Watch the tilapia in GT to be sure they aren't molesting the prime residents.

Eric, the OTS are hitting the AM500 as are the FHMs. I will be checking all of the "residents" several times a month starting with the end of this week. I'll post pictures and updates as the summer progresses. The Tilapia are a learning project. I would like to see how many I can grow and produce in Georgetopia and I am looking into some CB to growout as well. I think the addition of their genes will improve the genetics on our LMB population.

The Binford 2000 fish food thrower is about ready for its trial runs this weekend, if it works well, I should be in great shape food wise in Georgetopia.

All in all, I am set for great success or great failure!! I'll work hard and keep good records as this experiment moves along.

All of the extra Tilapia and CNBG will be set free in the big pond to fend for themselves....