Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Types of fish to choose Bowfin Questions

I flipped a 14' Ouachita flat bottom alum boat, 30hp Johnson outboard still strapped to the trailer....wheels up! Then drove into a ravine up to the side view mirrors. One safety chain kept the whole rig from coming through the back Window of my Ford F150. Totaled the pick up....Johnson outboard fired right up....Louisiana State Trooper wasn't too impressed...

I did something like that. Started backing the trailer into a little canal at the lake. Some Kids were swimming around and I got out to make sure they were out of the way. I FORGOT THAT THE CAR WAS IN REVERSE. I got about 5 ft away when the whole works started backwards into the drink. The car floated for about a minute.

Dave I don't know if I would have told that one lol. I watched that happen at lake DeGray in Ark. Guy backed in a ski boat and a new firebird. I sat in a restaurant and watched the whole thing happen. only thing floating was the bubbles coming up. Sounds like we all have messed up a time or two, when around water or pretty women

There's a little more to it. At the time I lived in a trailer court. I went to a phone booth and called the owner of the park. He had a trailer puller. I told him what had happened and told him to come pull the car out of the canal but keep his mouth shut. It took longer than I figured it would because he was so close. However, a little later he pulled up. He had notified everybody around about what had happened and there was a regular caravan behind him. Most brought beer. I didn't need that. I already felt dumb enough without everybody agreeing with me.

This was in the early 70's and the car was a pristine, low mileage 59 Ford with a motor and transmission that I had done some interesting things to. I drained and replaced all of the fluids and it started beautifully. I kept it another 5 years. Sometimes during humid weather it had an odd smell. Then weird things like brake springs started breaking. Lots of things that had never broken or gone wrong on any car that I had ever even heard about started happening. Don't remember what I did with it.

Thanks, DD1....I don't feel so bad...

Gentlemen...I can only offer one piece of advice...even if you are only going a mile and are in a hurry, never drive an old Ford Jubilee tractor at top speed with the front end loader all the way up filled to capacity with locust fence posts not tied down over a railroad track.

There's a reason I don't own big expensive toys - I'd likely have a story worse than all of yours. I'm the man who has dropped 6 pairs of expensive hemostat/shears off my dock the last few years, plus 2 Iphones. I estimate I've dumped at least $500 worth of Aqua Max in 5G buckets forgetting to put the tailgate up, and I probably shouldn't mention the multiple times I forgot to put on the feeder lids right before a nice 2" rain only to return to maggot ridden mush. I'm amazed I'm still walking around, frankly.

And all this aaronmac goes to show you what can happen.....imagine if we had all stocked Bowfin too!

Bill
We gonna scare all these newer than us folks to death... Sounds like we all belong to same club.... It's a wonder we all still alive... And all Aaron wanted to know about is grinnells and look where that went! LOL


Pat W

Ever get eager to fish in the late winter when it thaws a bit and carefully back the boat trailer down the ramp, then get out only to find the trailer is sitting on top of the ice? Happened to me twice. Another time I planned to fish on my day off. Got out in the boat and on my 3rd cast I caught a treble hook in the top of my ear. That smarted and I couldn't get it out so I just cut the line and fished about 3 hours with the hook in my ear. Stopped by the doctor's office on my way home and had it cut out.

Just told my wife yesterday that I would probably be a hell of a water diviner. No matter where I put the dog's bowl of water in my taxidermy showroom one of my feet slams into it! The water really flies too!

Sorry, I have to bring this up now that you mentioned a water diviner. Back in the late 60's my dad had a diviner come out to the farm to locate all the old field tiles. The guy took two pieces of #9 wire bent in a L shape and walked around with one piece in each hand. Every once in a while the wires crossed and he said, here's one. I am thinking "yea right!" After he left, I put the same two pieces of #9 in my hands and tried to make them cross. You have no grip, not easy to do.....when we dug up the tiles he was within a couple of feet of their location. Do I believe diviners can find water.......Hmmmm

I was a skeptic on water witching/divining but now believe in it.

About 20 years ago we decided to have a well dug on our place. So, I called a local driller who came out and asked where I wanted it. The most convenient place was close to the house and he poked a hole in the ground there. Nada, no water found. So, we tried a couple of other random spots, went down to 500 ft again with no results. I paid him and he left. There went $10,000 and I got into the beer.

A couple of days later, I thought of witching/divining. I bent a couple of brass rods and stated walking around the field in front of the house. At one point one of them swung. I walked over the same place a couple of times with no result but marked the spot. It didn't happen again anywhere in the 3 or 4 acres. So, I started asking around about water witching and got referred to a guy. He came out and used a couple of forked willow limbs. At the point where the brass rod had indicated, the sticks pulled down. He said it was either a lot of water or water close to the surface. When I held the sticks nothing happened. Then, a local cowboy buddy of mine dropped by and tried it. In his hands the sticks pulled down so hard that he had trouble holding them. The bark on the wood actually started cracking. I tried it again with no results. When he tried it again, I put my hands on the sticks and all activity stopped. I just can't do it.

I had a well dug there and found water. It was at 70 ft. and most wells in the area were at 400+ ft. But, it was only 1/10 gpm and most wells in the area produce 5 to 10 or more gpm. Not much. However, I went to the local plumbing/well supply place, asked questions, and bought a 2,500 gallon holding tank. It comes out of the well, into the tank and then into a well house where I have the pump and pressure tank that then goes to the house and corrals. That 1/10 gpm is 24/365 so I have no problems. Well, no problems as long as I winterize it every time I leave during the winter. Cast iron pumps can dang sure freeze and break.

I'd love to have an old restored Ford Jubilee tractor for the farm.

I know a guy who owns a small oil co. When he drills a well in Titus Co. Texas, he uses a whitcher and the guy uses 2 rods to witch with. I have seen the guy do it. He would say drill here. It worked every time. In Titus county, an oil well produces water with the oil. Drill down to 4,500'. The oil guy wont drill a well there without this.

WOW, witching at 4,500 ft.

yes and I would never have believed it, but I saw this on more than one occasion.

I doubt if you can drill a dry hole in Titus County right now...
G/

Got a couple places west of me between Esshup and I that probably has one. They have acres and acres of old tractors.

I saw one for sale along the road not long ago in Harvard, IL. Looked like they had an old Farmall H as well.

If it's a sentimental thing, than I totally understand. If you will be using it for work, I would probably try and hold out for something with live power...which the Jubilee could have, but not very likely. It might have live hydraulics, but again maybe not.

I have an 801 series Ford, sort of a Jubilee's bigger brother, and while I like it, and it does work hard for me, its days here are numbered. I will be trading if off for a 4WD with live power and hydraulics, and a front end loader that doesn't require a day's work out of three men and a boy to install.

The newer tractors are so much more user-friendly.

Back on heading.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/efish/families/amiidae.html




Greg Grimes electrofished this out of a renovation pond.

Good Lord Ewest, THANK YOU. For a post that asked a simple ? this has transgressed to a lost my boat, lost my boat and trailer, lost my boat,trailer and car to divining and Cecil kickin his dogs bowl around. Perhaps someone will start a thread that begins with "Hold my beer and watch this".
PS I enjoyed all the stories and will spare you some of mine. Also can't believe JKB hasn't chimed in.

Darn
The adults came to the rescue! It was fun while it lasted



Pat w

We haven't heard from the thred starter whether or not he is going to stock bowfins or not

We'd love to hear your stories Bob. Bring 'em on! Maybe eventually we'll come full circle to the topic without Eric having to put us back manually!