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#400114 02/06/15 08:26 PM
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Found Pond Boss via Google searching not long ago. Have read through many of the archives and learned much. What a great resource!

Here is our pond. Some work has been done in the past 2 years, work is ongoing, and of course will continue for the next 2 years by the progress indicator. wink

This is our hideaway where we fish, hunt, shoot, climb, swim, yak, dive, camp, and play. We chose Team Bass because we love to fish for ... wait ... wait for it ... BASS! wink


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The property (including the pond) hadn't been maintained in 15+ years. The old camping sites were overgrown, the road in was underwater and blocked by fallen trees here and there, the swales were clogged/blocked/filled with debris, and rain water runoff had seriously eroded one stretch of the road to the point of careful navigation an absolute must else you end up with a broken axle, bottomed out, etc.

Showing what 15 years of neglect can lead to, the remains of the original dock - missing decking, seriously splintered and rotted decking, sagging support, etc.


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Given our spawn and their new interest in the outdoors and this pond I opted to tangle with the old dock first. (Well okay, after digging runoff trenches for the standing water to exit standing pools on the access road allowing passage for non-lifted vehicles and after removing the fallen trees so I could just get to the pond!)

Started with this:




Dismantled the original walkway:




And built a new walkway - for those who notice the decking is not uniform - all part of the handsaw and eying it! :




So at least we could walk out onto the water on a safe platform. More to come.


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With the old walk out removed and a new one installed next on the list was removing the old angular section of the dock and installing a new section.




Little Giant Ladders were utilized throughout the dock rebuild process. The ability to configure as a staircase ladder was the best as the pond bottom sloped and this made for a stable work platform.




Mom liked the new dock at this point - no sagging, no missing boards, etc.


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Those two sections of the dock were completed in 2013. Was nice to have a sturdy bit of dock to enjoy, but the space was cramped for the kids.

So in 2014 I built the missing section. Say missing because it used to exist but long ago was removed from the pilings.

Utilized a yak to move back and forth between the completed dock section and the new work area. Note the use of Gorilla tape to temporarily secure the board to the pilings. smile




The yak moved about a bit, just enough to be irritating at times. Then one of the ladders opted to stage dive to the bottom of the pond just as I made the decision to switch from my swim trunks to shorts.




But it was an enjoyable experience - and seeing the progress as it was made was good stuff.


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The dock rebuild was a one man show, a bit of study and some elbow grease. Although a cordless drill was used to screw in the decking screws.




The new 10x12 section was a good investment. Much more room for us to move around, fish, swim, sleep, etc. This section was originally going to be a floating section that we could remove from the pilings and move to the opposite end of the pond via electric trolling motor (to haul lumber back to the dock area), but ultimately I opted to keep this dock all stationary (and plan to build a second dock at the opposite end that will have a removable floating section that can act like a barge.


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Nice job basslover. That's a heck of a before and after project.


AL

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Originally Posted By: FireIsHot
Nice job basslover. That's a heck of a before and after project.


Thanks, FireIsHot! I've spent many man hours laboring to get the property more accessible, back to camping status, stocking fish, etc. More pics to come when time permits.

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I am seeing a repeating pattern of guns in photos. Problems around!?

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Great job. Always satisfying when a project is completed and works like planned.

Might want to invest in one of these before your next dock build. You will be glad you did. We have thousands of dollars worth of these tools that employees use, we keep in service trucks, and I have around the house. The big batteries are a wonderful addition also. We use the heck out of these.

Ryobi 6 peice tool

They make a 12 volt car charger that we keep in all the service vehicles also.


John

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Originally Posted By: fish n chips
I am seeing a repeating pattern of guns in photos. Problems around!?


Nah, no problems. Just an ounce of prevention. We have plenty of turkeys, deer, coyotes, and fox about. 3 years back before I began the work on the property there were tracks attributable to a Mountain Lion. Never saw it (expected), and the tracks disappeared (also expected) never to return.

This year 3 coyotes were chasing a deer through the woods and the deer stopped on the other side of the pond opposite of the dock. I was sitting there with a Remy 870 watching, heard some more noise coming through the woods, deer looked at me, then took off. I counted 23 seconds and 3 coyotes appeared. They stopped where the deer stopped, didn't even recognize they weren't alone. So I "coughed" to get their attention, they startled and looked across at me, I racked the 870, they backed up a bit, I sent a few shells through the barrel and the coyotes took off the opposite way of the deer.

So given the the game trails, the tracks, and the daytime sightings I opt to be prepared best I can. I hadn't even noticed the wheel gun in one picture but I know the shotgun was in a picture. .41magnum revolver and 12ga shotgun are usually close by.

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Originally Posted By: snrub
Great job. Always satisfying when a project is completed and works like planned.

Might want to invest in one of these before your next dock build. You will be glad you did. We have thousands of dollars worth of these tools that employees use, we keep in service trucks, and I have around the house. The big batteries are a wonderful addition also. We use the heck out of these.

Ryobi 6 peice tool

They make a 12 volt car charger that we keep in all the service vehicles also.


Thanks for the tip and link. That 12v one in one picture is 6 or 7 years old. Batteries are pretty well run through. I have looked at the 18v models but no decision on a make yet.

A recurring theme here is manual labor. Handsaw, hammer, socket set and wrench, and even a T-25 torx screwdriver. There is that power drill though. Used to drill a starter hole. The torx screwdriver was used to screw in the decking screws. I did some hand drilling with my Gramps' old hand drill, but eventually felt the pressure from the family to get the decking laid faster for the fun to begin sooner. LOL

I do wonder the time savings if power tools had been used. I mean I know there would have been considerable time saved, but I am curious to the actual count in minutes.

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The new brushless technology in cordless hand tools is supposed to make the time between battery changes a LOT less. I recently went with 20v DeWalt. We'll see how it holds up. They make a 5.0Ah lithum battery pack.

If you like to deer hunt, get rid of as many 'yotes as possible. Here in Indiana, a single den was monitored by a trail cam. Before the pups moved out of the den, 80 fawns were brought in to feed 'em.


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3/4 to 1 1/4 ac pond LMB, SMB, PS, BG, RES, CC, YP, Bardello BG, (RBT & Blue Tilapia - seasonal).
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Scenic view.


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Happy Hump Day from The Hideaway!


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One of two snapping turtles. Look close at how long his claws are. Originally he and the other were in my sights. One day I had a clean line on him with my 870, pumped it, aimed, but shot past him to the far bank instead. Decided to let them be.

A few days later his thanks in return was grabbing my worm and giving me one heck of a tow around in my yak. smile


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In May of 2014 I stocked eight (8) bass that were 6" in length. I also stocked some Redears, Bluegills, and Channel Catfish. I had no prior experience or education in fish or pond management. Just a little bit of cash and a pond. LOL Note, I did drop about a dozen wild caught bluegill in the pond 3 years prior, back in 2011.

Here are the bass about to be released into the pond back in May 2014:







Fast forward to February 2015. Took my youngest boy fishing today and landed two of these bass. They've grown.





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Found this little guy hugging some weeds the other day.


basslover #400861 02/14/15 10:43 PM
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Was a gorgeous afternoon the other day:





basslover #400864 02/14/15 10:48 PM
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Basslover

Awsome view and beautiful pond


Pat W

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Landed this little bass yesterday in 33 degree weather. Dropped a shiner in and he inhaled it in less than 10 seconds.


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Originally Posted By: basslover
Scenic view.



I sure wouldn't mind waking up to that view every morning. Beautiful pond.


AL

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Thanks, Pat and Al.

That really is the thing about our pond - it is scenic. We love camping and playing out here. Sometimes it makes laboring out here tough, because ya just want to sit or lie down and bask in Mother Nature. smile

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Enjoyed some snow and cool temperatures yesterday.


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Some of our bass cruisin' the pond. Water clarity is about 10'. What is wonderful about this clarity is that you can watch bass approach, attack, nudge, investigate, etc. the lures and bait. It is challenging at times to get them to strike because of the clarity of the water.


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