Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Warning; grass mats can act like gill nets

Pretty sick feeling yesterday morning. Walking the pond bank checking things, and seeing this..


About a hundred, mostly GS with a few YP caught in the edge of a grass mat I had down for erosion control when the pond was filling. We barely got it staked down last fall when a huge rain hit. The rain brought the pond level up several feet. I never suspected it would act like a gill net and trap so many fish. Rainman just delivered these fish last week. I inspected every other net. Found twenty in a loose flap at another corner. Most were dead, but a few swam off, after being cut loose. I had several people recommend these mats for erosion control. Maybe I should have stopped them at the expected water level, but I had had one consultant tell me that certain fish liked them for spawning sites.
It would have been all good, if I had them secured properly. Live and learn. I think the water rushing in caused them to come loose, as we had staked them down pretty well.
One must get stuck, and attract the rest..
Just a FYI. I tore out about 20' of additional matting that was below the surface. Not taking any more chances.
Jeff

On a lighter note, I got my first section of dock in the water on Saturday..


The next day I watched a Kingfisher sit on the pole and dive in several times. Coming up with fish at least three times. Hope he just gets FHM..

Yikes!

Wow...I would never had even considered that as a possibility...dang, sorry man.

Wow!

I think just a small section exposed could start the whole process. Just one GS getting caught in it and fighting, would draw more in, and loosen the netting up enough for more to come in, etc, etc.. I tell you what, about ten feet of that mat, with straw, leaves, mud, and water is pretty heavy to remove. I was "inspired" at that point though, after seeing a hundred dead and dieing Golden Shiners.

Wow...I'm wondering if I delivered you really stupid fish! I'd never considered the "Gill Net" effect of the erosion mats.....

I'm hoping the 100+ dumbest ones, were the ones caught. Survival of the fittest, so to speak.. Just a couple YP in the net. No RES..
What do you think the Kingfisher is getting? More GS? That'd be my guess. Hopefully there will still be some by the time we find some SMB.

Never had that happen, but then again a lot of the mats that I used are made with all natural fibers, no plastic netting.

Luck of the draw I guess. Never thought that it would happen.

I wish I would have found one with natural fibers. I can't wait to get that nylon line wrapped around my mower blades. When I was looking for it, I was in a big hurry. Rain was coming, and I wanted to get something down to protect the seed etc.. I can't imagine they made it so that it will never break down, but I guess they did.

I've never had a problem (or heard of one) with it getting wrapped up in the mower blades, but I stake it down every 2' to 3' on the edges and about every 6' in the center. It laid pretty flat on the ground, and the grass that grows up through it stops it from being lifted up by the mower.

We laid erosion mat to about the normal pool level. Ended up having the same problem with FHM (haven't stocked anything else yet). We lost over 150 the first week. We would have lost a ton more but we walked the pond every morning and evening with the kids tossing dozens of live ones back in the water. Kids had fun but man those things are stupid.

Let's see...clotheslines, dog stake-out cables, garden hoses, baler twine, fishing line, fishing stringers, extension cords, miles of that temporary cable the phone company lays on TOP of the ground before they bury the real stuff, trash bags, tarpaulins, dog chains, romex, coaxial cables, and one green bra....but no grass mat.


Yet.

Well, look at the bright side. You now know an easy way to catch a bunch with little effort.

Tony,

I would not have thought green would be your color.

It was during the springtime.