Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Team Bass pond renovation

I have not, Tracy. I think they became yummy feed for the LMB. Admittedly though I haven't really looked for them. Free time has been quite limited so I haven't been able to spend the time I need to looking for them. I also have not fished for them. I will let ya know if I find any of them though for sure.

You caught that bass with a live trout? Or a trout pattern swim bait?

Live trout.

UPDATE 29 December 2015:

Pond level high due to much rain, overflow pipe is doing what it's designed to do, but amazingly with all the rain the water clarity was almost 3 feet. A week or so back and the clarity was much less, very muddy appearance from the run off.

Was able to watch a few of my largemouth bass cruise about. Tossed in some trout and as always the dinner bell rung!

Landed this little one on a trout, had another larger all the way to the bank but didn't even realize it was on the line as it swam toward me and no resistance on the line so I failed to set the hook as I was taken by surprise, and watched a group of 5 cruising about and by far these 5 were the largest I've seen in quite some time. I tried to land the largest as I felt it was easily 6+ lbs but the darn trout wrapped up in submerged brush and the bass spooked once I stood up to work the line free.

This one was 18", 3.63 lbs, so a RW ratio of 113%.

Forgot to mention - the abundance of coppernose bluegill spawn. Was incredible to see. From the smallest with their sacks to those one half inch to those one inch to those larger. The CNBG are breeding machines.

Along every bank were young bluegill. Two sides of our pond are essentially steep drops into 6 feet of water, and then the two other sides are much more gradual slope. There is also a gradual slope where I've been building a beach, and the grass grows here so the bluegill congregate.

A goal for 2016 is to sink all of the structure I've assembled to provide more habitat as well as fishing zones.

Thanks for the report/update. There are some good ideas in the Structure archive on structure/cover and how to get certain goals accomplished by doing so. http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92463#Post92463

Also info on habituation to increase small stocker fish survival.
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=169568#Post169568

Update 8 January 2016:

Pic deep end near to shallow end far. Water level full pool.

Funny how the 87 trees/saplings I've hand sawed don't even look like a dent around the water's edge in this picture.

Wow, absolutely stunning!

Do you have a home or cabin near that BOW?

Old camper?

Tent?

At least a lawn chair?

beautiful pond with all the trees...so peaceful/tranquil looking.

NICE !

Tracy

When I look at that picture first thought is, better get camp setup and catch a few fish for dinner before it gets dark. Awesome setting!

Keith -

Thank you. It is very serene and peaceful. You hear only the wild things - no leaf blowers, no cars, no voices, nada. Turkey, deer, coyote, birds of prey, and the sound of our lures hitting the water.

So I have worked my arse off out here the past 3 years and some of that work includes clearing three areas for camping. We've got an overlook about 50 feet above the pond that I clear cut minus a few strategic trees utilized for hanging camping items and it's a nice view down to the water. I need to build the planned pulley system so that we can send stuff down and up instead of walking back and forth.

At the deep end I cut down some trees near a large natural rock area and this year I hope to build the platform we can lay out on, sit on, set camping chairs or sleeping bags or even a tent, etc. I'm a fan of Mother Nature so I don't want to build anything monstrous or too human like that will detract from the scenery. The view looking down to the pond and across it is spectacular though so I know other family members will enjoy a simple flat platform.

I have cut two trails around the pond - one high and one water's edge. This year I hope to do at least one of three controlled burns to help regenerate some forest growth and remove too many years of leaf litter.

On the shallow end I have also cleared out a campsite / sitting area so again you can look across the pond and enjoy the view.

We have kicked around ideas for an A-frame cabin above the pond and a bunker dug into the hillside. I have cleared much of the area for the cabin but no work has been done on the actual cabin.

And remember, ALL of this has been human horsepower, Keith. Handsaw, ax, rake, etc. No gas or battery powered tools have been used aside from screwing in the decking screws on the dock (used battery powered drill for deck, but socket wrench for the spax bolts used in supports).

Thank you. It is most relaxing. Not catching any fish matters less when you're surrounded with this nature. lol

Thank you, Tracy. I think the fish also like it

Bill -

Thank you. We do enjoy camping here. Thus far we've eaten just one bluegill (swallowed a hook and died during removal and didn't want to waste it). This year we will eat more though as the bluegill are of good eating size.

In go some trout ... they are so happy to swim free into the pond ... until ... *cue theme from JAWS*

Look toward the shallow side of the pond.

So it is always exciting to find the road blocked when you've got bagged trout to feed your bass ...

This roadblock were two pine trees that took a bit of time with my handsaw to cut through. Cutting was the easy part, though. Moving the heavy arse trunks out of the way was the real work.

From the shallow end looking across to the deep end of our pond.

Basslover, without me going back over all this thread, I seem to remember your water clarity is pretty clear with some water having 36 or so inches of visibility. If so, do you not fertilize your water? The only time I have ever had 36" of visibility was when the surface water temp dropped last Feb in a cold snap. Surface water temp dropped to 42 for 2 days and the water went really clear. when the water temp went back to 51 the phytoplankton came back which reduced the visibility. I did fertilize again several times looking for 18" for fertile water. Just wondering here.

Tracy

Tracy -

Visibility can be 6'. Yes, 6 feet!

It is easily 3' now, and now through early Spring it is very much like a swimming pool.

We have not fertilized. Have looked into it, but have not done so yet.

All fish seen and landed appear healthy and not hungry. All forage fish fend for themselves except hand feeding when we choose to. There are a crapton of dragon and damsel flies here and I know those larvae are food sources for the forage fish.

Fertilization is on the radar this year, but it may or may not happen. I am certain catching bass would be significantly easier if visibility dropped. But the flip side is the clear water makes for great filming underwater as well as seeing what is in the water.

FWIW our pond is very fertile. As soon as the water warms in the spring to when it cools in the fall, we have about 16 to 24 inches visibility. Seems easier to catch fish to me when the visibility is the 24 inches. Maybe it's because the game fish feed mostly by sight?

That is truly what makes all the effort even that much more rewarding, satisfying and enjoyable! Including the aches and pains that go along with it!

Great job, basslover and I'm guessing it's only going to get better in so many ways!

Between very visible and very murky/muddy I choose very visible.

Between very visible and somewhat visible (say 1.5' to 2' vis) I again choose very visible. It is so nice to see the fish swim by, or to spot a fish, tadpole, dragon or damsel fly larvae, etc. It is also easier to retrieve lures from snags. And the already mentioned filming underwater is great!

But I am convinced that this highly visible water makes it more difficult to fish, or at least for our LMB. If they spot me 9 out of 10 times they will not hit a lure or live bait.

The flipside is that it has become "fun", a bit of a game, to sneak up on them. Spot a bass from above along the ridge, come down around using tree cover, and then military crawl to a casting position, and make the cast without spooking the bass. And then BAM game on!

I've been assembling some dummies to stake out around the pond soon. Think scarecrow but with dummy heads, hats, and even a lame fishing rod to boot. I want to find out if having a half dozen props placed all the time around the water helps lessen the fish skittish factor.

Next is batteries and motors to make them move.

Think Mojo Duck, but for fish!