My pond is approximately 300' long and 70' wide. It's completely surrounded by trees. It's pretty old. It was a gin tank a long time back according to my uncle. I have fished it many times over the years, but never caught anything. There are no signs of minnows. The only thing I see are lots of frogs. I'm not sure how deep it is, but I'm guessing it's pretty shallow and maybe only a few feet deep, but I've never seen it go completely dry. I was babtized in it nearly 45 years ago, and a few years later so was my lil Sis, so it's a special place to me. I want to have a place we can fish, so I had Overton do a water analysis. The good news it's in good shape.
Ph 7.5 Alkalinity 100 ppm Hardness 84 ppm
The trees that surround it are a combination of hackberry, willow, mesquite, and black locust. When I was a kid it only had a few trees, but now it's a wilderness. I like the trees because they help with the highway noise. It's out in the middle of nowhere, but only 100 or so feet from a busy highway. So what's my goal?
Our family loves to fish. We fish several days a week. I was thinking of making it into a Bluegill pond. Not a trophy pond mind you, just a place to relax, pic-nic and fish. It does have vegetation under water. I don't see anything floating, but when I reel in my line, I have small amounts of stringy green stuff attached.
I'm not sure exactly how many BG or what size I should start with. I also thought about a few tilapia. What about FHM? Would they be beneficial as well? I will be getting them from Overton Fisheries. Let's say I start small with 5lbs of FHM and 100 BG. Should I hand feed them or let them survive on their own? Is this enough fish to start with? If so, At what point in time could we start to fish it?
Any and all thoughts and suggestions are welcome. I'm not opposed to other types of fish even catfish. We fish for whatever is biting. I wouldn't even mind stocking a bunch of rainbow trout next winter if I could find a place selling them.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I realize it was a long post.
Overton's have a lot of experience with Texas ponds, so maybe ask them what they might recommend for that pond. As a new pond owner, I have been working with them for the past two and a half years, and they will make recommendations if asked. And Welcome to this place, lots of help here if needed, others will join in, I'm sure.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Are you considering cleaning out the pond and making it a little deeper? If so, do you renovations first.
Todd and crew are the man! You can't go wrong with them advising you.
Once you know your goals, talk them out again. Mine have changed some over time. If I had to do it all over again, there are a few things I would do differently, like talking to todd first and getting his recommendations before stocking. Also, genetics matter. Todd's fish are high quality fish.
Keep us posted, and if you have any pics, please post them.
Best of luck.
Brian
The one thing is the one thing A dry fly catches no fish Try not to be THAT 10%
Beautiful cloudy cool morning. Made it home with only 2 minnows lost. I don't think things could have turned out any better. Todd and his staff were absolutely awesome!
Now that I have my fish, what should I avert my attention to? I was told to give them a few days befor I started feeding. I bought a #50 bag of Cargill Aquafeed 4512.
I figured on waiting a week then start with a handful per day. For the amount of fish I have, what would you suggest?
Probably a small coffee cup full would be plenty for that number of fish to start.
The FHM will be the first you see start eating. Then the BG. My CC were very skittish and would hardly eat while I was around till the second year. They would eat, just not so much while I was standing there.
Then just monitor and increase feed as the other fish start eating and cleaning up what you put out in 10-15 minutes.
I feed from a Polaris 900 Ranger and that is the dinner bell for my fish. I never tried a bell, but I would gess it would work. Some of my BG will come when they hear my footsteps on the dock.
A half coffee cup feed might be plenty to start with. Just enough to get them started. No need to waste it if they are not cleaning it up. But it will not take long to get them started eating. Seems like once a few get the idea, the rest sense a feeding frenzy when they realize some fish are eating and they are not.
It was 81 degrees today and windy, near 70 yesterday. My BG had not been fed since water got too cold late November. I gave them about a cup of Optimal Jr this afternoon. They gobbled it right up. I guess they have long memories. Footsteps will get them anticipating food. They sense the vibrations in the soil, I think. Sounds in air, not so much.
I'll tell you guys, I haven't had this much fun since hatching chickens way back when. I can tell I'm going to enjoy spending time at this pond. I've been down there off and on all day.
Given I have no known predators, at what time in the future should I begin to worry about over population. I don't think I need to worry about the CC or Redear, but from what I've heard the Bluegill will multiply. I only have 200, so I may not have anything to worry about. Just thinking out loud
IMO you just stocked 100 predators when you stocked the 8 to 10 inch CC. IME those CC can grow like crazy and will become apex predators in your 1/2 acre within a year or so. Hope you like to eat CC!
... I knew FHM just not by abbreviation. What eat them besides bass?
Pretty much everything including frogs eat FHM. IMO FHM are a great forage "kick start" in any new pond. They reproduce like crazy and are slow swimming easy prey for most game fish. Note I said "kick start." In most ponds they will not survive much past year two without great cover for them.
On the advice of Todd, I put them in for the benefit of the Bluegill once the bg grow larger.
Larger BG and RES definitely eat them, and I would guess even small hungry BG would eat the fry. Both my forage pond and sediment pond had sunfish only along with FHM. First year the FHM were thick. But over time as the sunfish population got larger in both size and number, the FHM population went almost totally away.
I just returned from my walk from the pond. I was there right at sun up. I scared 3 ducks on my way down there. I used to see ducks all the time, but as me and Mom began spending a lot of time there, they had vanished until today.
The life across the pond is amazing. Either the minnows or fish are making ripples across the water. It's amazing and provides joy to me! I hope you will follow along with my journey.
You know, I have an abundance of trees and seeing as fish need habitat, I was wondering about trying to make something out of limbs and branches to put in the pond.in various places. This shouldn't hurt anything should it? I don't want to mess up the quality of my water and I don't think it would, but I could be wrong. I have a few big trees that have already fallen in and they didn't seem to hurt anything. I don't have any pallets to make hiding places for the minnows, so that's why I thought a few tree branch houses might help.
Avoid freshly cut oak. The tannins in it killed every fish I stocked. I had to pump it dry.
I use cedars and haven't seen a problem. But I dang sure don't overload it. Lusk told me that a cedar will last about 4 years in the pond.
If you question a piece of wood, test it by cutting a fresh piece and put it in a bucket of pond water. After 3 or 4 days, toss in some small fish and see what happens in a day or so.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Going after a water thermometer today. Something to do to pass the time. I sat under the trees till sunset yesterday. Happy and content with a slight breeze blowing. Woke up early this morning and made my way down there. About as peaceful of a feeling as a fellow could ask for.
Avoid freshly cut oak. The tannins in it killed every fish I stocked. I had to pump it dry.
I use cedars and haven't seen a problem. But I dang sure don't overload it. Lusk told me that a cedar will last about 4 years in the pond.
If you question a piece of wood, test it by cutting a fresh piece and put it in a bucket of pond water. After 3 or 4 days, toss in some small fish and see what happens in a day or so.
The most rot resistant woods I know of are black locust, red mulberry, osage orange, and Pacific yew. The Osage Orange is has a very tanglely web of branches and the native indians would use these trees for corrals to hold their horses.
I know where there is one grove of osage orange close to me.
I was thinking about Texas Dawn and Fire Crest. Just to add some vegetation and color.
Here is what web site says about them.
Texas Dawn
Stunning water lily. Bright yellow blossoms (6-10") are held regally above richly mottled foliage (8"). A profuse bloomer, and wonderfully hardy. Adapts well to many climates. Will bloom heavily right up to the first frost.
Fire Crest This is one of the fastest-growing lilies available for ponds. The light pink color of the flower petals contrasts nicely with the fiery red-orange stamens and bright green color of the pads. Expect this lily to spread one foot or more per year when planted into an earth-bottom pond. Unknown hybridizer, originated circa 1930.
The TX Dawn will grow slightly deeper(1-2ft deeper) and faster than the Fire Crest. Both are considered Medium Spread lilies. Expect them to eventually grow to mostly 4'-5' deep.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
Thanks Bill, The first few links wouldn't work, but down further in the thread was some good reading. I appreciate you posting the link. Thank you much!
The TX Dawn will grow slightly deeper(1-2ft deeper) and faster than the Fire Crest. Both are considered Medium Spread lilies. Expect them to eventually grow to mostly 4'-5' deep.
Thanks for the info Bill, given what you know, would you recommend either?
.... The first few links wouldn't work, but down further in the thread was some good reading. ....
Unfortunately, if you dig a round in the archives much, you will find many of the older links have been corrupted. The forum moderators (most under appreciated guys on the forum IMO) fix the ones they can when they find them.
Well, I started feeding today. I fed 1/2 cup over a period of around 3 minutes or so. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to see much activity, but was pleasantly surprised when I saw them hitting the surface after a few minutes. I watched the water for a little while before heading back to the house.
How many times per day do you guys feed? I was figuring once per day, but I dunno.
You know, when I first started thinking about this pond, I had no idea how much fun this was going to be. My goal was just to put a few fish in so we would have a place to relax and fish. Now I'm thinking about pond plants, feeding, weighing/measuring for growth, creating habitat, removing trees, etc. A fellow can sure get carried away!
You know, when I first started thinking about this pond, I had no idea how much fun this was going to be. My goal was just to put a few fish in so we would have a place to relax and fish. Now I'm thinking about pond plants, feeding, weighing/measuring for growth, creating habitat, removing trees, etc. A fellow can sure get carried away!
Today is cold, wet, and miserable. Yesterday was absolutely beautiful. In fact, we've only had a few cold days and nights this winter thus far. Can't complain.
My leg is sore today. I tripped over a old barbwire fence that was laying on the ground and punctuated a hole in the back of my ankle and it sure is sore today.
Here's a couple of frogs. I know absolutely nothing about frogs other than I have a ton of them from dime sized to hand size. Some are skidish, some not so much.
Wow it's cold and windy. I didn't see much activity when I fed today. The pellets aren't floating or at least they don't seem to be, so it's hard to know how much is getting eaten. I stuck with 1/2 cup in case they aren't eating it all. Yesterday there was much more activity.
I have a feeding questions for those who hand feed. Do you notice times when the fish aren't quite as active when you feed? Say cold rainy days. Just curious.
May I suggest that the picture of the first frog might be a Spring Peeper. Either way, both the spring peeper and cricket frogs are incredibly loud on a warm nights. 10 frogs can sound like hundreds.
The second photo is definitely a leopard frog or as my wife calls them "basement frogs" because they frequent our sump in the basement.
The bottom frog is a Wood Frog (edit) leopard frog, the top one I think is a cricket frog though I have never seen one myself. Wood frogs are cool in the sense they can freeze solid in winter and thaw out in the spring perfectly fine! The first frog does not have the toe pads and is too large to be a peeper.
Couple of days ago, Mom and I went down to feed the fish, I've been giving them 1/2 cup, well they just devoured it in a few minutes. I don't know the exact time, but less than five minutes. Mom and I looked at each other and she said, go get some more. I brought back another 1/2 cup and they took a little longer, but still ate it all. I gave them a cup full tonight and it took about 10 minutes or so.
I guess I'll keep them at a cup or so for the next day or two and just see how they do. It seems like a few more fish are coming to feed. Maybe they are just catching on to the fact I'm feeding them.
Yes feeding amount is okay for initial training. As they eat the 1 cup of food faster then you can gradually increase the amount. If they eventually keep eating more, I would not feed any more than 1 gallon of pellets per day.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 02/21/1708:21 PM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
With my petal boat, I was able to check the depth of my pond. It stays about a foot deep till you get out about 15 feet from shore and slowly gets deeper. It ranges about 28 to 30 inches until you get about 40 feet out and then it gets to just over 4' and stays there for about 50 yards and slowly goes back till you get to the other end. There doesn't seem to be any drastic drop offs, but I only went straight down the middle.
I was hoping for a couple more feet, but it is what it is. I was using a tape measure so I couldn't tell how much soft muck was in the bottom, I'll try to check that next.
The good news it's not full and has plenty of room to catch more water. If we got some spring rain, I can see it holding 3-4 more feet easily.
Mom was able to see our fish today while feeding. She said due to the FA they came up real close to where she was standing on the bank in a small area that didn't have FA. She said the only fish she could see looked like BG.
She didn't see any catfish. Recon why the CC are not coming in to eat? It's been the warmest Feb on record, yesterday it was 82.
And wonder why FHM don't come up to feed? We haven't seen nar one since we put them in other than seeing a few ripples in the middle of the pond that we assume are them.
It's been 17 days since I stocked. Mom told me she saw a couple BG today near the edge of the pond and said they looked double the size we stocked. Possible?
Plus she might have been remembering the smallest of the stocked fish and the ones coming to feed may be of the largest sizes. It is unlikely that the fish were all exactly the same size to begin with.
Now you mention it Snrub, that makes a lot of sense. I didn't think about the water playing tricks. Plus we've both been anxious to see them since we turned them loose. We have them where they don't seem to be real scared of us as long as we don't move around too much on the bank. They come up pretty shallow when we feed, but not close enough to get a real clear view. If either one of us could see better, it wouldn't be a problem to see them.
I'm now feeding a Ranch Style Bean can (about 2 cups) twice a day.
I still ring bell and kick a tree stump, but it's not necessary as they are usually there waiting on me. They come right up into the shallow water about 3 foot from the bank.
It's become a family affair and we all go down to the pond at feeding time. My wife says there are definitely a few that are bigger than the rest and they have vertical stripes. She says they are an inch or 2 longer than the rest.
I know the RES were a little bigger than the BG, so I'm wondering if maybe a few of them are coming up to eat. More than likely though, a few of the BG were a little larger than the rest.
Ok, I am going to stock 40lbs of the 8-10" Tilapia next month. Yes, that's a lot for my pond. I want this FA gone and I want it gone yesterday. Plus, I am hoping for some good rod and reel fishing PDQ. [pretty darn quick] If you know what I mean.
All that said and done, between the tilapia, BG and the Res offspring will I need anything besides the 100 small catfish that's in there? The catfish were 6-8" and they have been in there almost a month.
If I do need another predator, how long should I wait after stocking the Tilapia?
farmallsc - take a couple pictures before and later after you stock the 40lb of tilapia (80 lb/ac) to document how well and how fast of a job they do at cleaning up your algae problem. Keep us updated on your project as it progresses.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 03/09/1711:52 AM.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
Sure thing Bil. I'll get some pictures today. I'm having a hard time feeding when the wind is out of the south cause it blows it right into my feeding zone.
This is how it looks today. I have to reach out there with a long piece of pvc and create a hole to feed. I try not to disturb the bottom as I don't want the water to turn muddy before feeding.
Sakes alive did we get a bucket of rain last night!!! I had my petal boat pulled way up on the bank and the water rose and my boat is floating. It sure did muddy the water too! My SIL says we got about 5" of rain, I don't doubt it, but I haven't been over to check the gauge. I know my pond came up several feet.
That should also help with the FA. Makes more of the water deeper so sun does not penetrate to the bottom over as much of the pond, and the dilution of the concentrated nutrients will make the overall water quality better and not as nutrient rich per gallon.
That should also help with the FA. Makes more of the water deeper so sun does not penetrate to the bottom over as much of the pond, and the dilution of the concentrated nutrients will make the overall water quality better and not as nutrient rich per gallon.
Your fish ought to really thrive now.
It's coming another gullywasher tonight, so this should really fill up the pond. Once it's over, I'll get new depth measurements. I figure your about right just from what I saw today. I wasn't able to feed today because it was so muddy and it looks like it may be the same tomorrow.
You know, I've been thinking(that's usually pretty dangerous.) You know, when I measured the size of my pond, I stepped off from waters edge to waters edge, not considering it would fluctuate. I may have underestimated its size. I guess it's better to underestimate than overestimate
You know, I've been thinking(that's usually pretty dangerous.) You know, when I measured the size of my pond, I stepped off from waters edge to waters edge, not considering it would fluctuate. I may have underestimated its size. I guess it's better to underestimate than overestimate
FWIW....My pond is a watertable pond and fluctuates several feet every year. It ranges in size from .35 to .65 acres. The low pool is always in the hottest months when DO and water quality can be the biggest concern. Knowing this, I stocked and now manage the pond like it is .35 acres year round to be on the conservative side.
Caught a bunch of June bugs and have been feeding my fish. I didn't think they would be able to swallow them, but I be darned they attacked them like piranha
please, let us in on the best way to catch june bugs or japanese beetles? getting rid of them and feeding the fish at the same time sounds like a win/win for all of us!
please, let us in on the best way to catch june bugs or japanese beetles? getting rid of them and feeding the fish at the same time sounds like a win/win for all of us!
To be honest, I didn't setbout to catch them. They just happened to be there and I swept them up. Outside my RV, we have one of those plastic mats that's about 12' long and 8' wide. The June bugs seem to congregate there and I grab them. I was going to smash them up with some cornmeal, but wife put an end to that idea real quick.
If you could've heard the conversation, you'd still be laughing.
Catfish are feeding! My wife found her camera and came with me down to the pond. Rain/wind has taken care of FA and she was able to get some good pictures!!!
Looks like you have quite a herd there! Well done! What else is in the pics besides CC?
There are some OTS CNBG in amongst them, but it looks like they are getting pushed around at feeding time. Those CC are chow hounds. The CC may have been coming to feed all this time and I just wasn't able to see. I'm feeding about 6 to 7 cups a day spread out over the day at morning, noon and late afternoon. I bet the CC is what's been gobbling up those June bugs I've been chunking in there.
Oh yeah, there are some RES in there, but I don't know if they are coming up to feed. All my research says probably not.
I'll tell you what I find amazing. One day you go out to the pond and it looks completely taken over with FA. The next day you get some breezy conditions or a rain and presto your pond looks crystal clear.
Oh yes, one more thing. New depth taken from several places in the middle and it ranges from 6'2" to 6' 11"
If you're following along with some of my posts, I've had a twist of events. It appears I had some GSF in my pond when I stocked it last month. This should make things interesting.
I thought so. Look at the mouth size, the fin tipping, and the color on an opercular. Some GSF influence definitely.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
You need to catch a couple of those and take pictures out of the water. They look kind of wide body like GSF. That may just be the water magnification though. Sprkplug is right on the opercular tab looking GSFishy.
They also look hungry. That is the way my fish come up and stare at me wanting fed.
No doubt about those. You have yourself some potential trophy GSF there. Just keep feeding them.
That first picture is classic. Green bars on the cheeks, big mouth, coloration, more fusiform shape than a BG, opercular tab border.
Here is a thread you can read all about my learning curve on GSF and I think there is a link within of another persons experience. 100% Green Sunfish
Edit: that first picture the opercular tab does not show up that well because the fish has his gills flared so the border is out away from the body. I first noticed this when taking pictures of RES. In person I would see the bright red or orange border. Yet when I took a picture of the fish, if it had the tab flared out, it did not show up so much. Your second picture you can see the translucent orange border on the ear flap (opercular tab).
Looks like I wasted my money on the stocking of fish. A bunch of them probably got ate. I would have bet my gizzard there were no fish in there. I should have bought a sack of feed before stocking. Oh well. Alls well that ends well.
I think Todd has some big OTS CNBG, I may get a few and see if they will eventually take over the pond.
A little disappointed, but not overly so. In hindsight I would have just bought bigger OTS CNBG.
I don't know about putting Bass in. Don't get me wrong, I like Bass. I'm just not sure what to do other than Feed, Fish and watch what it becomes.
I caught a mess of fish. I stopped at 41. I should have one nice fish fry.
I was catching 4 and 5" fish as fast as I could chunk. I was using a #8 hook. I got tired of catching dinks, so I switched to a #2 Aberdeen Crappie hook with June Bugs and just tore them up. The largest was this fellow at 9" and I had a boat load that size. I could have kept catching, but I got tired. I was only down there about an hour.
The last one I had on my line felt like a monster, but it went into some brush and snapped my line.
I now have no doubt in my mind what happened to all the BG, RES, and FHM. They made them GSF a nice snack.
Wow! Those are some nice fish man! I see nothing wrong with a pond full of those. Your CC are probably ok but I think you may be right that all but your biggest CNBG stockers and most/all of the FHM are probably history.
Wow! Those are some nice fish man! I see nothing wrong with a pond full of those. Your CC are probably ok but I think you may be right that all but your biggest CNBG stockers and most/all of the FHM are probably history.
Bill,
I had a lot of fun! I thought I might have thinned the herd, but when I fed tonight, I couldn't tell a difference. I still have a pond full.
I would probably start looking for some 6+ inch LMB stockers. Maybe a few of Overton's Legacy Bass? GSF do not reproduce like CNBG so a few LMB will thin the herd. IMO now would be a good time to stock some 6+ inch CNBG as well.
I would probably start looking for some 6+ inch LMB stockers. Maybe a few of Overton's Legacy Bass? GSF do not reproduce like CNBG so a few LMB will thin the herd. IMO now would be a good time to stock some 6+ inch CNBG as well.
I would advise caution about bass in anything less than about 1.5 acres in Texas. Those suckers spawn and over spawn. They're also pretty good about getting hook shy. The "average" Texas pond that I see is bass heavy and bluegill light. I much prefer cats and Hybrid Stripers.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
I would advise caution about bass in anything less than about 1.5 acres in Texas. Those suckers spawn and over spawn. They're also pretty good about getting hook shy. The "average" Texas pond that I see is bass heavy and bluegill light. ....
I wonder why that is? Could part of it be a pond owner expecting too much from a smaller body of water? It seems everybody that stocks LMB wants to grow big LMB. Could it be that a big LMB for a 1/2 acre is maybe 3 pounds but the owner chases the dream of 6 or 7 pounds and doesn't harvest appropriately? Or maybe the owner of that small body of water sets goals for high catch rates of big bass way beyond the capacity of the pond so again doesn't harvest appropriately?
[quote=Dave Davidson1]I would advise caution about bass in anything less than about 1.5 acres in Texas. Those suckers spawn and over spawn. They're also pretty good about getting hook shy. The "average" Texas pond that I see is bass heavy and bluegill light. ....
I wonder why that is? Could part of it be a pond owner expecting too much from a smaller body of water? It seems everybody that stocks LMB wants to grow big LMB. Could it be that a big LMB for a 1/2 acre is maybe 3 pounds but the owner chases the dream of 6 or 7 pounds and doesn't harvest appropriately? Or maybe the owner of that small body of water sets goals for high catch rates of big bass way beyond the capacity of the pond so again doesn't harvest appropriately?
At the moment, you couldn't ask for more exciting fishing. I don't know how long it will hold out though. I've never targeted trophy fish. The bigest Bass I ever caught was around 5 pounds and was caught out of a stock tank. There's a story behind it and one of these days, I'll share. The absolute biggest fish was a halibut, but I had to travel to Alaska to catch them.
I've almost always fished for Crappie and Sunfish. When possible, I do love to chase Rainbow Trout. I've never caught a striper in my life. If I catch a 3 lb fish, I'm happy as a goat at a picnic.
DD1, I have fished many, many ponds in Texas over the years. Most of them less than an acre, bucket stocked with zero management. Yes, they usually have tons of small bass but I have also caught many 4, 5 and 6 pounders from these same ponds. They may not be ideal for growing trophy bass but good size bass are possible. I have also caught large BG from these ponds usually by accident while bass fishing. I think nature has its own way of self managing through things like floods, fish kills, birds, self predation, etc. Not disagreeing with you since I am not educated enough in the management process to do that. Just sharing my experiences.
I think it is sometimes when we take matters into our own hands and prevent nature from being nature by aerating, feeding, scaring off birds, preventing flooding concerns, etc where problems can occur.
Here's some of my observations and experience from quite a few years. And, as we say, all ponds are different. I'm also not a pro but a pretty dumb pond junkie. My curiosity has killed a lot of fish and my biggest mistake probably hasn't happened yet.
Even East Texas and West Texas are 100% different. Attribute this to rain and soil. Fertilizing, in my area, can just about guarantee a fish kill with the bigger fish going first. Pine tree country generally means that the water needs carefully applied fertilizer. Been there, done that, a long time ago and had to start over. I am also not qualified to give advice regarding ponds in areas where people look forward to fishing in hard water or any place where people can walk on their ponds.
Fish in smaller ponds get hook shy and bigger fish are generally those that have learned that my footsteps on the bank could be a problem.
By the end of summer, a 1/2 acre pond can become 1/4 acre and all of the pond dynamics change. Praying for rain and rain dances are futile.
Bass and BG are spawning machines. Only bass can keep up with BG spawning rates. And only BG can spawn enough to feed bass. And yet, the bass, even with plentiful groceries, can wipe out the BG base in 3 or 4 years in anything less than 3 or 4 acres. That's why it's important to remove all the small bass. Good luck on that.
Aeration works and fountains don't.
Lieing to the Wife about pond expenses can get you into trouble.
Ponds are like corvettes, boats, horses, and women. They are expensive, can cause trouble, and are sometimes hard to understand.
Being a nice guy and letting others fish your ponds or hunt your deer and hogs is generally not advisable.
If Lusk or Cody say it; you can bet that they are right.
There's a lot more and I expect you guys can add to this.
Last edited by Dave Davidson1; 04/03/1705:52 AM.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
My Catfish are now very actively feeding. Mom gets them and the Green Sunfish feeding and I'm over around the corner feeding the smaller fish. There doesn't seem to be many and I can't tell for sure what they are. I sure hope it's cnbg.
Some of you Texans chime in and let me know if
1. You plan on Tilapia and 2. When are you stocking?
It was windy and a tway bit chilly today, so I'm thinking it's still too early. I don't want to stock them and then get a cold snap. I would just be crushed. Patience is not my strong point, but I know it's needed.
I try to stock Tp anytime after April 1st. My surface water temps are usually in the high 60's to low 70's at that time. And it would take a pretty hard winter weather event to drop water temps to the low 50's.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Overtons now stocking TP, so obviously they think it is pretty safe. There are no absolute guarantees, but the weather odds are strongly in your favor.
Yeah, we're going tomorrow cause I'm just about out of feed. I'll take a look at the TP and chat with Todd if he's in. I generally give him a heads up when we plan on stopping by, but I plain forgot to text him till late this evening. I sure hope he has plenty of feed cause I waited till I was at the bottom of the barrel
Thought I would update my thread. The Tilapia have been in about a month and a half. I have seen improvement in the FA, at least it's not all over the surface of the pond like it was. It's not completely gone though, so next year I will most likely double my order.
The Catfish are eating like pigs! It is so much fun feeding them. Mom and I hand feed twice daily same time each day within a few minutes. Some days the fish show up in droves and some days we just have a few. We haven't quite figured out why that is. We notice they seem more active during the evening feeding.
I figure along about September, we will start fishing and see what we can catch. We haven't fished it since removing a bunch of the GSF. I don't know about the Bluegill and Res, but I can tell the Catfish are thriving. When they come to feed, you could literally walk across them!
The Catfish are eating like pigs! It is so much fun feeding them. Mom and I hand feed twice daily same time each day within a few minutes. Some days the fish show up in droves and some days we just have a few. We haven't quite figured out why that is. We notice they seem more active during the evening feeding.
Sometimes our CC are erratic about feeding. We caught a two year old CC this evening that weighed in at exactly five pounds and 22-1/2 inches. You will be amazed at their growth if you feed as much as they want. Last year I fed them a mix of Optimal BG and regular CC pellets. I think the Optimal gave them a boost as I caught a 3 lb 14 oz CC late last fall. I haven't taken enough CC out as they got bigger, and narrowly avoided a kill a few days ago. If I had it to do over, I would have taken more last fall and started earlier this year.
Sometimes our CC are erratic about feeding. We caught a two year old CC this evening that weighed in at exactly five pounds and 22-1/2 inches. .
Wow! I'm hoping mine do that well. Since I put mine in back in Feb, I wonder when I could start my harvest? Do you suppose late this fall I could have some 2 pounders?
You could have some 3 pounders by late October with satiation feeding, but be careful and don't spoil the water. I put my earliest ones in at 6 inches in Sept 2015. The growing season is shorter here than where you are.
To refresh your memory, my pond ranges from 1/2 to 7/8 of an acre with varying depths when it's low the greatest depth in the middle may be less than 4' to when it's full about 7'.
I've got a bunch of fish! When we feed, Mom and I stand 40' apart and chunk in a sweeping motion. We have fish all around us and inbetween us! Some days you could walk across a 12' diameter of them.
We are feeding twice a day, same basic time daily and a 50# bag lasts less than a month. Usually 22 to 25 days.
Are we feeding too much, too little or just right? Water quality appears good, fish seem happy. A few turtles show up at feeding time as well. Catfish are now big enough to muddy the waters when feeding. Catfish darn near come up bank and take feed out of your hand.
Green Sunfish are abundant still. I'm not fishing currently due to heat, but will start again in Sept to remove GSF and Tilapia. Still have high hopes that CNBG and RES survived the initial stocking.
In my experience, you should cut back a little on feed, especially if your water temp is exceeding 85 degrees. From what I have gathered from your posts on your catfish, a 50 pound bag should last you about one month exactly at this stage. Have you sampled the CC for size? I believe you said 100 CC? They should be 12 to 13" by now with satiation feeding. For young CC, in my experience if you mix in some Optimal, they should grow even faster. We are catching two year old CC from two to five pounds....some individuals are more aggressive pellet hogs than others.
I haven't sampled any up close, I can't see too well unless I am a couple of feet away, but My Wife says they are probably about what you said maybe a tad less, but she said it's hard to tell exactly. Wife says the fish cover the top of water when we feed and I hear a lot of splashing. My water temps are probably just like you say as it is HOT here! Pond has also started dropping in the last couple of weeks, its not low, but probably a foot less than it was. I will cut back 1/2 can on Mom's side. That will be about 2 cups less per day. That should stretch our feed out to a full month per bag.
If you do not want them to stir the bottom up make sure the water you are feeding in is at least five feet deep. If you want them to do some bottom stiring to facilitate muck stiring or want to get some of those bottom nutrients up into the water collumn add some sinking catfish food to the floating variety. They will root around in the bottom for the sinking pellets.
@snrub I would have to wade out to the middle to find water 5' deep.
I haven't seen my Tilapia since stocking, but my FA has been reduced only to be replaced by a neon green film that covers my whole pond. Fish are still eating everything I throw, so I guess all is well. The green film I noticed this week. It started out in a small area and today the whole pond is that way
Green film is gone now. I have very little FA just around the edges in a few places. Pond is looking real good, but dropping due to no rain lately. I wish those darn willow trees would never gotten started, but it is what it is. I'm really glad I added Tilapia
Hi de ho, Everybody. At John F's recommendation, We cut back slightly so our 50# will last all month. The Tilapia have done good, though it took longer than I wanted. Next year, I will double my order. There is still some FA along some edges, but it's nothing like before we put them in. We're seeing lots of small fry, but we're not sure if it is Sunfish or Tilapia. I need to buy some traps and see up close. We see lots of turtles and frogs too! A darn snake came racing past me this morning and I almost messed my drawers. He went straight into the water and I never saw him again. I don't know if y'all know it or not, but I don't like snakes too much!
This pond is alive with all sorts of dragon flies and various other bugs. I haven't noticed mosquitoes being too bad though and that's a good thing. We have lots of chiggars though if you get close to that Johnson grass. We try to keep our feed trail clear so it isn't a problem if you don't wander off the trail. I do enjoy this pond and the joy it brings makes the few dollars spent stocking and feeding SO worth it!
We're not fishing it yet. I'm patiently waiting, but I tell u what, come September, ima gonna put some fish in the fryer!
I wanted to see one of my CC's up close, so I caught a nice 15" Catfish the other day. Doggone it sure tasted good!
Yesterday about 2 pm, I put on a tiny hook and some Crappie bites. I caught a dozen GSF one right after another. They were all fat as mud balls, but tiny. They ranged in size from 3" to 6". I retuned all of them.
I didn't catch any BG, RES, or Tilapia.
I plan to start fishing heavily for Tilapia come sept.
Maybe a chunk of celery... lmao.... You never know... Hard to put algae on a hook... lol or maybe some fried okra... hahaha no telling what them fish will eat...
RC
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
Maybe a chunk of celery... lmao.... You never know... Hard to put algae on a hook... lol or maybe some fried okra... hahaha no telling what them fish will eat...
Well, the algae on a hook didn't work worth a hoot!
I took a #8 hook and loaded it down with algae I tried it suspended for awhile and also drug along the bottom. No nibbles, no bites.
Now the fun part. I put a Crappie bite on same hook thinking I might catch a Sunfish. First cast, as soon as bobber hit the water, under it went. Nice CC. I scratched my head cause that's the last thing I figured on catching with that small hook. I figured it was a fluke, put on another and same dadgum thing happened. Ok, now I have 2 nice CC in my basket. Mom said wait a minute, I'll be right back.
A few minutes later she has a handful of sliced frozen Okra we picked the other day. I wasn't expecting much, but bobber went skating across tank then under it went. Tried to set the hook, but missed. This happened several times and each time something got my bait. I changed tactics and only used a small portion of Okra and caught GSF one right after another until I got tired of catching them. When I got done fishing, I turned the CC loose cause I was too tired to clean them. I may never catch those 2 again according to what I've read. If that's the case, I'll have 2 smart fish in my tank. Haha. Don't you just hate an educated fish.
Oh btw, all the GSF were very small 3"to 4". I put them all back.
I will add...The Cargil 4512 food seems to make them fat. All the fish I've caught sure seem healthy and fat. I tried different sizes, but they appear to like the 1/8" best. They will eat the 1/4" too, but don't attack it near as well as the 1/8"
Farm That's just opposite from my fish I mix the 1/8" and 1/4" and they hit the 1/4" first then finally eat the 1/8" . I think cause they are bigger fish and don't want to waste energy on the little stuff. Very few small BG venture out in 8-10' of water
Electric is about 75 to 100 yards from my pond, I think. Maybe closer. I'm poor at judging distance. These aerator systems I heard y'all talk about, are they 110 or 220? I've read just a small bit about them to understand that it's better to have small bubbles with a system on the bottom as compared to a fountain type. At least that's what I think I know.
I've often said that fountains are about like race horses and trophy wives. They're nice to look at, expensive to buy and maintain but don't do a lick of work.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
I've seen several folks post that once they introduce BG/CNBG into ponds with established GSF that they will eventually reduce the GSF herd substantially. Have you seen any signs of that yet in your pond?
Farmallsc my wife usually fishes for CC conventionally with a baited hook laying on the bottom (she likes to knit better than she likes to fish, so she can knit while she fishes for CC that way). I rarely do that type of fishing because it is way too boring. I instead fish for BG with a small jig and very tiny bait. I like action.
I catch as many CC fishing for BG as she does fishing for CC. But she gets infinitely more knitting done than I do.
I've seen several folks post that once they introduce BG/CNBG into ponds with established GSF that they will eventually reduce the GSF herd substantially. Have you seen any signs of that yet in your pond?
No Bill, my GSF still way out number by BG. However; I believe that most of the BG I put in, were quickly consumed right along with the 5# of FHM. I could be wrong, but that's my gut feeling.
My pond is real low and I need some rain. We've gotten just enough to keep things from getting real bad.
On a positive note the CC have taken over the pond and act like their the Bull of the Woods. They are getting nice sized too.
Farmallsc my wife usually fishes for CC conventionally with a baited hook laying on the bottom (she likes to knit better than she likes to fish, so she can knit while she fishes for CC that way). I rarely do that type of fishing because it is way too boring. I instead fish for BG with a small jig and very tiny bait. I like action.
I catch as many CC fishing for BG as she does fishing for CC. But she gets infinitely more knitting done than I do.
I'm with you, I like action. The CC seem to jump on the line. I changed the type and the size of bait, went with a small BG hook and I still catch a lot of the CC too.
Oh yeah, as far as the Tilapia go, I never saw or caught one out of the pond. I guess they did their job, but I was sure planning on putting a few in the freezer.
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