I hope 10 pounds of hydrated lime in that puddle was enough to ensure a kill. There were a lot of BG under 2-3" still in there that I didn't net out. I just threw the powder all over the top, and then stirred it with a landscape rake. There was only 200-300 gallons left, and it was super clear after a couple of hours.
Anyway, I put the five Koi in my renovated pond. I don't think they will reproduce because of the LMB.
With the recent switch to near freezing nights the water temp has dropped to 58 degrees and the BG have basically stopped feeding so I've turned off the aeration until Spring. I will leave the fountain running in order to keep a hole in the ice when it forms.
Who knows, maybe we'll see another ice volcano if the predictions for a cold Winter hold up.
Fished seriously for about 2 1/2 hours with a friend. Took out 13 LMB in 8 to 13 inch range, released 5 others that were too big to keep. Just like the electroshock survey showed, LMB below 14 inches tend to be somewhat skinny, while starting around 15 inches they are very heavy for their length.
Also caught a 13 inch HSB and several CNBG. One of them was probably the second heaviest I've ever caught, around 9.5 inches and extremely thick. Progress!
Forage pond only a quarter full, but that will change after heavy rains tomorrow. Need to stock it with CNBG and get feeding. Maybe investigate PK shrimp too.
I cut and split cook stove wood for my MIL so all I got done at the pond was feed fish.
But an odd thing happened. My CC have been pretty much AWOL the last few weeks since the water cooled down. Might see one once in a while but nothing like this summer. Ok, just the season I reasoned.
But today I think I must have seen every CC in the pond because CC were everywhere feeding all around the pond. It warmed up the last few days and a cold front was scheduled to come through tonight with rain and I guess the fish watched the forecast. Cause not only the CC were out to feed, the BG were tearing it up like they were a month ago.
Everything was so hungry I went back later with another half feeding.
I've not ran my aerator the last two days and with the warm spell, my fish fed better yesterday than they have in a long time as well. Supposed to rain here this afternoon.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
I noticed my aerator seems to run a little more loudly lately and the boil seems to be not as good as before. I have done the necessary cleaning and I store it inside in the winter, I don't run much in spring and fall and mostly nights (12 hrs or less) once weather is hot during the day.
I contacted Vertex where I bought it to see what could be up. They said check PSI, they recommend 4PSI on my single cylinder 1/4hp compressor. I had 4PSI.
They then looked up when I bought it (May 2013) and then the helpful technician told me this:
"Now with the system being that old and the fact that you let it sit during the winter and off at night. The Piston cup being Teflon coated and the sleeve being aluminum; after running and getting hot then cooling and sitting. The cup tends to stick to the sleeve and it takes a tiny piece each time it starts up. Over time it wears down and sticks to the sleeve. And the piston head starts to rub against the sleeve and that would create a louder sound and less air (blowby). The new replacement maintenance kits and replacement compressor are now coming with Teflon coated cups and sleeves to stop that sticking. That does sound like that is going to be the issue at hand."
He is quoting an upgrade kit for me and will give me instructions on how to do this myself. I also noted the rubber boot on my big capacitor is shredding/tearing and coming off. I should get one of those too.
I should have 'low hours' compared to those who run their compressors 24/7. Should I just plan to do the rebuild every 5 years?
Since it still gives 4PSI and some boil I may or may not tear into it this winter unless others tell me that I should. I may just see how much louder it gets?
Anyone do this and note a big change in boil performance or reduction in compressor noise?
This didn't happen today. But, nevertheless thought it was too good not to share.
About two weeks ago I was on my dock looking at my strip pit feeding the fish when I seen a snake about a foot and a half long swimming across the pit. As I was watching it almost get to shore on the other side, a LMB jumps out of the water and eats the snake. Definitely the coolest thing I've ever seen while at my pond.
I've been waiting for that to happen in my pond but never seen it.
We do have every year a new batch of diamond back water snake babies though and I have noticed I rarely ever see any of the small ones in the main pond where the LMB are. I had three of them watching them grow up in my forage pond.
One big adult likes to lay half way out the overflow pipe from my sediment pond to the main pond. It lays in there when the water is overflowing and catches 2" fish as they either come down the pipe or swim up it from the main pond trying to get into the sediment pond. I just could not resist one day and reached down and touched its tail. I never saw a snake shoot out the other end of a pipe so fast in my life. Probably not a recommended procedure.
My wife graciously chose to go with me today, and I really appreciated her help with the net. Biggest HSB I've ever caught by far, around 5 pounds! What a fighter, so glad I didn't hook them during summer when water temps were 20 degrees higher.
LMB still coming to feeders, but CNBG have vanished. Water is flowing over the standpipe for the first time since May.
Frank, I have a few HSB like u describe in the pond. A couple of them have a fly from fly fishing and a beetle spin with them from their fight where they won.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
That's cool that the snake is smart enough to know to sit there and get fed. I'm glad the snake didn't reach around and bite you! The snake that I seen get eaten was either a ribbon snake or garter snake. They're real skinny so it was probably an easy meal.
Caught about a dozen GSF along with a few I had in the holding pen and filleted them. Not very big fillets but we ate some and they were tasty tonight. BG are pretty slow to bite although I did catch one really nice one last night. But the GSF were biting pretty good. Gave me a chance to clean a few of them out before winter to reduce some biomass in the pond.
Also threw the cast net a number of times in my forage pond and moved twenty or so 3-5" RES out of it and into the main pond. I keep trying to get the RES numbers up in my main pond to up the catch rate.
When I catch small fish BG etc..I'll fillet them and get a pot of rolling boil water and drop them in one at a time till their white. I'll take them out and chill them in the fridge. Then mix up some cocktail sauce ketchup horseradish...and eat it like shrimp...we call it Poor Mans Shrimp
Yesterday afternoon I sprayed some flex seal around the view plate on one of the TH Feeders in an attempt to stop a leak during heavy rain events. Also worked on clearing out a food jam on a second TH feeder. And then hand feed the HSB and LMB Aquamax lmb. The BG, Hsb an Lmb all feed well and aggressive even after a 10 degree water temp drop this week due to rain along with the cold front. This put water temps at 60 degrees at surface to 4'.
Last edited by TGW1; 11/10/1810:19 AM.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
60 degree waters temps sound great, the low overnight here was 8 degrees and I suspect my pond froze over last night. I will go check once it warms up a bit this afternoon but it has only warmed up to 22 now.
Fish were on full feed here Friday, then it turned cold. Gave them about 1/3 feed yesterday with moderate activity figuring they would go without today since it got down in lower 20's last night.
Drove around pond today but didn't bother to take any feed with me. Not a single one came to greet me.
May feed a little lightly next week when it warms back up if they are hungry again.
Stocked 1,000 PK shrimp today, they made it to the pond just fine. Also observed surface feeding activity & splashes, either LMB or HSB, not related to shrimp.