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Joined: Oct 2018
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Augie Offline OP
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Made some more progress on the pond dock in between rains this weekend.

Son Clint helped me out and his GF Kat supervised. We applied some lessons learned while building the platform section.
The gangway section was small enough that we were able to assemble the frame on my trailer. We pre-cut the floor
joist boards and screwed it all up on the trailer deck, then hauled it out to the pond.

5/12/19
[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

I used Nanner to haul the floats to the pond bank, then picked up the dock frame, set it down on top of the floats,
squared it up and put the deck boards on.

5/12/19
[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

These sections are ready for hardware and carpet. I'm pondering whether or not I should give the deck boards a good
soaking with boiled linseed oil before I put the carpet down. Daughter's doberman must have some lab in the woodpile.
She has decided that she's a retriever...

5/12/19
[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 04/19/20 09:14 AM. Reason: fixing the pics
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Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent
Lunker
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Lunker
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Sweet! Look well built - ready to withstand many years of fun!


Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau

[Linked Image from i1261.photobucket.com]


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Hmmm Nanner! I have an Urnch to do my hauling. Lol

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Augie Offline OP
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Urnch is the noise my back makes when I try to lift something heavy.

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Augie Offline OP
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After getting sticker shock while shopping around for manufactured dock hardware I decided to build what I needed rather
than buy it already made. I spent $180 on steel and a few hours in my workshop drilling holes, welding and painting.

I had another Lamont moment when I fabbed up the mud pole brackets. I drilled the holes too close to the center of the
mounting plates. Didn't have enough space between the pipe and the fasteners to get a socket on the bolt heads. Had to
run the lags in with an end wrench. Big dummy...

Wife and daughter bought some marsh milkweed at a native plant sale yesterday and stuck those in the dirt on the dam
near the bald cypress tree this afternoon.

Got the corner braces and mud pole brackets bolted to the platform this afternoon.

5/19/19
[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Also got the corner braces and hinge plates bolted to the gangway.

5/19/19
[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

The FHM that were stocked on the 6th are using the dock floats for spawning. They were not happy when I started moving
the dock around so I could work on it.

I noticed a few dead FHM floating this morning. Mostly big males, but I did find a dozen or so smaller ones along with a few
dead shiners. Unless I see a bunch more I'll chalk it up to stocking/spawning stress.

Last edited by Augie; 04/19/20 09:19 AM. Reason: fixing the pics
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Augie Offline OP
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And just like that, my pond is full. Got a toad-strangler yesterday, and another toad-strangler today.
Now if the wind will just lay down for a bit so I can apply some SoilFloc all will be right with the world.

edit: Checked my notes on water level. Gained just shy of 8" elevation in two days.

5/21/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 04/19/20 09:30 AM. Reason: fixing the pics
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Augie Offline OP
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Thousands of toadpoles. The first batch of them left the water yesterday morning.
By evening it was impossible to walk near the water without stepping on them.

5/24/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]


This red-eared slider turtle was not pleased with me interrupting her privacy while she was laying eggs on the pond bank.

5/24/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]


The FHM and GSH are making new ones. There are clouds of minnow fry along the entire pond bank.

5/26/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 04/19/20 09:29 AM. Reason: fixing the pics
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Augie Offline OP
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Got the two dock sections joined yesterday. Still need to install pipe sleeves on the walkway section.
Soon as that's done I'll move it to the deep side and pin it down.


5/30/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]


My home-made hinges worked out pretty good. I screwed a couple 2x4s down to the deck to hold things still so I could
line up the holes for the cross-pins.

5/30/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]


Last edited by Augie; 04/19/20 09:36 AM. Reason: fixing the pics
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That is looking great! The ole "cow pond" is turning out great.


Thanks
Dave
1 acre pond.
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Augie, what are you using for flotation on your dock, Thanks, am thinking about building one myself.


All the really good ideas I've ever had came to me while I was milking a cow.
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Augie Offline OP
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I snagged some used encapsulated polystyrene dock floats on the facebook marketplace back in the spring.
Got five 4x8x1 and one 3x4x1 for $200. They were a bit beat up from spending a number of years on the Osage,
but they're plenty good for my little puddle.

I like the 1' thick floats because they keep the top of the dock close to the water.

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Quite an accomplishment


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
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Looks great- lots of hard work to get that done

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Augie Offline OP
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The fishery outfit my local guy works with has been too far behind to get to my piddly order, so I took matters into my
own hands today. Called NEMO to see if they had any RES. "Yes, we do have RES. How many would you like?" So I jumped
in the truck, drove up there, and brought home a sack of them. I expect the fuel I burned getting there and back cost
more than the fish, but that's OK.

They're in the pond now. I'm going to attempt to feed train them while they're in the cage. The hatchery called them
1.5"-3". If I can't get them to take minced shrimp or catfish bellies or something of that sort I'll just turn em loose.
There's 10 million minnow fry and almost that many itty bitty snails in there that they can munch on.

The cage is 2' tall, so I staked it down in about 3' of water on a gravel patch for now. That should keep Mr. Kingfisher out
of them. Soon as I get the last section of walkway done and have the dock pinned down I'll move them over there into
a little bit deeper water.

6/24/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 04/20/20 11:39 AM. Reason: fixing the pics
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Augie Offline OP
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One of the pallets I put in for FHM spawning broke loose from the stack, but that's not what's interesting about this pic.
There's a patch of arrowhead coming up on the dam. Thank you, Mother Nature.

6/30/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Not a great pic, but a few of the RES that I have caged have already figured out that when the dock shakes it's time for
lunch. There are half a dozen of them that come begging as soon as I open the cage. I mixed a small amount of the
Optimal with some minced up bluegill/nightcrawler. They will fight over a piece of meat, but so far they pretty much
spit the pellets, at least the ones that come to the top are doing that. I can't see all the way to the bottom so I don't
really know what the others are doing. The fish that come up are quite bold. I think I'll have them eating out of my
hand before too long.

6/30/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]


I snagged a used pool ladder for $50 last weekend. It's much easier for this old fat man to get out of the water now.

6/30/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 04/20/20 12:05 PM. Reason: fixing the pics
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I think you will like the arrowhead, I know I do. My ponds first year proved to have an Arrowhead explosion, but I think the crawdad explosion to follow cut the arrowheads back quite a bit. They tend to chew at the stems towards the end of the growing season, cutting them loose to float around the pond.

Nice score on the ladder. I need one! I don't swim in my pond, but what if I accidentally did...a ladder would be nice.


Fish on!,
Noel
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Augie Offline OP
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There was a lot of arrowhead in the pond before I cleaned it out.

I like it a lot. It's quite attractive, especially when it's blooming.

We set out four of the broad-leaf arrowhead that daughter bought at a native plant sale last month.
The ones that are coming volunteer are a slender-leafed variety.

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Augie Offline OP
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Rained all day here so I welded up the corner braces for the last section of dock walkway. Floats are supposed to arrive tomorrow on the Santa truck.

7/4/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 04/20/20 12:08 PM. Reason: fixing the pics
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Augie Offline OP
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I made a bit of progress on the pond dock over the weekend. Got the last section of walkway framed and hauled out
to the pond bank. Once this piece is in place I'll be able to pin the other section down and get on to the next thing.

7/14/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]


The Cardinal Flower that Daughter planted earlier in the summer has started to bloom for the first time.

7/15/19

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 04/20/20 12:14 PM. Reason: fixing the pics
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I just went back and reread this post. It gives me inspiration to get back 2 digging on mine. So for that alone I think you. My wife on the other hand might not lol. It took alot of time just write all that I'm sure. I wish there were more stories on here like this one. Alot of your pictures are gone. Dang it It does help it being visual also.


The people who say I can't do it can just sit the @^#% down and watch me. Friends call me Rusto I also subscribe to pond boss mag. http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=504716#Post504716
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Augie Offline OP
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Originally Posted By: RStringer
Alot of your pictures are gone. Dang it It does help it being visual also.


Yes, tinypic shut down in August. I found a new image hosting site and have gotten started uploading my pics there and editing the post to point at the new image location. I haven't had a ton of free time to fiddle with that, but I will get them all back working eventually.

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Augie Offline OP
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I'm going to use this post to keep notes on YP spawn.

Fingerlings and brooders were stocked fall 2019.


2/22/20 Ice out
2/26/20 ST 41.7°F
2/27/20 ST 43.5°F
2/29/20 ST 44.1°F
3/3/20 ST 48.2°F Magic number achieved. Time to drag the pond hopper boat out and start checking for ribbons.
3/4/20 ST 50.0°F
3/5/20 ST 50.0°F Cool day, 30-40mph winds all day.
3/11/20 ST 51.8°F Water still quite stained from rainfall runoff. Haven't spotted any ribbons.

Random observation:
I have some Optimal Starter #3 left over from last summer. Started hand-tossing half a cup or so on 2/28/20. First few times I could see the minnows taking pellets, but no good swirls that would indicate a larger fish. This afternoon (3/2/20) a few minutes after the minnows started to feed they were running for their lives - jumping out of the water, skipping across the surface, etc. The water is too murky from the recent rainfall runoff to tell what was marauding them. It's not likely to have been the RES, so it seems safe to assume the Snipe strain YP came through the winter in good shape.

3/12/20 Was making my lap hand-tossing feed and looking for ribbons and noticed a pair of hand-size RES lurking in a cedar tree. They snuck out real slow and hoovered some pellets. They cruised around for a few minutes then slowly disappeared back into the cedar tree. Both of them looked to be in good condition.

3/31 Repeated heavy rains throughout March kept the water stained. Wasn't able to see any ribbons in the brush that's visible from the bank. There's a lot of brush that can't be seen from the shore, and the muddy ground kept me from getting the pond hopper boat from its parking spot so I wasn't able to check all of the spots that could have been used for spawning. I've been using a torpedo trap off the dock to catch FHM for crappie bait for the past couple weeks. When I pulled the trap today there were half a dozen sunfish fry in the trap. Can't tell if they're BG (hope not) or RES, so I tossed them in the minnow cage to let them size up so I can get an ID on them. Noticed later in the day several schools of sunfish fry hanging in shallow water near the bank. Needless to say I'm eager to get an ID on them. I have a feeling that I'm going to be dealing with a BG problem. As far as the YP go, I'll have to do some trapping later in the year to find out if they pulled off a spawn.

4/14/20 Found this one floating in a tangle of cedar branches. On the bright side, the RES I put in last summer as 1.5"-3" fingerlings are now the size of my hand, and back to their Pac Man behavior at pellet time. Over the past week I've seen as many as 20 of them at a time hanging just under the water's surface soaking up the sunshine.

[Linked Image from i1174.photobucket.com]

Never did see any ribbons, but there had to have been at least one. I trapped a dozen-ish yoy YP in late August/early September.

[Linked Image from hosting.photobucket.com]

Last edited by Augie; 11/06/20 10:20 AM. Reason: added pic and commentary
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Augie Offline OP
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Yes, I'm talking to myself again...

All of the pics on the OP should be visible now. Had to upload them to my photobucket, and then replace all of the links that pointed at the old tinypic hosting service.
Very tedious and annoying project, but it needed to be done.

Still need to do that for pics that were added later, but I've had all of it I can stand for now.

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Augie, is that a hole in the mid section of that perch?

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Augie Offline OP
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Yep, it's a bit mossed over, but it's definitely a wound. Pretty sure the heron got her.

Mrs. Augie has made it abundantly clear that there will be no murdering of the herons, so I'm limited to throwing rocks and cursing as deterrents.

Before the cold snap chased all of the fish back into the deep earlier this week I'd been seeing several large schools of 1/2"-3/4" sized fry swimming around.
I'm hoping those are perch. I'll start trapping for them in mid June.
I've seen a lot of what I think are YP taking pellets when I feed. They hang near the bottom and streak through like little turbo subs. Estimate them 5"-7" size,
and the behavior isn't anything like what the shiners do when they feed, so I think there is hope.

The RES that I stocked the last week of June definitely pulled off a spawn. I've been catching a few 3/4"-1" size in the torpedo trap.
Probably have 15-20 of them incarcerated now. I've been tossing them into the 2'x6' cage and feeding them smashed up Optimal starter.

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