Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction What did you do at your pond today?

My back lawn, St Augustine grass, is history. So are the neighbors. I’m thinking heat but not sure. Our temps have been brutal. But, my front lawn looks good. Neighbors in same shape. BTW, been running my sprinkler system during this stuff.

No idea on anything but $$$.

My yard is Bermuda and I just let it go during this heat.

Spent a good part of the weekend cleaning up brush and rebuilding the line fence on the west
side of my pond dam. With this task out of the way I'll be able to complete the finish grade on
the dam and move the pump house to its permanent location come spring.

Spent the weekend at the farm with the kids and grand kids, did some fishing, swimming, and cleanup, and a big dinner cooked over the campfire, along with smores and more later by the bonfire.
Hope this picture comes thru ok, it is a panoramic view which will probably not do justice to it on this host website.

I think the panoramic view gets your 15-acre lake up to at least 20-25 acres!

I improved my setup in the pump house on Saturday. Used some scrap lumber to build a plenum chamber for the pump intake.
12"x12"x1" pleated filter should be a bit better than the dinky foam filter that came with the pump.
Also added light fixtures on the inside and outside of the building, and installed a pressure gauge on the output side of the pump.

Augie, what is the chicken wire for??

The building started its life as a coondominium for my little buddy Rocket.
After she decided to go live somewhere else I boxed it in and turned it into a pump house/storage shed.

I see, thanks!

Was mowing around the pond and spotted a very dead YP in the shallows. When I got closer I saw a pretty impressive (but sad) sight..

I’ve seen that but it was a bass trying to eat a catfish that was the same size as the bass.

Looks like you need a bunch of Golden Shiners in there!

Yes esshup, it is time to re-evaluate my populations. Clearly I have very few YP left from activity at feeding time and from what we catch when we go fishing.

Last weekend the kids caught a very large and very old female YP and there are not many like that left. It was actually encouraging to see the smaller YP in the above picture as I don't have a way to sample that size class. I don't see them as much at feeding time and we don't catch YP in that size class.

Fellow member Ron C will help me restock YP and maybe add some SMB but have to also re-evaluate the forage.

While kids were fishing they caught 3 huge GSH (fat and 6-7" long) They also are my original stockers but we have no small GSH anymore.

My SFS spawning this year was not as effective. Usually we have 3 times over the summer where there are clouds of minnows. I only spotted two possible crops of progeny and the last one was not that successful. I may have too many large GSH for even the SFS. I also still struggle to place structure that they use. They tend to find their own structure rather than use my stacks of CDs on a pole.

I'm concerned that there may not be enough minnow for both the stocker YP and SMB so I may have to add YP only of the larger size class and then work harder to remove the remaining large GSH and add more spawning structure next spring for SFS.

CC, you may want to call Andersons Fish Farm and get on the list for the GSH frye; you can always decline to order when they call you in the spring.

From my experience, GSH will get established this way even with predators in the pond.

I'm not so sure what option is best. When I stocked the pond I went the way of going heavy on GSH. I had millions and they ate all my young YP fry. I was kind of glad when they thinned out and when the adults seemed to stop making more GSH babies. I figured if the GSH adults eventually died off then I could have a GSH-free pond which was kind the way I wanted to go after learning how a pond full of GSH can upset the balance of other fish reproduction.

Then I thought I either get a forage pond, raise FHM and resupply the pond from time to time, or what my current effort is, continue to support my alternate shiners (SFS) with better spawning conditions and hope they can keep up with the predation of the YP. As my YP population also declined I felt like I was getting close to the point where the SFS might catch up nicely and then really get some solid numbers going. It feels like GSH are able to disrupt the balance more so than other forage. Certainly the FHM would not disrupt the growth of larger fish species by consuming fry. They might be the only safe minnow/forage option.

I think the other factor that tipped me back towards being forage-poor was the bonus few walleye I put in 2 years ago. I never see them but I think they are putting a hurt on the minnows and the smaller YP too. Still trying to trick them into biting on a hook and line although I can't be sure of their numbers. I'm guessing the size class of the small YP in the picture above is the only size class I have (and larger than that size) due to gape size limits on the bonus WE.

It is always a guessing game!

To really make a wise choice you need to have good info on what is there and how many and their respective condition. I am confused on just what the status is based on the above posts, so making suggestions is tough.

Its OK, I enjoy the uncertainty and watching the puzzle unfold. Not really asking for others to solve but love the feedback.

I just thought it interesting the error in judgment the big perch made in choosing her choice for lunch

I would totally agree that drawing down my little puddle, seining, removing all predators and any leftover GSH, plus the 10 or so left over 10" goldfish, then putting only the SFS back sounds really good. (bonus YP fish fry would also come out of that plan)

Then I could start with a fresh slate again.

I would let the minnows grow and multiply, add the FHM, then next year consider adding a few adult YP and SMB.

Yesterday I took the boats out for the last time, doing minor on-water maintenance and shoreline inspection, and then put them in the barn for the Winter.

You never took me for a boat ride when I was there...

CC, I agree on the variable nature of outcomes with GSH.

You never took me on a boat ride either. The emotional scar is unrepairable.

CC, do some serious thought to the cover and placement of that cover for both summer and winter that is in the pond to protect the young baitfish of whatever species you are stocking. It doesn't matter how many you put in if there is no cover for them to hide in.

I've stocked 4K BG 2"-4" in a bathub pond in October and none were left by the spring - the LMB ate them all. OR at least enough that none were seen.

You two ought to exchange phone numbers and co-commiserate.

After I left his place and got home, he let me know that he'd sighted me the entire ride down his driveway to the house.

Real endearing.

I didn’t go to his house. I knew he wouldn’t take me for a boat ride.