Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Bluegill down the drain

Today the water got up to the drain and I lost close to (just a guess) 1000 baby bluegills out the other side. I am certain they were this years hatch since all were about an inch.

In the spring I stocked the pond with 250 3 inch CNBG. Could the ones that slipped through the pipe have been the offspring of the three inchers? Or are they from the mature gills I cought from lakes and added. I probably put about 30 5 inchers and a few 4 inchers in from area lakes.

Is baby fish going through the pipe a common thing? Is there a way to prevent this from happening next time.

I hope I havent lost most of this years hatch from them going down the drain (or have I). I tried to save as many as I could.

Donnie

Donnie, they could have been from either bunch of BG. They can spawn at 3.5 to 4 inches. Don't worry about losing all of this this years hatch. Most will try to go upstream and 1,000 is really only a drop in the bucket for a BG.

I need to build a screen in front of my drain to keep debris out of the pipe. So I was thinking of putting 4 or 5 metal posts in an arc about 3 feet from the intake side. That way the pipe would not become clogged and the posts should catch anything, while water could still flow into the pipe. Has anyone incorporated a wire screen to anything like this to keep fish from getting sucked in? I was thinking of about a 3 foot screen around the botom of the posts. I know BG spawn heavy but I would hate to loose my bass since my goal is 3-5lb LMB.

DONJOVI, FROM WHAT YOU DESCRIBED IT SOUNDS LIKEEEXACTLY WHAT I DID FOR MINE. I HAVE AN 8 INCH OUTLET IN THE SPRING OR ONCE IN AWHILE WHEN IT RAINS VERY HEAVY. I JUST DID IT THIS SUMMER SO I CANT SAY HOW WELL IT WORKS. I WAS SHORT ON THE FENCING ABOUT 2FT ON EACH SIDE. THINKING I SHOULD ADD SOME FENCE BEFORE WINTER. HEREIS A LINK TO A POST THAT SHOWS A PICTURE WHICH IS WHERE I GOT THE IDEA FROM . WEEMS LIKE THE BEST SOLUTION AS IT SHOULD NOT CLOG UP.
http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000126;p=1#000005

PLEASE EXCUSE ALL THE TYPO'S. I AM AT WORK AND TRYING TO DO THREE THINGS AT ONCE.

Dude no problemo. Thanks for the link

Damone found the link I was looking for, showing my drain fence.

DO NOT take a chance on blocking all the water from your overflow if clogging occurs. No volume of lost fish is worth having a dam wash out.

Yeah I am not taking the chance of it clogging up. I am thinking of putting the fence up about 2 foot off the bottom to hopefully eliminate that from happening. That way water could still flow over top, I should have few feet to facilitate that. If I cut my chances by %50 then I will I will be happy. I travel ALOT so I would hate to be away from home and have a gully washer come along. I only have about 2 feet above my 8 inch pipe for a buffer, then the driveway is gone.

All the math I have done said that an 8 inch pipe would carry all the water from 3 acres of runoff from a one acre pond. I may wait untill spring to see if will carry a big rain when the water is pipe level. Then I will upgrade to a larger pipe. Is 8 enough? Should I go bigger? Right now the pond has always been low when we got BIG rain. Once it got to the bottom of the pipe the rain slowed but carried the water.

Donnie

I can tell you that my 8" pipe has been sufficient drain for my 1 acre pond for 5 years now. 10 acres of watershed, grass fields and pastures. 40 inches of rainfall per year.

Theo thats the best news I have heard in along time. I always had doubts about my pipe.

Donnie

Having a grate over the drop box is not good, I had one until two years ago it clogged during a 7 inch rain event and water went over the dam. My house is down below. Luckily it was at crest and subsided before it did much damage. I should also think the dozer guy because the dam was so level the water cascaded over about 200 ft of the dam instead of one low area I think this helped too. I have sense built a trash rack that has 1/4 inch screen around a steel cage. The cage is wider than the drop box and extends below the surface so as to be a bottom withdrawal when the screen gets covered with trash. Here is a picture of it.

Guys,

That's what emergency overflows are for aren't they? I actually prefer an emergency overflow for my main overflow as it is fool proof IMHO. No seeping around a pipe etc. etc.

DonJovi,

Are you sure CNBG's will survive in Kentucky? I didn't think they would as I was told by a fish farmer in Arkansas, when they get a cold winter, they lose them. And that's farther south than Kentucky. Not trying to be a downer but maybe I'm wrong?

Emergency overflows are not full proof at least this pond's isn't it has a 50 ft wide 3 ft deep emergency spillway around the end, apparently it ain't big enough. I'm working to remedy that cutting another around the other end and raising the dam.

The literature I have seen says you need two. Mine does not plug up, erode, nor does it seep. To me that's foolproof as long as it can take as much rain as mother nature can give me. Mine also flows continuously when I'm running ground water into my trout pond.

Well the dam is my driveway so I didn't make an emergency spill way, to avoid water washing out my drive way. I was hoping the carring capicty of the pipe would give me some breathing room. But due the dam/driveway compacting from trafic it's lower in a few places than I like.

Cecil,
As for the CNBG, I bought those from a fish farmer here in KY so I assume it's going to be ok. I was unware that CNBG would have problems in KY, otherwise I wouldn't have bought them. But you make a good point because I don't recall catching any from local lakes. Just RESF, shell crackers, and regular bluegill. What are the tolerances of the CNBG? Are they a warm water BG?