Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations 2007 Pond Goals

Just curious what eveyone would like to see accomplished with their ponds in coming year, here are mine.

1. eliminate the remainig cattails in the shallow end of the pond.

2. get effective weed control on both the milfoil and coontail.

3. selectively thin both BG and LMB from the pond.

4. maybe build a small growout pond for SMB and RES

1. Let it fill up!!

2. Stock with fish.

3. Get grass growing nice and thick.

4. Build concrete spillway.

Eddie

Finish Draining (should take about an hour with a pump)

Clean out existing fish population (probably 1 bass and 2 catfish at this point, but could be some crappie hiding still)

Fill'er up!

Restock

1. Catch a 1 kg bluegill
2. Keep my yellow perch from dying in the heat, and the redears from dying in the cold.
3. Avoid a fish kill once again.
4. Drain, seal and renovate Coulee Pond (.2 acre)
5. Create a 300 gallons growout tank.
6. Did I say "catch a 1 kg bluegill"?
7. Establish a viable pheasant population in my CRP ground.
8. Catch one of Shorty's soon-to-be 14 inch smallies.

1. Get floating logs out of the pond.
2. Plant grass
3. Go fishing
4. When finished start one of my other 300 projects

Make more money to support my pond habit.

#1:

1. Build a small (6'x8') weatherproof shed to house circuit breaker panel, air compressor, refrigerator, fishing poles, etc.

2. Run 50A 220VAC to the shed.

3. Return feed trained RES in excess of 9" length from Winter PBR project.

4. Feed, feed, feed - BG, HSB, LMB, and CC.

5. Continue large CC reduction.

6. Catch 50% - 100% more eating sized BG than in 2006. Eat same.

7. Bury airline pipe from shed to windmill for future aeration distribution to both ponds (? in 2007).


#2:

1. Get it's location cleared and get it dug.

2. Install bottom SMB (fingers crossed) spawning structure (gravel, big rocks, maybe some tires) before it fills.

3. Stock initial startup forage (FHM & Gambusia).

4. Bury pipe airline from existing pond. Will initially split windmill output between both ponds; will eventually run aerator compressor output through same line.


Overall:

1. Continue gravity-assisted stretching exercises until my arms are as long as Bruce's.

*Watch and see if everything works

*Wait for pond to fill

*Fix everything that doesn't work

*Wait for Spring

*Stock pond

*Wait

*Wait

*Wait

*Go fishing

1. I would like to boost my forage base.
2. Finish my areator system and get it going.
3. Start a fertilizer program.
4. Get the crimson clover growing.
5. Restock a bunch of Albino CC.
6. Restock a few more HSB and mosquito fish

* fill it up!

* stock LMB & more fatheads

* Finish building dock

* Dump load of dirt near spillway to build up a low spot

* Finish establishing grass all around pond

1. Hoping to get power. Electric Co.'s Engineer coming out on Jan 9th to check it out.

2. Couple hundred pounds of grass seed to plant when the weather breaks. :-)

3. Small dock to build

4. aeration system (I hope)

I could probably go on and on but I look forward to it all. Can't wait to get started again.

No. 1

Remove fish until balanced
Add some xmas trees to structure piles
Lime
Clean swimming area
Clear brush off dam
Catch Bruce's 1 kg BG or RES & post pic :p
Enter 1 kg BG or RES in CB1's pond trophy site
Set net & feeder out and start growout of CNBG

No. 2

Add xmas trees to brush piles
Lime
Remove fish to balance
Set net & feeder out and start growout of CNBG
Keep weeds under control
Catch 12 lb LMB to add to CB1's trophy web site
Possibly add HSB and TShad
Finish water profile

No. 3

Fix siphon - beaver
drain
kill
Lime
Deepen shallow areas
Push dead trees from prior enlargement into lake
Fix dam
Start forage

Good topic Shorty

There are always a lot of things I want to accomplish, but this year, being a full time pond meister, my list is longer and perhaps more personally challenging than it has been in the past:

1) Continue on the journey toward a self-sufficient, world class fishery accessible out my back door

a.Establish the capability to overwinter Tilapia and other fish that are integral to that self-sufficiency and performance fishing…this is a key element for me this year.

b.Experiment with a total aquaculture system which uses the fish overwintering system to supply nutrients to grow plants for human consumption and/or transfer to the gardens for finish growing.

c.Conduct experiments which directly enable the objective and which expand my knowledge base including experiments with Rainbow Trout, Pacu, Tilapia, TGG’s, and other species.

d.Sample the results along the way which should include a LMB 10+ pounds, CNBG 13 inches, and TGG’s of whatever size they can attain in their second year of growth.

e.Eat a lot of high quality, healthy meals from the ponds (HSB the chief contributor) and gardens.

f.Bring 2 new performance ponds online to support the objective.

2) Involve others, especially kids, in the enjoyment of fly fishing these wonderful ponds

a.Work with the local junior college and fly fishing club to offer a class on fly fishing, fly tying and pond management. Hopefully this will include guest speakers from around the local area who are working professionals.

b.Involve as many family/friends as possible/practical in the enjoyment of East Texas rainbow trout fishing (before it expires next April)

3) Continue with the education of my grandchildren, grandnieces and nephews, and family on the ways to appreciate and contribute to a healthy, vibrant environment on Meadowlark Ranch.

1. Get pond muck/sediment cleaned out (drained 9 months ago)
2. Rebuild spillway
3. Repair dam (erosion, beaver/muskrat damage)
3. Reshape perimeter
4. Build structure with 30-gallon drums
5. Build PVC tree structure
6. Add rock piles (rock, broken concrete block)
7. Build dock (maybe)
8. Watch it fill up (quickly I hope!!)

I can't wait to get this project completed. I'm tired of looked at a dry pond.

How is everyone doing on there 2007 goals???

Next week I am going to pick up a few more HSB and the mosquito fish.

I was wondering how many might be enough to start them off? There not cheap at 20 cents a pop. I have about a 3/4 A pond. Good bank weeds for them. I am hopeing they sustain themselves so how many should I get. Thanks.

I assume it's the gambusia that are 20 cents a pop? That does seem a little steep.

You might try the Anderson Minnow Farm as an alternative source, at http://www.andersonminnows.com

I'm all for supporting local fish farms, and my wife will attest that I do so to a fault, but there are definitely limits.

Hey Joey,

I've been adding Gambusia as I can catch them from a gulley adjoining my property. That's just about the only wild-caught fish that I would feel safe adding to my pond. I have added 330, and when the water is quiet, I can see a few around the banks. I throw them a little dry catfood, because the pond is practically sterile clay at the moment. I would like to have 1000, but will feel pretty good about 500-600. If we get warm weather soon, 500 should parlay into 3000 or so before my bream are big enough to start puting heavy pressure on them. I'm hoping to find and net around 1000 ghost shrimp to augment the gambusia.

am i the only one who doesnt automatically know what a kilogram REALLY means? mr. condello...you did it on purpose.....for my own information and for any others as dumb as me and who dared not ask......that would be about 2.2 pounds......cant wait to see the pic bruce


i missed this thread......by all means i'll jump in too, and great topic shorty.....need a place to organize thoughts and its fun to do so here and see everybody else's.

my list is not long but might get pricey....

1. get BG, RES, and additional gams stocked before warm weather

2. conduct more work on backside of spillway to shore up undercuts

3. clean out sediment basin w/ large 4x4 extendahoe when water level comes down late this summer

4. drill a well

5. hook up well off the grid and run 24/7 through dry season (this probably wont happen til next year)

joey and bobad, a somewhat local fish farm here sells about 1,000 gams for $50, gosh more math....which is 20c a piece. the good thing at least here is that if you have some grassy shallows as ML told me in another thread, you should never have to stock again.

Dave, at that quote there .05 cents a piece which is what I tought they should be for a tiny minow but the place near me wants 20 cents if I got 1000 of them it would be 200 hunderd bucks for minows.. sounds like a lot to me.

okay okay....i should have known not to do math in my head.. duh... ...and yeah that is alot....but you probably dont need a 1000 to get a good population going, you need warm grassy sheltered areas from spring through fall and you'll have millions.

I was thinking throw 50 bucks at the guy and say give me as many as 50 bucks buys me. Then let most go into the pond and keep back some that look preggo in a tank and try to breed some more. The pond has real good cover on the banks for them so it would be nice to get a minow type fish going in there, because those fathead are useless at sustaining themselves I must have put 10 pounds over the last year and there isnt one left. Snacks...

1. Hustle up some frog strangling, monsoon style, rains.

2. See #1.

I keep hearing vague references to the El Nino we are enjoying. I know some of you have gotten the rains you need and sometimes much more. However, a 70 mile trip from my home to the land reveals dry and/or really low water holes everywhere along the route. A few are full. If we get the rains we need, I'll figure out what to do with muddy water. Bring it on.

Joey-

If you try a tank, make sure you have TONS of cover for the young-they're highly canibalistic.

Another option is to use a 20 gallon fish tank, and put the highly pregnant ones in a special breeding box, that has a slanted bottom with a slot in it for the newborns to fall thru-your yield will be much higher, and the babies can go into another tank while they grow to inedible size.

Thanks yoke, I am going to buy a 20 L and set it up just like you said, also one of the fish hateries told me to put in the easter grass, the type you put in the baskets, the young go right into it. Hopefully there will be some pregnant ones in the mix, its a little early for them to breed so will see next week.

I only have three main pond goals for 2007:

1. Get some BG and RES stocked.

2. Get my Elodea under control.

3. Trim some more brush around the pond.

Since I haven't even seen my pond in 2007 yet the to do list isn't getting any smaller.

On a plus note though my wife got me an Aqua View camera & recorder for a Christmas present so I'll be posting some fish videos in 2007. You guys will get to see Green Sunnies in all their splendor.