Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations My Big Project...

I think 32 inches. 15 pounds for sure. Caught it on a fly rod with a pellet imitation. One of the funnest things I've ever done. That photo was from the second time that I caught her.

Bragger! You know I'm just jealous you old pirate.

I caught a 35 inch HSB yesterday evening...just over 24lbs.

Oh yeah, and then I woke up...

I've continued to research and I'm really geeked-up on this HSB pond idea.

I already put some structure in pond #1 for my original plan (general bass and bluegill with some cages to grow out). You guys think I should pull this structure out and go with none or just leave it in? (it is mostly PVC trees and a few natural brush piles - cedar & hardwoods).

I'm planning to aerate the HSB pond and stock it heavy. I'm leaning towards threadfins and BG as supplemental forage (just the idea to give em a little au' natural - the plan will be pellets as their primary forage).

Anyone try the new Aquamax LMB pellets for HSB - I'd expect them to work pretty well.

I love HSB and BG together. The feedings are really fun to watch. The HSB blow up on the pellets at first, then the BG clean up what drifts towards the bank... It's easy to set up a "no waste" situation, with lots of good healthy fish.

Haven't used the new pellets yet. I'm waiting for someone else to do it.

I'm not sure in a pond that size if the HSB will use the threadfins. Smaller water bodies don't really play into the HSB strengths as far as chasing down prey. If you have threadfins you'd want few or no hiding places for them.

Jeff, I plan on getting some AquaMax Largemouth within a week and I will let you know how the HSB feed on them. Personally, I am not worried about them at all. I think Cecil said that AQMax LM is about 18mm in diameter. There will be a learning curve, but they will take them I believe.

BTW Bruce, I plan on bringing about 5-10 lbs. of AquaMax LM up to your place and leaving it with you so you play with it if you are interested. I am wondering if some of your larger BG's can handle it.

It might make a nice little horse durvy for them .

Jeff F. I hope you don't mind me using your stocking schedule to show my wife that other people like to stock fish and that I'm really a normal person that just likes to stock fish once a week. I'm geeked out too! There is nothing in your pond that will jerk your chain as hard as a hsb. The new aquamax largemouth is great for the hsb. I've been hand feeding it to them for about two months. Nedoc there is no learning curve. They take it right away. The only drawbacks for me have been price and I don't have a feeder that can handle it.

Jeff a thought for you. Other comments welcome.

TShad come in loads of 7-10 thousand fish. Buy one load and split them up in several ponds. In the HSB pond put about 2000 pre-spawn (March). Add only a few male BG about 300.

However start with FH - about 15 lbs of adults - as soon as you have water. Then next add the TShad. Keep some shoreline cover (pallets or board planks or coke cases)for the FH to spawn. Limited to about 4 locations around the pond (not spread out all along the bank) Then add the male BG and the HSB.

Take the rest of the cover out except the one described below for seasonal shade.

Based on the HSB studies a good idea for ponds would be to add a thermal refuge or 2 in deeper water with good O2 in the area. Do this by having 4 posts in the pond in the shape of a rectangle the size where you can attach 1 or more cheap plastic tarps tied at the corners to the posts They come in blue and silver and the silver ones reflect more light away from the water . They come in different sizes up to about 18 X 24 feet and are cheap. Put the tarp about 12-18in under the water to form a shaded area. Put it in during the summer and take it out in the fall. Have aeration in the area but not under the tarp. The shaded area will be cooler and that water will hold more O2.

You could grow some nice sized and healty HSB and BG.

I have put in 3600 ft of 6 inch pipe in the past 2 days...the only contractors I know of could not do the work for 60-90 days and I gotta have water in the ponds by Oct for stocking so I had to hire some hands and guilt trip a few friends to pull a team together...but we almost have it beaten.

Hopefully will have water flowing to the new ponds by mid week. I am too spent to write anymore today....I have not worked this hard in a long time (at least not manual labor - there is nothing glamorous about hauling 20ft sections of 6inch pipe into the woods and sticking em together in a trench...Those pipes are heavy and cumbersome...and putting them together and locking the seal is a pain in the neck.

I have some new pics (of dry holes) and will try to post them soon.

Jeff I bet you slept well after that. Often on pond matters the old adage " If you want it done right then do it yourself" applies. It also seems that if you want it done this year then you better start working on the project now. One trick that often helps to get a contractor to do the work is to offer your free help. Tell him that you will be there to help with the work and he gets the full contract price. I don't know if it is that they like the idea of you working for free for them or if it is having you there is such a pain , but either way they seem to finish the work quicker. It also is a good way to learn how to do many jobs and what goes into the work so you know next time whether you do it yourself or contract it out.

Frustrations are high.

Can't get my pump to hold prime. All pipes are in and ready to take the water to the ponds but the pump keeps losing prime.

I think we have it figured out...some air in the draft hose. Will get the track hoe out tomorrow and dig a 200ft trench from the creek to the pump to eliminate any "bumps" in elevation and ensure a gradual rise to the pump....hopefully that corrects the problem and I can be pumping water by the weekend.

Fingers crossed.

Well, my work up at the ponds is gonna be slowed down.

I was playing in my weekly tuesday basketball league and POP - My achilles tendon snapped...gone...kapoot - kapooey.

So - surgery on Tuesday and a 2-3 months in cast followed by rehab.

Looks like I'll be using more hired help and friends than originally planned if I want to stay anywhere near on schedule.

This stinks. But oh well, nothing I can do now and complaining won't get me anywhere.

Pond on.

Ouch, I hope you have a quick recovery.

Best advice my M.D. ever game me. Give up the hoops, baby. I had just broken my ankle and asked how long before I could get back on the court.

Since I quit EVERYTHING feels better.

Bruce can't jump, but thanks to the long arms could slam-dunk anyway.

yeah - the doc told me my dunking days are prob over....I push off with my left leg naturally and he said it would be tough to regain the strength to jump that high after this injury.

If I can't dunk, the game just wont be fun anymore.....LOL

That's a joke - I never could dunk...but I prob will give up bball...although I do enjoy it...maybe play some horse with my son.

Jeff hope that thing heals well. Take your time. You have many years to walk around and work but you need that leg functioning on a long term basis first.

Jeff I had a similar injury about two years ago. A guy decided to box me out after shooting a three pointer and I came down on his foot. It is just now getting to the point it doesn't hurt to walk but I still play. My dad played until he was sixty and has given me inspiration not to quit. No I don't dunk either but basketball is still a part of my life. Take some time off get well but don't quit!

Guys - let me take a moment to testify.

Open Achilles Tendon Repair surgery SUCKS!!!!

I knew this would be frustrating when it happened. I knew it would slow me down, yada yada...but to be honest, I went to the hospital on Tuesday expecting a minor outpatient surgery procedure...let me just say that I was not prepared for what followed.

A quick bit of history, until now, the most serious injury/illness I've ever had was a sprained ankle.

They numbed my leg, knocked me out, cut me open and fixed my tendon. I work up and had to pee in a major way so they let me off onto my crutches and I'm off to the can. I'm about to finish my business and BANG - down I went...fell right there in the bathroom floor..in storms a nurse who helps me up and assures me that we'll just tell everyone the wetness on the front of my shorts is 'just water'.

Anyway, I go home and really I didn't feel that bad...the nerve block they put on my leg was to give me relief for "16-20 hours". I get home, prob the leg up and eat a chicken sandwich...then I go to sleep. My wife wakes me up every 4 hours to take my meds and drink some water...and then, about midnight (10 hours post-op) I got to feel what I pray is the "10" on that pain scale they ask you about at the doctor. Let me just say that what I once thought was a 7 is now a 2!!! Oh, I just cut my finger off...yeah, it's throbbing a little, I'd say it's about a 6 now doc!! seriously, it was that bad.

So I'm alternating Percocet and Meprazine every 3 hours (taking the max dosage of each) for the next 12 hours before the pain gets back down to about an 8 where it stayed for about 24 hours...then it just faded to about a 3 and it has hovered between 2-3 since....with one spike back to about a 7 today that lasted for 30 mins or so after re-wrapping my leg to tighten the wrap back up (which is done to help prevent blood clots in the leg which is pretty much the 1 really bad thing I have to look out for).

Anyway, I'm still not right...I'm getting closer...have been off the narcotics for 2 full days now and using advil.

I don't go back to the doc until tuesday...in the meantime I'll do my best to take it easy and keep my foot elevated.

I won't say that I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy (because I can think of some pretty bad things to do with those guys) but, I certainly would not wish this on anyone not on the "worst enemy" list.

My advice, stretch well before any exercise...and take care of your achilles tendon...if this ever hits you, it sucks.

Wow Jeff that sounds painfull alright. A friend of mine is looking at having surgery on her foot for a torn tendon or legament, she is looking at almost a year for recovery. How long will it take you to get back to normal?

Jeff hang in there. Time will help . Don't try to rush things along. Use the time to learn and make plans.

I have been talking to Jeff about putting goldfish in my pond. He has had such great success with them that I would like to do the same thing for my bass. Have any of you stocked goldfish? Dave and a couple of other people that I respect have warned against it and so I haven't Yet. Have any of you in Texas stocked goldfish? The incredible growth that Jeff is getting is luring me towards doing it just like a bug to a pretty light.

James did Jeff say if he was adding them every so often (as eaten) or have they established an ongoing population?

Ewest read jeff's second entry on page one. I think he is stocking the goldfish every month!