Great stuff Brettski...sounds a lot like what I'll have in terms of habitat for my larger pond. Although in NE I'll be lucky to have any YP spawns - I'll simply hope for the best and restock every few years.

BTW on my seeding project - kicked it off today:

1.08 Ac of straw mats
200 lbs of Brome, Fescue, Perennial Rye, Red Wheat and Oats.
$6,000.00 [about 40% less than most quotes]
Grass that expensive ought to have dual purposes....I jest! \:o

Irrigation for the four ponds going in next week.

Begin Smallmouth habitat and beds this week. Now that ought to be a blast.

Brettski did you get your guys to just dump several tons at your place and move them with your loader as you felt the urge?




 Originally Posted By: Brettski
 Originally Posted By: teehjaeh57

Brettski - reading those old threads when you were a wee-lunker like myself - am curious if you:

Got any YP reproduction from your pvc trees?
Any Smallmouth reproduction?
Did you end up doing business with the hatcheries manager who accidently almost stocked your pond with BG?


The only sampling so far has been the minnow trap (3 YOY RES from the fingerlings stocked May '07) and I often see 6 - 7" RES suspended in the water over the concrete boat launch. A couple weeks ago, I saw some mini torpedoes (about 8" long) hanging with the RES at the launch. I saw no bars and the experts believe these to be the SMB that were stocked May '08 at 4-5". I don't expect a SMB spawn until next year, and that will be predicated on them digging the rock zones I placed to enhance the romance. Sunil talked me into purchasing polarized sunglasses; something about being able to see the males get gill. I did see a substantial school of YP fingerlings a few weeks ago; once again, hanging out at the launch (the YP were stocked May '07 as 5") This assures me that there was a YP spawn this past spring.
Past that, nothing further.
I don't have any idea what level of success the PVC trees have provided. If you are asking regarding their use to drape YP egg strands, we have plenty of vegetation at the perimeter that they could have used. Also, we allowed an area of about 1/4 acre is shallow, flooded timber/weeds/bushes. If the PVC trees didn't interest them, they should be thrilled by the natural stuff.
-
We did end up using the same guy for our stocking. His background and trustworthiness is solid. That, and I really didn't have alot of choice.


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

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