A couple of updates:
Pond appearance: The pond is currently clear of algae. Yesterday I cleaned up a few small patches along the shore. All the riprap I wanted to place along one shore has been laid down, about 110' total. Transplanted a few bur reed plants from the big pond.
Fish: The BG that are being caught average 5-6". They look to be in good shape. Over the past couple of weeks, I've counted 13 BG nesting sites but have not seen any young. The fatheads are spawning. A walk along the shore shows numerous schools of FH darting about.
Each morning I toss a handful of pellets into the pond and what I thought were FH minnows showing curiosity are actually golden shiners. With an intermittent stream feeding this pond, I suspect my BG/Bass pond may eventually house a mixed bag of species.
Clinging to the riprap and huddled along the shore are hundreds of snails about the size of a pencil eraser. As has been noted on the PB forum and in the magazine, they can be a link to some fish diseases. The recent PB article on pumpkinseed sunfish has me thinking about adding some of these to handle the snails. I welcome all comments on this approach.
Misc fodder: I just received my electric bill for the past two months which corresponds to the timeframe that I started running the compressor on a regular schedule. Running the compressor from 8 pm to 6 am, seven days a week, is costing about $4.00/month ($0.07/kWh)
The dam project I had planned for this week has been pushed back. In a normal summer, the pond would be down 6-8 inches by now but due to the numerous rain storms we've had lately this is not the case. I'm hoping by the end of July or beginning of August, the level will drop enough to allow me to do the work.
