Finally got a few new pictures. With the heat passing in our neck of the woods, I can finally start working again. It is getting harder and harder to go out on Tuesday work all day, sleep in a tent and work Wednesday.
I received my renewal form for pond boss. Without even asking, my wife stated, "renew it". Like all of you great husbands out there, you know to listen to your wives so I listened and sent in a check to cover the next 2 years. Seriously, even though we are both working only part-time, she stated that the money we save from the mistakes "I DO NOT MAKE AS OFTEN" (her words)save money in the long run. I think that is a complement to pond boss somehow.
Here is the forage pond. I have added a drain down pipe and an overflow pipe. The overflow is not yet cut to the depth I want. I spent the spring hauling in dirt and leveling the far bank and widening it so we can traverse the pond. I built 2 pallet floats to serve as spawning areas for the fatheads. I chained them to a stake but put is vetical pipes so they can move up and down with water changes and then be removed in the fall. 1 has pop bottles and the other does not. Just seeing if I need more floats. Far end I put in rocks to build a rock wall and it is where the waterfall will go eventually.
I built a wall foundation or sunken wall as described by Bob Lusk several issues ago and just as Bob said, the minnows love hanging out in and around the rocks. What do you know, 'Old Bob' got that one right! Just kidding. I was and am amazed at the number of minnows swarming the rocks. I want to build another rock bed at the other end of the catfish pond.
Lower catfish
upper catfish
Irrigation
I have been diggin in about 500 feet of 3" irrigation tubing to start to control run off and control water flow. With a minimal watershed being on top of thehill, I am hoping to capture as much of the water as possible, filter it through several sendiment basins.
I have golden shinners and a few more catfish going in this fall. Next spring the largemouth and I start feeding the catfish.
winter aeration is ordered and will be installed soon.
