Nice fish ! What is the history of the pond?
ewest , Built in 2006 (Not by me) We purchased in 2010. Realtor said "Fully Stocked" Previous owner said " My boys threw some bluegills in here from one of my other ponds". Seemed be overrun with GSF at the time. Thought I would kill it and start over. Didn't happen. I put about 25 6-8" LMB in from my pond. I let a buddy put 50 2" BCP in. Both in the Spring of 2011. Still thinking I would kill and start over.Had pretty thick Southern Niad. Put 30 Grass Carp in spring 2012. They have since wiped it out. Too much so. That pretty much is where its at. Catching Bass up to about 6 lbs now. Crappie seem to have not overrun YET. Still catch a few descent BG and the occasional GSF.
I'm guessing that means you are not going to kill the pond off and start over now.
Some might say you just got lucky with your pond and they might be right.
I have pondered about luck a lot. I firmly believe people have a tendency to give plain old dumb luck too little credit for many of the successes in life. I have tended at times in my life to give dumb luck too little credit and made the assumption that the success was all my doings. That often led me to unsuccessful outcomes as my high opinion of my abilities outstripped my common sense.
Good luck is such a wonderful thing. If it were only more dependable I would have turned to it all the time by now. But it is just so undependable and it seems my luck improves with my intensity of application of initiative.
This is not specifically targeted at you R&R. Just ramblings thinking about the many stories I have enjoyed here on PBF. There are the stories where everything was planned and worked out according to plan, where everything was planned and still did not work out, and the ones I especially enjoy like your story where really nothing ended up going like you planned but it turned out pretty darned fantastic anyway.
Ya just never know.
