Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam A day with the Boss.

The Pond Boss that is.

Bob Lusk was in the area and was gracious enough to invite me to ride along with him for a day. I had met him once at Highflyers get together in Texas then again briefly at the just completed Pond Boss convention. But this time together gave us a chance to know each other a lot better. I had a great time.

It started yesterday when we visited a new Pond Boss subscriber at his long slender three acre strip pit pond. This pond was only a few miles from my house. The LMB and BG were on the small side and it appeared it was typical bass crowded with not enough forage. Bob spun out his wisdom and the owners eager to improve the fishing were on their way to water testing and getting a feeder and feeding program. It looked like to me a good feed program and judicious bass culling would make a world of difference.

The next morning Bob picked me up and we drove most of the way toward Kansas City to view a new lake build he has been working on designing. To about any pondmeister, it would be 64 acres of pure pond heaven. The place was just almost unbelievable. The dam was being finished while a small amount of water was already filling the lowest portion. Two big dozers, large off road haul trucks hauling clay in and a compaction tractor all working on the uppermost portion of the dam. Huge slab rock walls built around portions of the pond with the rock quarried right on sight. A "rock dock" made out of huge slabs of sandstone. A boathouse with multiple slips, rock piles and tree trunks for structure and multiple spawning beds.

Bob had made a master plan out with the owner and the owner was putting it all together. This was Bob's last visit before the eventual fish stocking. Owner seemed like a great guy.

Although I mostly stayed silent and just soaked it in, I did give the owner the idea of installing some permanent moorings. He said he had not even thought about that but really liked the idea. Made me feel good that I was able to potentially give some helpful input. I would imagine there will be at least one if not more articles about this pond in future issues of Pond Boss Magazine.

Day ended giving Bob a quick tour of my ponds when he dropped me off at home. I think we need to nickname him Iron Butt Bob. He drove all the way from Texas to my place on day one, over night at a hotel and most of the next day looking at ponds and was going to get home at 10 or 11 tonight. Man that is dedication. Not to mention a LOT of driving.

Good times. Thanks Pond Boss Bob!