I needed to find a way to protect fry and fingerlings this fall when the shoreline plants start dying back when the water starts cooling. Most cover has to have a base, or stand of some kind, and that doesn't work well for the shoreline to 2' deep. Because of the size of my big pond, there are certain criteria I look for when I put cover out. It's got to be easy to deploy and reload, it's got to be quick and easy to build, it's got to be repeatable with resources available on my property, and it's gotta be cheap.
This is what I came up with. All it requires is hardwood and cedar limbs that I got after trimming trees, one concrete block, and 5-6' of nylon rope. $2.50 max. I used a 5/8" bit to drill holes at the base of each limb.
It's easy to set out, and should be easy to move and reload after placement. I set this one out near sliding pallets that I set out for FHM in my hatchery pond that is about to have the water level raised 2'. Once the brick was drug to the bank, I just flipped the limbs over to spread the cover evenly.
I was lucky enough to have 2 Nubian ruminants offer to help get rid of most of the leaves.
8 in the morning.
4 in the afternoon.
Here's one that I set out on the hatchery pond dam.
