I'm draining down my .62 acre pond as I've got some issues in the dyke I need to repair and it's a good excuse to get the stocking right this time. I've been pumping for 12 days and I'm down to about 25 inches in the deepest water next to one of the tanks as I type this. Last time I replanted I accidentally put in a male perch when it is supposed to be female only for trophy perch production. I've moved as many as possible via rod and reel to another pond and now it's a matter of getting the pond down far enough to scoop up the rest of the fish. As long as the water is cold I've found it works quite well with no oxygen depleted when the fish stir up the muck. But it doesn't work in summer! And I've got my eye open for herons as the pond comes down!
Here you see a couple of tanks I sunk off the pier when the water level was higher. I also filled a boat. Fish dipped out of shallow water are immediately put in these tanks until I and ready to move them to another pond. (Yes the bottom is firm enough to walk on).
Here's the end of the trash pump siphon hose inside a bucket to keep it from sucking up the bottom and getting clogged. Shortly I may go down and put the hose inside a fine mesh cage to keep fish from clogging it.
Here's some of about 1000 5 to 7 inch yearling yellow perch that I will hope to salvage. There are also about 25 to 30 larger perch and about 25 bluegills to recover. Ad there are gallons and gallons of fatheads that came from putting in just a hand full in the pond originally.
The trash pump in operation:
The outflow of the trash pump in the highway ditch.
Looking from the highway side of the pond towards the house you can see the pier I put in all the way across the pond (130 feet). Note the planks are still not in on some of the pier. Other priorities!
Gotta go. Gotta do a once over and make sure I don't have a heron taking advantage of the situation!
