Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Comin' Down!

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!

Cool pics Cecil.

Too bad we couldn't have pumped it into some tankers and sent it your way for you pond. It's magic big fish growing water as it has some of Condello's water in it when I got some bluegills from him.

Cecil, do you make your in-laws walk the plank.
Herrons are people too.

No my mother-in-law in on to me. She refuses to walk out on the pier even when the pond is full of water.

I'm thinking not having any planks on the highway side may be a good idea.

The truth be known my mother-in-law is a sweetheart. She's my second mother and we can talk about things for hours. She just doesn't have the greatest sense of balance and the pier wobbles a little if you're not used to it.

Good idea for adding the tanks to salvage the fish. I will take your word for it that there are fish in the 3rd picture -

Bill,

It may be the setting on your computer. I see them just fine.

I'm surprised you don't have an electric fence, with all those fish your ponds are open to the public.

Being self employed I'm always home to keep an eye on the ponds. Even though this pond is only about 40 feet from the highway it is up high and you can't see it driving by unless you drive a semi.

Hopefully you won't have any problems with all the rain coming later on taoday that is supposed to last till sunday. If you need any help moving those fish get a hold of me and I could probably come help you out.

I'm just curious how you know that.

I hear that 80% of semi drivers carry fishing poles in the cab?
The other 20% carry portable fish cooking grills!

Thanks Blue Ultra. If you want to come out you're welcome but bring your waders! I doubt the rain will do much. the pond is set up so there isn't a lot of run off that comes in.

Yeah but they can't come up my driveway. Ask the guy that delivered the logs for my home.

How often are you having to fill that gas tank on that pump? After 12 days of pumping, I bet it's become a real pain.

When I ran my pump, I added a fuel tank from a parts car that I had laying around. It was 15 gallons, and would run for over 24 hours. Every day, I topped it off to keep it going. After the first week, I had to stop it and change the oil every third day.

Eddie
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Cecil those are some nice and interesting pics. You have such a nice place(regardless of Condumellos magic water). It is kinda a shame tho, I can remember when that ditch looked like the water around the Keys. Bill, I checked my pms and it was on Mar 29 last yr that you found the first skein, sack, whatever. Said the temp was 46 degrees, I'm sure ya meant the water-right? I just put in 6 groups of shore sticks today to try to attract the egg layers. I've removed two xmass trees from the deep in an effort to keep the reproduction to a minimum. Damn hard work and then it seems I remember Cecil saying alot of his eggs got laid up in the underwater grass by the shore. If that is correct I'm going to be overrun with baby Perch. I have about three feet of 7-8" grass all around the pond from last yr when the water level was so much lower. Geez, I guess it all depends.

Cecil:

If you ever have to do something like this again, give me a shout. I'v got a 15,000 gph trash pump hooked up to a 6 gal outboard gas tank that I can drop off for ya. (inlet/outlet hoses as well with inlet screen)

Well I've driven by in my car and know by that you can't see the pond from a car. However it appears a semi driver is high enough where he could see some water.

No one has fish or asked to fish that drives by with a semi if that's what you mean.


One downside to this method. I have to keep a vigil on the pond in the area where the weeds are thick as I'm having larger fish get stranded in the weeds as the water goes down. I rescued about 8 big perch and bluegill by watching for movement in the weeds!

Maybe you could dehydrate it and mail it to me in an envelope.

I've found that once you dehydrate my water you don't even need an envelope to send it.

Amazing stuff!

Email us some, Bruce.

Dehydrated water sent.

Hey,whats the deal here,theres water leaking out of my monitor.

You weren't supposed to rehydrate it until you got it to the pond. Bad move.

Well,noms a fine time to tell me.What,you think I know what Im doing here,or what.I thought everybody knew that when you send ME something,I need a 4,786 page instruction book with it.