Quote:
Originally posted by Dudley Landry:
Cecil, would you tell me more about your braided line method of excluding herons from your pond?
I would like to know the the distance between stakes that you've found to be optimal. Where, in relation to the waterline, should the stakes be placed. How high from the ground is the line put and how is the line best secured to the stakes? Is the line stretched extremely taut? Do you think that treated, thirty-six inch long 2x2 stakes would be adequate or would you recommend a different stake material or length?
I believe that you've posted on this before, but I think that few details were in the post, and I'd certainly prefer to benefit from your experience than to have to free-lance it, if you don't mind.
Dudley,

The 80 lb. test braided line is bright yellow in color and I ordered it from Cabelas. For stakes I just bought furrow stripping from a local lumber yard and cut them to length and also cut points on the ends. Most of the stakes I cut about 18 inches but some I cut some longer for deeper water. I spaced them about 20 feet apart and the line is wrapped around drywall screws at the top of the stakes. It's a continuous run all the way around the pond. I have one row of stakes on the bank before the water, and another row in the water, and sometimes yet anothe row farther out if the water there is shallow. But I had my pond dipped a few years ago with ver steep banks which discourages herons too. The trick is to stop them from wading in the water side of the last row of braided line is too deep and steep for them to wade.

Not sure how high the braided line is above the water, but it is low enough that the herons can't go under and high enough they can't step over. It's even stopped visits from Canada Geese as although they can land in the water they find it very annoying they can't step in and out of the water. However a couple of mallards don't seem to have too much a problem with it, but they are infrequent vistors anyway and I don't mind a couple of ducks.

The height and spacing it pretty much common sense and possible trial and error. You should be able to produce a taunt line all the way around your pond which is important.

I did have one heron that stood on my floating cages and dock to fish and refused to go away, but he seemed to have disappeared one day! Wonder what happened to him? ;\)

If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.