Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations 2009 pond pics

Here's the Beaver pond this past spring. I don't stock it with fish, because some years the beavers "let it go" a bit. This past spring it was as high as ever. I enjoy the hell out of this pond year round though!







FH

That is just beautiful!

This is our fishing/swimming pond.

At Ice out - 3/28/09


and a Late May picture.


FH

FH, that pond is beautiful. Could you elaborate on what the beavers do that prevent you from stocking it?

I'd imagine its what the beavers DON'T do, that prevents stocking it. If they don't keep maintaining it, the dams quickly get holes in them that drain the pond.

How big of surface area was the beaver pond this year?

FH great pic - the reflection of the sky is outstanding and the pond reflects the sky's color as well. You get the same effect in green in the second pic.

Looks like your friend is enjoying the beaver pond as well.

Thanks guys about the Beaver Pond Pictures. Its tempting to "help" the beavers out and make it a more stable pond - but its ups and downs are natural and a joy to observe. There sometimes is fish - there is now some rock bass and minnows. Its a headwaters pond so its cool enough for trout if I could keep the depth more consistant. This spot is tenantivley earmarked for a retirement pond in about 20 years!

The main pond is about 1.75 - 2.0 acres - though the beavers keep making smaller ponds below the dam. In fact - they went 1/4 mile downstream of my property and on to my neighbor's - and flooded some of his woods. He trapped 4 of them out and "encouraged" the dam to break. I hope they were offspring of mine - I don't want to see it a muck hole any time soon. About 5 years ago - in a very dry summer - the beavers disappeared for a couple years -

The buck in the picture liked to drink in what became of the pond.


Its not as pretty a site (except for the deer) with very little water.

Here's a picture from last September at full capacity



FH

Beautiful pictures FH.

Dang Dwight, that makes me cold just looking at it.

OK, just as I've been promising, here are photos I took yesterday. It was rainy and about 37 degrees - very nasty weather for a southern boy but, we needed to check the drain box. Sure enough, it is covered in debris so, we'll go Monday or Wednesday of this week (when the temps are supposed to be in the 50's) and clear it off.

The water is quite muddy from all the heavy rains we've been having. It usually takes my pond about 3-5 days to clear up after a period of heavy rains. It's really about 3 feet above full pool - about 6 feet from the top of the dam but we saw evidence that our spillway was working just fine so, I don't think that we're in any real danger of over-topping.

Anyway, it ain't nearly as purdy as it usually is but, this is what it looks like right now.











And, our work that we have to do is in this picture:

Well, I didn't mean to be a thread killer.

As soon as I posted my pics, this thread died. I know my pond was kinda ugly in these photos but, I'd really like to see pics of other people's ponds.

So, let's see your pond!

BTW: We got most of the debris out of our drain box just in time to have another monsoon here. I'm guessing that there's plenty more work to do again, now.

Ugly? Your pond looks awesome...

Thanks, CJB! I'm just spoiled as to how nice it looks in the warmer months with the trees all bushed out and wild flowers blooming and the water a very nice shade of blue/green. With the water the color of coffee w/cream and the trees all bare, it just looks bleak to me.

But, I have to qualify all that by saying that I generally dislike winter. I always have. I'm a cold-weather grump.

I like the way ponds look in the winter the best... Yours look great to me.

AL,your pond looks good, better than covered with ice and 30 inches of snow like mine.
Still waiting to greet global warming, like the other AL has been promising.

Todd 3138�s from
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=196162&fpart=1

Pretty pond!

Looks mighty cold there but, the pond looks nice. I hope you've knitted sweaters for all your fish.

Thanks, Al. The sweater angle is actually why I'm planning a clandestine attack on the muskrats. I don't knit, but it's my suspiciion that there are enough of them to make a lot of little fur coats!

Now, that could be a thread killer. You do realize this place is packed with PETAs, don't you?

Todd:

Don't discount the fur coat angle. My mon had a muskrat knee length fur coat, the hood was trimmed with wolverine, and sleeves had a 1 1/2" wide band of white/black checkerboard trimmed fur, the the cuffs were sheared beaver, and the bottom hem of the coat matched the cuffs.

Yeah, but I thought it was the "People Eating Tasty Animals" branch!

Hey, that vindicates me! My wife has been dropping not so subtle hints about a fur coat and I've been thinking fur along the lines of a Jeremiah Johnson version! She'll love it, and I'll let her know I got the idea here!

Ahhhh...those muskrat coats would be considered organic, free-range, cage-free, and cruelty-free (if you're a good shot) so, you should be safe.

Also, my Lab would enjoy chewing on them.

Theo, if your wife had the coat and your lab chewed on it, I don't know how long you'd have the lab! The coat doesn't sound as good as it really is.