Hey Ed Good plan. Trophy LMB have been my passion for over 30 yrs! The NW side of any pond is where the water warms first and where the bass will bed year after year if the depth and conditions are right. So I'd ask your trackhoe guy to make the west side of the cut about 4' deep (does your water level fluctuate much?). Also bass guard an area 6'ft on all sides of the nest, so I've had good luck getting them to bed lots closer by putting visual barriers every 6', which doubles their bedding density. I use cement blocks..anything to block their line of sight will work..but not Christmas trees or brush..that will just give the brim and other nest robbers a place to hide between raids and do more harm than good. Then make the east side the deepest and even the south side if you need more island dirt cause after those huge double digit sows lay thier eggs they WILL retreat to the closest deep water (scattered structure there will help hold them there and make them feel safer!) While your at it notice that neck down place to the southeast! natural holding area for bass especially on a windy day! I'd definately put some rocks if possible along that point or brushpiles or something, if theres deep water out from it excellent. Thats the kind of place you can count on to hold fish most all the time. Oh yeah one more thing it looks like you've already got a sand bottom in that bedding area, try to keep it there or even expand it to cover more of that 4' contour.
BTW everytime Google takes me to the lat-lon you gave me it goes to what looks like a cemetary at the sw corner of Dykes Rd and Salem Church, only ponds I see are south of the radio station, of course it doesn't really matter I was just curious about your watershed also back in college I dated a girl from Cochran and thought you were close and might have actually known that pond. I'm originally from Valdosta.
Good Luck and keep us posted Ken S
Decided I'd take one more look at your pic before I went downstairs and noticed that it's not oriented North-South like most Google maps! but no matter everything I said still applies it will just be a couple more weeks before they begin using it. However I would spend some time carefully evaluating the NW end of the pond for premium bedding habitat and tweak it if you can.
Last edited by findfoolfight; 02/21/11 06:34 AM.
