Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Hay

Anyone ever put hay around edge of pond? What does it do?

It generally blows into the pond.

Pond is surrounded by woods,i was told the hay would be good for the bream to hang around and lay eggs.

What's the persons background in fish like that told you this?

Did you have your boots on when you were talking to them?

Hey eeshup, a guy that owns a fish hatchery in Tyler Texas told me this.

Hi Steve

BG are very opportunistic and will spawn in any substrate and prolifically. I would not worry about the hay.

Since you are in the South and I'm assuming you have a fishery featuring LMB and BG, you would be better off spending you time/resources ensuring you have plenty of shallow, dense cover/structure for the BG to hide/escape predation and survive so they too can spawn. Dense brush piles or groups of cedar trees placed in 3-6' depths will help your BG population remain strong - and they are the backbone of your forage base which feeds your LMB.

General rule of thumb is 10-20% of pond area dedicated to structure like this. In a 1 acre pond 3-4 groups of 2-3 cedars tied together and sunk with cinder blocks will serve you well. Start sparcely - you can always add more as your fishery conditions dictate [skinny bass, low BG population means add more adult BG and shallow cover].

Hope this helps - I think you're ok saving the hay for other projects.

Wow Dave I busted a gut reading that. Did you mean for it to be that funny?

Steve, the hay wouldn't do much in spawning, but could provide some temporary cover for fry to hide in and feed on the life around the quickly rotting hat.

O.K. I thought he was saying that they'd lay their eggs on the hay that blew into the pond.

Yeah, I'd bet if it was Bob Waldrop that said that, he had a reason. He's as sharp as they come.

Did the two of you discuss the particulars of your pond, or was it just general advice? I've used both alfalfa hay and regular cow hay in the past for different reasons, but I agree with TJ though. If you've got adequate cover, then I can't see it as being necessary.

My Southern brothers have a different BG/LMB relationship scenario than we do up North. We have constant battles managing BG population explosions and you often are having to improve conditions to boost your BG populations due to our shorter growing/feeding seasons. BG get the upper hand here...so I'm not basing my advice on personal experience - just repeating what I've learned from the SO boys on the forum. Listen to FireisHot...he will guide you.

Cecil, I tried putting it on the banks to, I thought, help hold the banks when I planted Bermuda seed. The results were about what usually happens when I experiment.

Agree that if Waldrop said it, he must have a reason but not sure I understand what the reason is or how to keep it in 1 place for the BG's.

TJ, your post about the differences is part of my continuing education about ponds. I always figured the spawning of bg/lmb shouldn't be much different. Because of that, I seldom give advice about Northern ponds.

I've read some docs on both alfalfa and regular hay, and tried them both. The good part is I have enough water, that if it creates a problem, then it corrects itself quickly. The bad part is that I've got enough water that I can't really get a good feel for long term benefits.

I have experienced clearer water in small areas that I dumped hay, but I'm leery of recommending it because of all the variables in pond water and the hay itself. FHM did seem to gravitate quickly to those areas though. I'm not sure if it was the clearer water, or just the ideal temporary habitat. Smarter guys than me will have to figure that out.

I read somewhere that people have used hay or straw mats in the shallows to help golden shiners have a better spawn.

I have been advised by fishery biologists in to past to set bales of straws in corners of my filling newly dug ponds and it will help in settling of clay particles as well as create breeding ground for daphnia and other small parts of the bait/forage system that is needed as the pond ages and grows! Have used it many times and seemed to work like a charm. I have it staked out in all 4 corners of my ne 1.5 acre pond in central Ky and once again appears to be doing exactly what I was informed it do, again!

Never put dead vegetation in BG bedding areas. It can cause fungus and other stuff to harm the eggs as the stuff deteriorates . Hay can sometimes aid with clay turbidity and with FA control. It also can help grow inverts and other small forage.