Looking down into the water, just about anywhere, they are like ping pong balls suspended at different depths. Just hovering. Then they come up and gulp some air. I've heard too many bull frogs will attract snakes. Hoping that's NOT the case. My wife hates snakes. We like the bull frogs. Listening to them is sort of peaceful.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Update, 11/28. We've had about 8" of rain this month. Compared to a total of 1" for August to Oct.. Brought the water level back up about 16". Water is now near the drain pipe base.
No leak along pipe at exit. Still a very small seep in the original ditch bottom. No current, but definite seep.
The SMB beds are back submerged. This is the only one that was above the water line when the water level was at its lowest point.
I'm curious, should I pull this small section of floating dock out, before the pond freezes over?
No YP seen today. I threw in some food, no activity, except FHM and BF tadpoles.
Thanks again, for help and advice.
Jeff
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Floating dock should be fine, mine always is, but it's pretty heavy duty built by the Herman Brothers. I doubt the ice depth you get there should pose any issues when it thaws, etc.
My YP also stopped feeding in the low 50s, no worries there.
Are you still leaking at the base of the dam?
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Floating dock should be fine, my always is, but it's pretty heavy duty built by the Herman Brothers. I doubt the ice depth you get there should pose any issues when it thaws, etc.
My YP also stopped feeding in the low 50s, no worries there.
Are you still leaking at the base of the dam?
Thanks TJ, I'll leave the dock in. I may try to ice fish for YP from it. The leak at the base is still there. It's very very slow. No moving water. There is a wet spot right at the base, that actually is a small puddle. It's got some weird orange "something" growing in it. (Pretty stagnant) I'm really watching the leak that was along side the pipe. The guys that put the pipe in, carried a bag of bentonite back to it and dumped it on top of the pipe. When the water level was at its lowest, I dug under the pipe, and re-packed the bentonite in it. Water is close to bottom of pipe, no leaking now. I'd still like to add some of your polymers, if you ever have any "leftovers". FYI, I went by my brother in law's pond last week. It's down about 6'. Serious leak. He thinks he's got too many weeds etc in the base of the pond for your polymers to work.. It looks like it would be perfect to me..
Last edited by SetterGuy; 11/28/1503:22 PM.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
I hope water is running out your pipe a little now, with all the rain since yesterday. My pond is up about 9" since Thursday even with small watershed, and we did not get as much rain as your area did.
I wish.. With almost no rain in Aug, Sept, and Oct, the eight or so inches of November rain, have helped, but the pond could still come up a foot and not go out the pipe. I've got about 9 acres that drain into the one acre pond. It's half timber, and half alfalfa. Between the two, they sucked up almost all the rain. Very little runoff. I'm happy to get a 18" bump from 8" of rain.
Last edited by SetterGuy; 11/29/1503:29 PM.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Sorry about that......my watershed is small for my pond size (about .3 ac) and I still got a 9 inch rise from 2.75 inches of slow rain over three days. Still about 8 inches to go before I call it full, and about 16 inches to get barely to the emergency spillway. My runoff comes from a hay field that was last cut in late September. That last foot or so is hard to get because most ponds spread considerably as they near full capacity.
In the last 3 to 4 weeks we have had 4+ inches of rain and 15 inches of snow. Puddle is up 3 to 4 feet. I spent a lot of money this past summer on waterways and erosion control to maximize my large watershed input, in a good way, to the pond. I may have gone too far. I am only 2 feet from overflow and rain is in the forecast. My pond is on almost flat ground so there is no spillway. Thought now is to expand the pond again to get material to build an embankment with a rip rap spillway that dumps when the water level reaches the surrounding grade.
Last edited by Bill D.; 11/29/1508:44 PM. Reason: Clarification
I might need to make improvements in order to draw more water. I want to see how it works out with normal rainfall. If there is such a thing any more, as normal rainfall.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
At the pond yesterday. Water temp is down to 44. The FHM will still hit the hand tossed feed. A few swirls on the feed or FHM when I tossed it. I think those are a couple of YP that still are active. Lots and lots of tadpoles, big ones, just load up a minnow trap wherever I toss it. I did notice a few bigger swirls or rises out in the muddle if the pond. Away from all the structure I've put in. Could be some of the newer additions, HSB, or SMB? Water level us still up from recent rains. Has maybe dropped 1" over the last week.
Last edited by SetterGuy; 12/06/1512:28 PM.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Back to full water level at the pond. Looks like I've still got 24" clarity, and 40 degree water. Still millions of tadpoles along the banks. I moved the dock back to where it was supposed to be, as it had been blown to the south end of the pond. When I pushed it off the bank, there were clouds of FHM beneath it..
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Haven't updated it a while. Just have been enjoying the pond. Added another dock section. Bought the 4x20 kit from Menards, and made a 8x10 out of it. Still catching lots of delicious YP, lots of HBG (releasing) on the fly rod. The fescue is thick, and needs mowed frequently. However, I am still troubled by the slow leak. I've lost 30" since Jan 1. That's about 6" a month, so it's not driving me over the ledge, but I'd prefer less. Oh well, I have much to be happy about.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
The RES are spawning. You can see four or five just below the surface. The red tabs are bright. I wasn't able to get a decent pic with the RES in it. Two spots along the bank where they are active. Both on the eastern bank. Gets warm there in the afternoon.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Pups getting bigger. He's been in a few times. Seems to be ok with swimming. I went out floating around, but he just barked and whined at me. He wouldn't come out. He still tackles every perch I pulled out. Had eight for dinner Sunday night. Butter and garlic on the grill. Hard to beat.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Caught fifty plus YP this weekend. The kids have all taken off for their homes. We swam and fished, nonstop for two days. Finally caught a few RES, sorry no pictures. They are still sitting on beds along the banks, but hit some worms for my grandkids. The HBG appear to be waiting around the edges of the RES nests. Or, maybe there's more hybridization going on?? I'm still amazed at how all those YP had been so quiet for so long, and now appear every time the feeder goes off. Very catchable, almost any time of the day. We catch them in other parts of the pond also, not just by the feeder. A few were in the 11" range, which is great in my opinion. Rainman just brought them in last April, at 4-5". (150) Here's a pic of some of yesterday's catch. Put them on the grill for lunch. Yum! (Sorry no tape measure, my 13s are below for reference.
Last edited by SetterGuy; 05/30/1601:46 PM.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
YP are starting to bite again. So are the SMB. Still haven't caught a HSB yet.. One of these days.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Haven't updated this thread in a while. Was at the pond this afternoon. It was almost full when we were here on the 7th. Last night we had a 4" rainfall in a few hours. I was a bit concerned that water would be going over the dam. The good news is, the 12" pipe was able to handle all the runoff. I have emergency spillways at both ends of the dam. Water had not gone over either spillway. Water has gone to a brownish green, due to runoff.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Haven't updated this thread in a while. Was at the pond this afternoon. It was almost full when we were here on the 7th. Last night we had a 4" rainfall in a few hours. I was a bit concerned that water would be going over the dam. The good news is, the 12" pipe was able to handle all the runoff. I have emergency spillways at both ends of the dam. Water had not gone over either spillway. Water has gone to a brownish green, due to runoff.
Now you are getting the rain, and we are into a bit of a new dry period!
I've decided to let the fescue go to seed. Thought it might be easier than reseeding. I have mowed a path around the pond, just not everywhere. Rained a little last night. (.6") The water is up in the grass in a lot of places. Since it was so far down by the end of last summer. The ground is also pretty soft for taking my tractor along the bank. You need to come up to show me how to catch a HSB!!
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Now you are getting the rain, and we are into a bit of a new dry period!
It is nice to see it staying full. Climate.com is saying I've had 25.5" season to date. Definitely way more than last year. I think it's about 10" above average. That 4" the other night had water coming across the roads in places.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Caught some YP on the fly rod this am. Hit a simulated minnow. Also caught a few HBG on poppers. I can't believe this little one went after the fly. Wish these HBG wouldn't spawn.. Also a pic of the "hopeful" fescue going to seed. Along w pup. (Dirk the destroyer)
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023
Haven't updated this thread in a while. Had a great time at the pond last weekend with the grandkids. Water level is down again this year, but not as bad as last fall. Our drought continues, but I think the leak is reduced. I'm so glad I didn't pull the plug on this project three years ago, when we hit so much rock during construction. It's worth every penny. These will be memories that I hope last forever.
9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these. I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023