Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Ice out!

In my mud-bottom pond I've not seen any crawfish or signs of them since I've been here (4 years), and if I need grass (shoreline grasses, pond weeds/vegatation) to establish Grass Shrimp, I'm void in that area as well.

If not for the Xmas trees and PVC trees I've put in, other than some natural lay-downs along some of the shoreline, my pond would be completely void of cover!

And for those reasons I'm not sure GSH would be a viable option (plus I'm still removing BCP).

Ah, so much to do/consider/change/improve, etc.

But always find time to fish .

Last week, as it became warm, the top of the ice looked like there were hundreds of bluegill nests on TOP of the ice.




It then got quite soft in the daytime sun, and the top cleared to water, then it froze a bit at night. We have a rim of open water at the waters edge. I see a thick layer of leaves that blew up to shore in the windy fall weather. Great home for the scuds that I hope to stock on Wednesday.




I also see VERY clear water (thanks TJ for helping me with the Soilfloc) Apparently the tannins have settled out.

My son made an igloo that he could stand up in on Saturday (you can see it in the picture above from a distance).





It was an all time high temperature on Sunday (nearly 60 I think) and it collapsed and by night-fall was just a pile of snow.

Cool pics Canyoncreek.

Your dog isn't left unattended around the pond is it? Good way to lose a dog.

Cecil,
When the dog was a pup and ventured on the ice for the first time we were concerned. We knew he had part black lab and could swim a little but also knew that being trapped in the ice would be bad too. The first season we made it. But as he got older he discovered how much he likes wading, sniffing, pouncing on things, and then later swimming. My wife was sick of the pond smell on the dog so we ran a loop of underground fence off the main loop that goes along the edge of the road and made it go around the pond.

I felt badly taking his fun away as he had endless fun exploring the banks of the pond, grabbing toads, etc but I must say it is nice that he stays out of the pond now. He also stays off the ice in the winter. The kids loved ice skating with him on the ice or in a sled but we found that he never stayed on the ice long (the first year) as the ice seemed to bother his paws. Maybe they stuck to the ice? He would quickly retreat to the snowbank and watch from there.

Also when it was snack time for the ice skaters it was nice to bring the food to the edge of the ice and just leave it out there and not worry about shooing the dog away from it constantly.

The pond loop has been good.

P.S. -1:
One morning last spring some geese walked (flew?) in the pond with young in tow. Apparently the young couldn't fly yet or they would have flown away? I knew we had to move mountains to get them out. We tried rocks, ropes dragging across the water edge with one person on each side of the pond to get them out. With all the flapping of wings and excitement our dog Scout finally decided he was going for it. One leap over the underground fence and he was in the pond. This was the first time he had a chance to 'retrieve' a bird and he wouldn't give up. I think he swam for 45 min or more trying to catch them but of course when he got close they just flew over his head (adults) or ducked under water and swam under him (young geese). He finally must have gave up and collapsed on the driveway. I went out after dark with a strong light and harassed them some more and fortunately the next am they were gone. Must have walked across land when the dog was in the garage at night. SO GLAD they didn't come back as the few hours they were there there was poop everywhere.

P.S.-2
After the first winter and before the loop was installed a neighbor stopped and told me a story. He said he was driving by in the late fall and saw our dog struggling in the water after breaking through thin ice. The dog was probably 8-9 months old and hadn't encountered ice yet. I don't know how far he had ventured on the ice before falling in but apparently the man could reach him from shore and pull him back on land. He said he was swimming but couldn't get back on top of the thin ice. He had a towel in his truck and toweled him off and never let us know till months later. I thanked him profusely for saving our dog and soon after the underground fence went in.

Thanks for sharing that Canyon Creek!

Not fair Dude!!!

I traversed the state today from the WV/VA line of Hampshire County WV/Frederick County VA line to the I-79 corridor at Weston, WV, for a West Virginia Aquaculture Association meeting. I stopped and picked up a good friend in the nearly perpetual-winter area of Scherr, WV. I got to their place, and their ponds were clear of ice. I got to my meeting, and another friend who runs a hatchery and pond replenishing business outside of Clarksburg, said he was ice free.

When I left the farm this morning, the one pond that had been ice-free for the last few days was thinly iced over as I drove out about 7:30 AM this morning. My next biggest pond has gone back and forth between about 6 to 18 inches of ice-free water around its perimeter. My other two ponds are still ice covered, and I've still got snow piles on the sides of my driveway.

Something ain't right!

It was dark by the time I got back to the farm tonight. But, the weather wizards are predicting snow again for Wednesday (I write this on Monday night).

Frozen Ken