I added FHM and BG to my new forage pond/wetland/sediment pond after swarms of mosquitoes invaded during last winter and thousands of larva were observed swimming. I think it worked. My vote is toward adding FHM ASAP. Why not? The bullhead fry just as likely could've been responsible for eating the larva...are you at risk of anything washing in?
How are you going to know unless you try!
NW TX 2ac main pond fed from 1100ac watershed going through 2 2+ac sediment ponds. 1st filled 10/2018 900BG, 200RES, 200HBG, 100CC and 23# FHM...."Free" BH, GSF GSH, LMB & ??? 75LMB 3/2020 I subscribe!
I don't know why it's so clear and blue. One of my back hoe diggers said he thinks I hit a spring. The pond is ~100' away from the headwaters of Muddy Creek which eventually feeds into Lake Ray Hubbard. My inlet is rainwater runoff, but in high water conditions, something could swim upstream. Is there a reasonable way to control this?
Here's a pic of my first water samples. I had to tell the kids not to drink them they were so clear. "Almost" the same clarity as tap water. The PH was 7.4, but I don't remember the other numbers. Higher in Calcium which I assume comes from the limestone. So maybe the color is coming from the limestone?
Folks, I put these artificial structures together and currently they float with the knee pad attached. (I was going for the flat surface for bait fish to spawn under.) Should I let them float or should I sink them? If sinking, at what depth should I target when the pond is full? I was thinking a couple at 6-8 feet and a couple at 3'? thanks.
Thanks for all the comments folks, I appreciate it. Here's a pic from this weekend. I have some structure in now and the water has come up to about 4' either by spring or just ground water. The color remains blue and crystal clear. When full, it should be 13-15' at the deepest part. We've been getting some small rains which are helping to "melt" the loose dirt to keep it from eroding into the pond. Any ideas on ground cover to help lock in the soil here in Texas? Winter Rye? Without significant rain, it might not fill until spring. Thanks.
Are those bricks on a skid towards the bottom? If so in my opinion I would make a pile of them instead of stacking them. Not sure if even the small fish could get into that maze. I could be way off on this.
Yes, they are bricks. There are three pallets staggered and stacked against the pond wall. The open side of the pallets are facing the pond, and that was where I thought the main fish cover would come from. The bricks are just holding down the pallets, but I could certainly put them in a pile instead of stacking them. Thx!
Rye grass is a good plant to have around the perimeter of the pond... will hold the soil together even when it dies off in the summer. As dry as it is you have to water it till we get some rain and cooler weather.
Sounds like Rye is a good choice. I'll wait till late September to spread it and then pray for some light rains to get it started. If it'll take a good hold, it would be nice to have that in place when the heavy rains come in the spring.
I've also been asked whether it's spring fed or just ground water. I don't know, any ideas out there on how to determine one or the other? I suppose if it was spring fed, it would be less likely to dry up in the drought periods, but other than that it's just a curiosity.
For me, I like to keep a few deer around the pond through the fall and winter so I plant Elbon Rye and clover. Here in the Ark-La-Tex I plant in mid sept for the fall rains. Both seeds only require seed to dirt contact for sprouting. The clover will grow mostly roots until Feb. Both can be mowed if needed. You have to order the Elbon rye from most any seed and feed store its pretty cheep but the clover not so much.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
That color water does look a lot like the limestone waters up in Arkansas you see running alongside the backroads to and from Fort Smith. I make that trip about 4 times a year. It is beautiful water!!
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The temp has dropped and the rain has returned. The pond is now about 1/2 full, so I have ~6 lbs of FHM coming next week. Anxious to get the ecosystem going. I'm turning an old watering line into a new air line, so I should be ready next spring/summer to add a diffuser into the pond. So far, so good. Thanks for all the comments and pointing me towards other threads.
Well, the pond is now full. Inlet and outlet appear to be working fine and I put 5 lbs of FHM in it on November 1 and I have an aerator installed. Should I add more FHM now? Next up is HBG. When can I add them? Thanks in advance guys.....
That's real nice looking. What I've learned here, hopefully... Let the FHM reproduce for a while. If the water is still really clear you may want to feed the FHM for extra boost. Hold off on the HBG to ensure you don't get stunted YOY from last Fall. Wait until May orJune. Maybe even Fall. It may depend on the size HBG you plan to stock.
How are you going to know unless you try!
NW TX 2ac main pond fed from 1100ac watershed going through 2 2+ac sediment ponds. 1st filled 10/2018 900BG, 200RES, 200HBG, 100CC and 23# FHM...."Free" BH, GSF GSH, LMB & ??? 75LMB 3/2020 I subscribe!
Thanks Shortcut, I confirmed that I put 6 lbs of FHM in on 11/1/19 and I haven't seen any loss, but then again I've only seen them swirling in a bait ball a couple of times. Now that I'm at a solid 1/4 acre (yes, small I know) and 500-600,000 gallons, should I add another 6 lbs of FHM and then wait as you're suggesting to put in the HBG? The supplier has the HBG at 2-3" long, $55 for 100 fish. I assume the HBG will feed off the fry of the FHM? Any recommendations on feed if I go that way? Thanks much, I appreciate the comments.
Update - Thanks again for all the suggestions on my little ~1/4 acre pond. I harvested my first two HBGs for dinner Saturday night via fly rod. Can someone confirm the sex? And since they are HBG, should I only be harvesting the males? I put in 100 that were about 3" in mid-May and by that time I had what appeared to be the same number of CC which swam up from a neighboring pond on a flooding event back in January. I've been pitching about 2 cups of food per day and also put in 6# of FHM in Nov of last year. So far, so good.
What can you tell us about the source of the fish (HBG)? What % would you guess look like pic #1 and #2 ? A very high % of HBG are male > 70 % depending on which study/info you believe is correct. Studies/info ranges from 66% to 98 % male.
The HBG came from Texas Fishing LLC, just south of Caddo Mills, TX. I can't really answer your second question, I only caught a few to document the growth during the summer and I stopped last Saturday when I had two for dinner. When they come up to feed, they don't waste much time on the surface as you probably know, so it's hard to see that black opercular flap. My thinking was that if I wanted to take out ~20 or so this winter to eat in anticipation of controlling the spawn in the spring, that I should only take out males this first year. Thanks!
The 2 pictured are very different. One is very GSF heavy and the other looks like a normal HBG. Might be worth a call to the seller and ask about the specifics of their history. HBG reproduce at very low rates and the CC may be able to control them somewhat. In all the time and examples of HBG that I have seen, I have only seen 1 HBG female.