Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Thoughts on Crawdad removal

Scott, I'm tried and true on Optimal but due to how I was baiting the traps I was adding 2-4lbs a day that would dissolve as the craws tore the socks open so I went to a heavier material and the food stays put (Orscheln brand-cheapo 31%) and after about a good 12-15hr soak the mush in the bag smells like grain alcohol-obviously grain byproduct and not based on fish meal. The amount I was going through was my concern originally. The craws LOVE the Optimal bass food which seems a bit expensive but very effective so 6 one, half dozen the other. Improving water quality is hard to put a price on but darn sure worth a couple of bags of Optimal in any case.

Running total now 279lbs with 24lbs today. Had another KS Game Warden show up today to haul a big Yeti cooler load back east somewhere, darn sure not an issue finding a place to go with them.
Kinda thinking out loud here but have to wonder how long this can go on.?? I can't believe ANY plants made it through the clawed bombardment . Probably require grass carp to control vegetation now after the vicious cycle starts in motion shortly

Just be happy they aren't Rusty Crayfish. I know of one 422 acre lake in Wisconsin that was completely denuded of vegetation from someone introducing them. At night you could see at least 1 every square foot on the bottom of the lake walking around looking for something to eat.

Just an update on the removal process..
I stopped the end of last week at 411lbs removed.
Water clarity has not improved like I had thought it would.
I fed the last few nights in very calm conditions and the shore have "waving claws" just like it always has. I also see many, many small 3/4-2" craws now and I have to think the smb would be pounding them but with the number of adults reproducing, there may well be more than touchable numbers of these.
I took a 1/2 gal sample 2 weeks ago and in 24-48hrs the water was clear with sediment on the bottom-or what I thought was sediment. I set another bucket down inside that and pulled the bucket to get another sample yesterday and oh my did that water stink.. It was snotty, stinky terrible nasty water.. Had to be a great amount of planktonic growth in there for that to smell that way, I think..
Sample #2 has settled to a point it looks like tap water as well so I'm back to trying to find the source of stirring mechanically.. Total riprap shore, no runoff, 3 CC left in the 6-10lb range, NO ducks, not sure what I have going on. Last summer water was clearer with the ring of FA I had-absent this year, very little FA but more aquatic growth. Arrowhead have really started to come back since Craw removal so that did help.
Just really unhappy with water color.

Could your few CC be muddying up the water as they are going after the crayfish?