Eric, mud is the big issue, but heat didn't help any. Right now is a rough water here for me. The hatchery is muddy, and Todd Overton and I have faced that same issue before and found that bluegill were choking to death because of the huge amount of muddy water also.
We should have moved them a week or two before which would let them go deeper into the cooler water. But, I'm fighting blue/green algae and it's bad too. I've been keeping all the weeds in the big pond to help use up the nutrients, but the bluegill in the big pond are barely feeding and moving also.
Having a 13 acre pond is great for everything but one's pocket.
I thought I was having trouble. Puts my minor problems in perspective. Good luck with the rain and heat. Hope you get a reprieve. I stocked HSB twice. We’ve caught 2 in 10 years. The rest have disappeared. I guess mine sink when they die, or my painted turtles eat them up before I see them.
12 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep. RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (decreasing), SMB, and HSB (only two have been seen in 5 yrs) I think that's about all I should put in my little pond. Otter attack in 2023.
