Thanks for the welcome guys.
I will try and use this thread for more background on my pond experience, but for now a little story on how I knew my wife was a keeper.
Flash back to a little farmhouse in murphysboro on 28 acres with 2 ponds. Lets just say that things were little late, so I went to wally world for a test. Got home and handed it to Becky, a couple of minutes later I hear 'Holy #$?&%, uhh Matt I'm going to to take a shower and we are going to go to the hospital'.
This was not a planned pregnancy, kind of a shock more like it.
I told here fine, I was going down to the front pond to fish and to give me a 2 minute warning so I could get back up to the car.
This was Ok with her!!!
I don't think my response would have flown with too many other women. Every time we have problems I just think back to this and laugh.
I know I took a rod down with me, but I really don't think I fished that time.
I may have fished when we got back from the hospital, after finding out for sure that I was going to be a daddy.
I spent a lot of time fishing that summer, until I headed out of town for a few months of work and then our landlord went crazy (literally, comitted and then remanded to some one elses custody). Needless to say we had to leave there quick, which is why we ended up in town in marion (first house that would take a big dumb dog). We hate it here.
I finished moving boxes into the new house in first week of November, November 30, 2005 we got our 'keeper' Gracie Sophia.
I can't wait to take her fishing.
Oh yeah, Brettski, where in IL are you located, if you don't mind me asking. I seem to think you are more central IL.

Matt