Mark,
It's a small world! I used to be the MDC fish biologist out of the Chillicothe and then Pony Express (just west of Cameron)offices. Our soils up here are inherently fertile so do not fertilize as of yet. Ponds around here that need fertilizing are very rare.
I suppose you are located near Hamilton. I, too, am a neighbor. I live between Polo and I-35 off HWY 116 in Caldwell County.
I'm sure you've read some great tips about structure. I also like to lay-out landscape fabric parallel with the shoreline for about 10 yards and then extend into pond about 6 feet. I do this to prevent early-on submerged vegetation in this small area. I then cover it with gravel to make future spawning areas. The gravel also serves to create interstitial spaces for invertebrates to colonize.
I was ice fishing 3 miles NW of Hamilton just today. It was getting soupy on the ice. With our cold spell snapped, I'd say that tomorrow will be the last day to yank 'gillies from under the ice. NW Missouri is a great place to live....especially for sportsmen.
