Originally posted by james holt:
I turned them loose in the upper part of the pond where there isn't a feeder and the number of predators is much lower.
This post from fellow pond meister James Holt regarding the stocking of his newly acquired coppernose bluegill has compelled me to clear my conscious and reveal a horrible truth.
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Reader, I warn you in advance that this post is disturbing. If you choose to continue reading then life as you know it may never be the same. Flowers will not smell as sweet nor appear as beautiful. The song of bird may no longer sound marvelous and innocent. Reader, I implore you not to continue reading this disturbing story. Close this thread, move to another section of the forum. Preserve the innocence that still resides within you. Heed my warning look elsewhere for knowledge and inspiration.
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The telling of this story brings back horrible memories that haunt me to this day. I've never told this story for fear of upsetting my friend and fellow Pond Boss forum member Dave In El Dorado (DIED). But I can't hold this terrible secret in my head any longer, my conscious is heavy. One last plea Reader, turn back, it�s not too late, some things need not be experienced, some truths need not be known.
It all started one bright sunny day with a trip to DIED's place. DIED had generously offered to give me some Gambusia (Gams) to release in my pond. After carefully netting some Gams and returning to our property my wife and I surveyed the pond for a quiet predator free place to release our innocent, blissful little fish. We found a serene corner of the pond. The setting was perfect, calm clear water, a nice shady location. A brilliant blue song bird lit on my shoulder and sang us a beautiful melody. I could tell that our Gams were going to live a wonderful life in our pond. So I lowered the bucket to the ponds surface and gently poured my new found friends into their new home.
The 70 or so Gams formed a nice little school and began merrily swimming out toward the center of the pond. My wife and I were marveling at our cute little Gams and how happy they looked. Many of the Gams actually appeared to be smiling as they swam away. We praised DIED for his generosity and his role in our very first pond stocking event.
And that's when it all went so horribly wrong. Out of the depths rocketed six or seven juvenile bass. The surface of the water suddenly exploded with angry activity. Our jaws collectively dropped as we observed the carnage. Innocent Gams were leaping from the water in an attempt to escape the hungry mob of bass. Six or seven Gams were immediately consumed in the melee. The poor Gams were swallowed whole before they ever knew of any threat of danger. The school of Gams became divided into two small schools. One school attempted to swim to deeper water while the other swam along the shallow shore line and headed for cover. The school that attempted to escape into deeper water was subjected to repeated attacks. In twos and threes the Gams were disappearing. The school received devastating losses. The second school that had headed for cover now cowered in the shallow vegetation. They were obviously traumatized by the carnage that they had narrowly escaped. Their innocence was lost forever.
As quickly as it had begun it was over. My wife and I felt horrible. It was akin to receiving a gift of cuddly, cute lambs that my friend Dave had lovingly raised and recklessly having thrown the innocent lambs into a pen of voracious wolves. A cloud suddenly blocked the sun and the sky became dark, the air had a chillingly foreboding feeling to it. The songbird had stopped it�s beautiful singing, it cocked its head to stare at me with a searing, angry look in his all knowing eye. As the glorious bird flew away it defecated upon my shoulder expressing disgust and disapproval.
In my imagination I can still hear the screams of those Gams. I imagine them to be much like the screams of lambs being slaughtered. I want the screams to stop, I want the screams to go away, I want never to hear the screams again. All I want is.........
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The Silence of the Gams.
