Thanks for the reply Theo, and nice pictures. How can you tell the difference between male and female?
Have about an acre pond with big catfish. With lots of little GSF, BG, or mix, I don't know. But I posted a picture of a few of them today for forum members to look at and give their opinion along with some general pictures of my pond. I also have some very large bigger than my hand, thick bodies, with very pretty orange on the underside turquoise around the head. They are rarely caught. They may be some of the original HBG I stocked several years ago. I also have some but not many BG from 4 to maybe 6" (I have bought a carpenters rule and will start keeping better records and measurements). I stocked a few bass when the pond was built many years ago but I think ducks got them all. I have never seen any since that first sping and I was totally out of FHM's too. I restocked the minnows but was afraid to stock small bass because the catfish would eat them and kind of thought there were surely a few and they would make babies. That was the first three years, then came three years where our average rain fall was getting to be like west Texas. I had several 60' 70' oaks die, even last year a huge one lost its leaves in Aug. but luckly it came back this year.
What you said on feeding makes sense. I think sometimes I need reassurance. As far as the beds, I have few flat areas and using the gravel helps me level places out, and it's and excuse for playing in the mud. At 55 one has to have some excuse for rolling in mud, lol. It is an inside area close to bushes and weeds that flood when the pond is full, which it usually will be during breeding season. It is about 3 feet down now, but for this area that is to be expected or worse. Better than 8 or 9 like he last three years, not much pond left then. I let some of the brush stick up for birds, dragon and damsel flies it goes to the bottom from a few feet to about ten, but in those outside areas it is mostly 4 to 6 feet under water even at 3 feet down. In one of the pictures I posted I am in the water and my daughter is in the boat handing me coffee cans of pea gravel after I measure the depth, pour it in and level it out.
I hope you are right about getting BG like you and George. He has a much larger pond, but Plano is only about 60 miles west of me.
Is your new pond starting to fill?
Again thanks for the advice and pictures. BTW were you in a past life a Roman Emperor or some important senator. Theodorous? Gallus stikes a bell deep in my tired old brain, but I can't place it.
Last edited by Bill Webb; 09/30/07 01:21 AM.
