Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - 4 years into a SMB/WE/YP/GSH/BG pond

The pond I help manage for my family in SE IA is now nearly 4 years post renovation/rebuild and going strong. It is about 1/2 acre and fluctuates from ~14 feet to 20 feet when at full pool. It was stocked with fatheads and GSH initially and we gave them a full summer and fall to populate the pond while it filled. A heavy rainstorm filled it quickly a couple months after stocking and the GSH exploded in population. My grandfather decided it was a good idea to put some adult BG in there that summer unfortunately . It was stocked in early December 2017 with 30 WE. In October of 2018 we added 50 SMB 4-7" and 30 yellow perch.

We run a 100 LPM 12 volt diaphram pump powered by a solar panel and battery bank utilizing a 12" airlit to circulate water in the pond and direct the current towards some pea gravel and rubble areas for spawning. We feed cargill starter diets that are 50% protein and the GSH and yellow perch are very feed trained. The bluegills haven't taken to the feed as much as I anticipated.

We have held the BG population in check with frequent catch/kill and raking the bluegill beds repeatedly during the spawn. The incredible amounts of GSH in the pond keep recruitment down as well. I initially did not expect much YP and SMB recruitment in the pond due to the high numbers of GSH but they have both produced spawns. I believe the airlift and associated current flow has helped in this regard.


I had a couple of hours to kill before a wedding on Saturday, so I took my 6 yr son to the pond and he caught this 16" SMB on a topwater on the second cast and his first walleye about an hour later. Multiple smaller SMB were also caught. He is incredibly passionate about fish/fishing so he was extremely excited to catch his first walleye. It was a magical experience for me to watch. His daddy was so proud!



https://i.imgur.com/P2el4ji.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/jvEEbQf.jpg?1

I don't have many photos, but I'll describe it the best I can. Shoot me a PM if needed and I can go into more detail or get you links for purchases.

It is not a kit, just things that I pieced together. I use a 300 watt solar panel with a MPPT charge controller that charges a deep cycle/RV battery. An affordable 100 LPM 12 volt linear diaphragm pump from aquatic ecosystem discharges to an airlift that I built and sank in the pond. I am not using an airstone in the airlift (got tired of cleaning/replacing), just some holes drilled in 1" pvc which is mounted in the airlift about 48" below the surface. The airlift itself is connected to a bucket full of concrete and draws water from about 3 feet off the bottom in 12 feet of water. The airlift is 12" pvc that elbows into a tee/breather (to allow air to leave and water to continue out). You can kind of see it in the background of the picture links I have posted above. Fluctuating water levels impact its flow rate slightly when it drops below the top of the pipe outlet but it does a good job when fully submerged as long as the breather pipe is out of the surface.

I have it directed at some spawning substrate. It creates an eddy under the dock and will push pellets on the surface 15-20 feet away from the outlet. We run it during the day and it shuts down at night once the battery falls below a certain voltage. I have another panel that I am going to install and will likely upgrade to a couple golf cart batteries at some point and plan to upgrade to a larger air pump as well.

GSH school up in the eddy and are periodically marauded by packs of SMB and YP. Especially during feeding time. It sure is fun to watch!