First of all, let me say thank you to everyone who has helped us with our pond projects. My dad and I really enjoy and appreciate this forum. We want to thank the countless PB friends who have given us direct advice, as well as those who have taught us indirectly simply by sharing their stories even when they didn’t realize they were helping us or giving us great ideas. I only hope we can start to give back as much as we’ve received once we start to learn and gain more PB experience.

We haven’t met our goals yet, but we’re well on our way. The little BG pond (1/4-1/5 acre) still has too many fish and is too nutrient-rich, but the BG are in great body shape despite the overcrowding. We should probably stop feeding until we get the constant blooms under control. We’ve also been catching BG from 6-10” and transporting them to other ponds. We’ve probably taken out 40-50 so far. We did catch a 5” LMB in that pond (despite hoping that the abundant BG would keep LMB reproduction to a minimum). The few adult LMB we purposefully put in are fat & happy with all the BG, fatheads, and gambusias. There are also a few CCs and HSB in there as well, but that is not the focus of the pond. They are more of a “bonus” fish that we can catch occasionally. Neither should reproduce, which is why they’re allowed to remain in that pond.

I posted this pic of a BG on the thread “Questions about Raising Bluegills,” but here it is again:


Here is one of the happy LMB:



The CC pond (1.5- 2 acres) is still turbid (more on that below), but the fish are doing well on the pellet food. We see a few CCs come up and feed that measure WELL over a foot whisker tip to whisker tip. I’m guessing we have a few about 10 lbs? The few adult LMB in there are getting large, but they’re nearly impossible catch on artificials with the extremely low visibility. We’re trying to clear the pond to the point we can enjoy catching other species, but the focus will remain CCs.


The big pond (4-5 acres), although low, is gorgeous. Since we haven’t posted any updates lately, here are a few pics of the finished product. As soon as the water level rises again, it’ll really be something. The biggest thing we’re trying to remember is that all of our ponds are still young and that helps curb our expectations at this point. Nonetheless, the LMB, HSB, CC, and even the BG and RES are looking nice.

Here is a shot of the main dock with the small dock for the 2nd feeder in the background:



In this pic, you can see the “little” island to the right and the “big” island to the left. Off frame to the left is more open water and the dam side, while off frame to the right are the two docks and two inlets.



Here is a little closer shot of the two docks.



Now for the actual fish in the big pond. Here are two examples of the young, fat LMB. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pics of Todd Overton’s famous LLMB [Longhorn LMB], which is our feed-trained, tagged LMB that have an orange hue when they feed. We've caught them repeatedly, though, and their relative weights are really something.

Young LMB:





Yesterday, we really got into the HSB. My dad and I literally had a simultaneous hook-up, which was fun to say the least.

Here is the HSB double.



Here is a pic of a HSB caught on our rosey-red imitation lure. Yes, we stocked roseys.


Another HSB:


They aren’t the monsters of Bruce and George, but we’re getting there. They sure enjoy the Aquamax LMB pellets!



Finally, while trying to sample big BG and small LMB in the big pond, we caught this little gem. Recognize the lure?








I don’t know why, but our CCs in the big pond have consistently hit lures. It adds another dimension I’m not used to, and it sure makes the fishing more fun. You never know what’s coming when you set the hook.



Last but not least, we’re building a new pond. Not just ANY pond . . . a CRAPPIE pond! This one is separated from the big pond by a high dirt road, and barring a major flood, they’ll stay that way.
It will be 1.5- 2 acres. Right now, we’re planning on stocking Roseys/FHs, GSH, Black Crappie, and HSB. Possibly threadfin shad as well.

Stocking: First, add FHs, FHs, and more FHs while getting the water clearer.
Then add GSH and Crappie fingerlings.
Add mature RES for a bonus fish and a small boost of forage. Hopefully Todd Overton will be able to provide some mature RES (1/2-3/4 lb) so that we can stock them after the FH, GSH, and Crappie.

The goal: We’re hoping Crappie and FHs/rosey complement each other. For the deeper, open water, we’re hoping HSB and GSH fill the predator/forage niche. The threadfins would help here as well.

***We’ll possibly add mature female-only LMB after 2 years if we feel the HSB (and fishermen) are not adequately controlling the crappie numbers.
***NO BG. The reason we don’t want BG is because I think BG-Crappie combination would be tougher to control than Crappie and FHs. We’re willing to repeatedly re-stock FHs as much as necessary. I know that adult LMB actually lose weight chasing FHs, but would this happen with Crappie? I’m assuming Crappie are small enough that an abundance of FHs would allow consumption > energy spent. Any thoughts?

Are we on the right track with this plan? We don’t have actual stocking numbers yet . . . right now we’re trying to solidify species. Also, is it the general consensus that black crappie are better than white crappie for this size pond? I know that black crappie do not produce as many eggs as white crappie and, in theory, should be easier to control. On the other hand, black crappie thrive better in clear water, and our water is likely to be turbid until treated with at least one ton of gypsum. Right now we’re still leaning toward black crappie.

Here are a few pics of the recent pond construction. Hopfully after it is finished, the much-needed rains will come!

First is the obligatory in-action construction photo:



Here is a shot of the soon-to-be dam.


On the left is the road that separates the big pond from the new pond. It will be elevated even more. Also, the cement culvert pipes in the photo will provide great structure when the pond is finished.



The new pond will have a long peninsula with about 12’ of water on either side. This is the beginning of the peninsula.


Finally, here is a shot across the pond of the trees awaiting their new home at the bottom of the pond.




If you’ve read this far, you deserve a gold star. However . . .
I do have two more questions:
Due to drought, our CC pond (~1.5 acres) is about 8’ max depth right now. Visibility is anywhere from 0” to 2”—drinkable if you like coffee with lots of cream, as Theo would say. Yesterday we added our first batch of gypsum—36 bags at 40 lbs each. The tilapia wintered in this pond despite the drought depth and the occasional freeze . We’ve seen them large and small feeding on pellets with the CCs.

In the big pond, we have yet to see a tilapia since the fall. We’re hoping at least some of them wintered. That pond is at least 15’ deep even with the drought, and visibility fluctuates but is usually around 12”. In theory, the tilapia should have wintered in the bigger, deeper pond and NOT in the shallower, smaller pond, but the opposite seems to be true.

Could the muddier water in the CC pond have helped the tilapia make it through the winter, even if the CC pond is shallower? If clarity/suspended clay particles have anything to do with temperature of the water and/or its effects on fish, how much difference can it make?
I did find a website that said: “Turbidity is the condition resulting from suspended solids in the water, including silts, clays, industrial wastes, sewage and plankton. Such particles absorb heat in the sunlight, thus raising water temperature, which in turn lowers dissolved oxygen levels.”
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/fenlewis/Waterquality.html

This answers part of the question, but I still don’t know whether extremely turbid water keeps the temperature high enough to save tilapia despite shallower water. In other words, I don’t know how MUCH turbidity helps keep water temperature up.

Another thought: If fish cannot sight-feed as well in the low visibility water, then it’s possible that the tilapia survived the winter even if they got sluggish in the cold water. In the larger pond with more visibility, sluggish tilapia, even if they would have survived like in the CC pond, might have been easy pickins’ for the large LMB and CCs this winter.

Any other thoughts as to if/how the tilapia were able to winter in the CC pond but not the big pond?


My second question relates to the gypsum application. Ignoring muddy water, does the gypsum spread better when the water temperature is warmer or cooler?


I know that as water temperature drops, density increases (until about 34 degrees). The converse is obviously true—when water temperature rises, the water becomes less dense. Would density affect how fast gypsum either settles to the bottom or disperses throughout the water column? If so, I’m assuming that it is best to apply gypsum in cooler, denser water. Of course, we used a trolling motor prop to spread the gypsum, but it is still hard to tell how much settles to the bottom and how much actually disperses.


Thanks for all the help!

David:

Fantastic post.

I don't have any idea on the gypsum - here's a first line reminder for the summary screens.

Turbidity may indeed have lowered albedo enough on the CC pond for the tilapia to overwinter there. Another possible influence for you to evaluate is tree cover - are there major differences between the two ponds on how trees block prevailing winds (or maybe more important - Winter storms from the North) or sunlight? I am sure there are other factors that could make up the difference, and that the other PMs here will come up with most of them.

Lastly, two thoughts:
1) It has been my impression that you and your Dad were already giving back more than you receive here.
2) Brettski must have seen a picture of your covered dock. I think he super-sized it just a little when he built his.

Theo's second note
Some 3 years ago, when I embarked on the pond journey and concurrently stumbled across PB, Al was amongst the first to step up and help answer the laundry-list of pond construction questions I delivered. At that time, Dave was just a twinkle in the Ahvatsa/forum mind. They were in the midst of completing their 5 ac jewel. Al provided alot of support and inspiration for our project. Yep, his cool dock/deck was my model.
-
Jeff Gaines was another forum member that inspired our dock/deck. If you're out there, Jeff, cyber-hi-5 to ya!

Dave, Your post is very interesting. I have read through it a couple times already. Good work!

Dave and Al,

Happy Easter! I hope to get to see your setup in person someday. You already have given a lot back.

It is obvious that your bluegill are in great body condition. Impressive picture, but I want more!!

Hooray for HSB doubles.   Too much fun! 

I recognize the lure. I’ve caught many crappie on them, and also a couple of bluegill. They are dynamite.

My thoughts on the all crappie pond… I think that fatheads and crappie are a perfect mix, but I really like the idea of having at least a small feeder that would distribute a few pellets right next to a crappie holding structure. That way you get stupid fatheads wandering up to get the pellets, and BOOM, bye-bye fatheads.

In regards to black vs. white crappie, I have always in the past recommended black crappie, but your situation is unique. If you anticipate slightly turbid water, and primarily a fish based prey source I would at least entertain the idea of white crappie, or even a mixture of the two. Conventional wisdom is that if your crappie are mostly piscivorous, that whites would do better. I think they certainly grow as big, if not bigger in a situation like this.

I’ll let somebody else comment on water chemistry issues, since I am a water chem idiot.

Please keep the pictures coming.


Bruce

-- --

Check your snail mail for how to do the crappie pond as per SEP. See this link last few posts http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...ite_id=1#import .

With all that forage and not real clear water I would go with the larger White Crappie. I think a review of the archive crappie thread would be good. ? hybrid crappie ?

Your family continues to do way more than its part -- in fact Al's slide show was the first access to pics/slide show and chronicle the entire pond renovation.

Really impressive stuff. Congrats guys

Thank you all very much for the kind words and helpful comments. It is a privilege to learn and share with all of you. Dwight and heybud, thanks for the words of affirmation.


Theo wrote:
“Turbidity may indeed have lowered albedo enough on the CC pond for the tilapia to overwinter there. Another possible influence for you to evaluate is tree cover - are there major differences between the two ponds on how trees block prevailing winds (or maybe more important - Winter storms from the North) or sunlight? I am sure there are other factors that could make up the difference, and that the other PMs here will come up with most of them.”

Good points, Theo. I still have a hard time believing that turbidity could overcome what is essentially a 7’ maximum depth difference between the two ponds such that it is the reason that the tilapia survived in the shallower CC pond and not the big pond. Nonetheless, it may indeed be the case. As I indicated in the first post, I do know that turbidity increases water temperature. I will be amazed if it could make that much difference, but I thought the idea had enough merit to post.

At the closest point, the big pond and the CC pond are maybe 50 yards apart. However, the CC pond is more bowl-shaped and sits lower than the big pond. Thus, the big pond is more open and exposed to the weather. This very well could have made a difference in tilapia wintering. OTOH, the big pond is tree-lined, while the CC pond has virtually no trees around it. Further, the majority of the trees and the elevated dam *should* protect the north side of the big pond more than any other side, which would mean it should hold its temperature better in the winter. The CC pond might get a little more sunlight due to no trees, but I doubt it is enough to make the difference.



Brettski wrote:
“Some 3 years ago, when I embarked on the pond journey and concurrently stumbled across PB, Al was amongst the first to step up and help answer the laundry-list of pond construction questions I delivered. At that time, Dave was just a twinkle in the Ahvatsa/forum mind. They were in the midst of completing their 5 ac jewel. Al provided alot of support and inspiration for our project. Yep, his cool dock/deck was my model.”

Who you callin’ a twinkle? j/k I’m glad my dad was able to offer both construction advice and a model dock. He and I both learned by trial and error (LOTS of error). Even error has never so much fun.



Bruce wrote:
“Dave and Al,
Happy Easter! I hope to get to see your setup in person someday. You already have given a lot back.
It is obvious that your bluegill are in great body condition. Impressive picture, but I want more!!
Too much fun! Hooray for HSB doubles.
I recognize the lure. I’ve caught many crappie on them, and also a couple of bluegill. They are dynamite.

My thoughts on the all crappie pond… I think that fatheads and crappie are a perfect mix, but I really like the idea of having at least a small feeder that would distribute a few pellets right next to a crappie holding structure. That way you get stupid fatheads wandering up to get the pellets, and BOOM, bye-bye fatheads.

In regards to black vs. white crappie, I have always in the past recommended black crappie, but your situation is unique. If you anticipate slightly turbid water, and primarily a fish based prey source I would at least entertain the idea of white crappie, or even a mixture of the two. Conventional wisdom is that if your crappie are mostly piscivorous, that whites would do better. I think they certainly grow as big, if not bigger in a situation like this.
I’ll let somebody else comment on water chemistry issues, since I am a water chem idiot.
Please keep the pictures coming.”


First of all, Happy Easter! Thanks for the kind words about our BG. The little BG pond might just be my favorite (at least at certain times of the year). Anytime you make it down our way, you have an open invitation to the place. I’ll try to get more BG pictures and post them. The one above has one of the better Wrs of the BG from that pond, but it certainly isn’t the biggest overall BG we’ve caught. Pound for pound, BG might fight even better than HSB. I love catching them!

I really appreciate your crappie advice (no pun intended—couldn’t help myself). I didn’t think of whites doing as well in that size pond, but you bring up a good point with the turbid water and the abundant forage base we’re planning. We will definitely feed pellets on this pond as well, and I like your idea of having the pellets float over the crappie structure. I personally would love having whites or both.


ewest wrote:
“Check your snail mail for how to do the crappie pond as per SEP. See this link last few posts http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...ite_id=1#import .

With all that forage and not real clear water I would go with the larger White Crappie. I think a review of the archive crappie thread would be good. ? hybrid crappie ?

Your family continues to do way more than its part -- in fact Al's slide show was the first access to pics/slide show and chronicle the entire pond renovation.”


Once again, thanks for the kind words. We’ll keep an eye out for the mail. Thanks for the links as well—I can never find the best threads like you can!
Like Bruce, you bring up good points with the white crappie. I’m actually very pleased to hear that both of you think we can make the work given our expected conditions. We’ve thought about hybrid crappie, but since the goal of this pond is to have fun catching and eating good-sized crappie and HSB, we actually want the reproduction in this case—even if it is not always predictable.

Do you think crappie/FHs and then HSB/GSH/possibly threadfin shad are good combinations? I just love the idea of a crappie/HSB predator pond if we can make it work. I know Crappie suspend in deeper water as well, but in my mind the HSB will rule the open water, and the crappie will act more like LMB in this pond, cruising the shallows for FHs and pellets. No LMB in this pond unless we need female-only to control the crappie, and no BG.


Does anyone ever recall reading whether gypsum spreads better in cooler or warmer water? Cooler water, being more dense, would seem to slow the amount of gypsum that sinks to the bottom. However, could warmer (less dense) water actually allow the suspended particles to bond to/absorb the gypsum better? It makes sense either way, but one of those thoughts is bound to be wrong.

d read that link. I don't think it will work without the tshad based on the SEP results.

Dave, not a lot of us have gypsum experience. I would contact US Gypsum. I did it once and got some pretty interesting EMails from them. I do remember that they recommended a larger size of gyp pellet to keep the stuff from washing around in a pond on a windy day. I've never considered water temp as being a factor and with the larger pellet it shouldn't matter(I guess).

I hope y'all don't mind a little update on our progress.

The little BG pond actually has less FA now than during the winter. We still watch it closely and put the water pumps on it occassionally.

We've caught mostly BG out of this pond, but this spring we're finding yoy RES. We stocked CNBG a few years ago but have not seen any. My wife and I did a little sampling last weekend. Are these three different fish CNBG? They seem to have the "bar" above the nose, but I'm not sure whether BG could have the coloring seen in these fish as well. The "bar" seems to extend beyond the nose to the lower jaw, which makes me second-guess whether they're CNBG. I've actually not had much experience with CNBG, so I'd appreciate some i.d. help. Could any of these be CNBG/BG x?





And last, but certainly not least, my lovely wife with her "catch of the day:"




If these are indeed CNBG, why are we catching so many all the sudden? We stocked them along with BG and RES. Granted, we stocked BG in higher numbers, but I've been surprised that we haven't seen any CNBG until (hopefully) now.


Here are a few photos of the CC pond. After using both powder and pellet gypsum (total of about one ton), we now have 5-6" of clarity. That is actually a vast improvement. We're actually seeing LMB chasing forage...something we've yet to see in this pond! The focus of the pond will remain CCs, but unfortunately we're still catching yellow bullheads as well. The photos below were taken while I was standing on the main peninsula of the pond. A series of 4 photos covers the pond, going from southeast to southwest.










Finally, what's a day on the ranch without a redneck picnic. When you have too many people to eat in a small cabin, what do you do? Easy--pull up the trucks, drop the tailgates, and you have a perfectly good table.

wow dave, i havent really seen this entire thread yet....wow again, what a fantastic place.

just to keep my comments brief, they do look like CNBG but others here know more and know better.

p.s. luv the redneck picinic, and glad to see yer a chevy/GM man..... will accept any grief from this last sentence as deemed necessary....

Looks like you and Al are having a ball.

I concur that they are CNBG.

Not sure I understand how turbidity would cause warmer water. I can sorta see how solids would allow the water to hold heat but it seems to me that sunlight penetration should warm the water quicker. And, you guys are butt deep in sunshine. If turbidity does hold heat, it seems to be made to order for tilapia over wintering. Ditto on wind which should keep the solids suspended.

What's the name of that lure? It may be the only one that I don't have. Can't figure out thow the lure makers slipped one by me.

I seem to recall from one of Ewests postings that black and white crappie have the same fecundity.

If you get any rain, don't let Al get those Z71's near any wet spots. You know how he is.

When are you and the Wife coming to Cowtown for Mexican food?

You and Theo knock it off. Gotta go to the book to look up albedo. Don't bother with the long hair explanations. I'll tuff it out.

Great report Dave...keep the pictures coming.
Yep ...CNBG..

That looks like great fun, David. You'll get no vehicular jabs from me - my wife and I have willingly driven nothing but Chevy trucks (and, occasionally, my old Camaro) since 1985.

DD, when you get tired of all that Tex-Mex food, go to a nice Italian restaurant and order the fettucini albedo.

OK, I looked it up. Just what I thought. You guys are pencil whuppin (or keyboard whuppin) in an effort to confuse me. You know durn well that the Muleshoe dictionaries didn't use any word with more than 5 letters.

I thought I'd give an update now that the crappie pond is finished! We just need rain, and lots of it.


First is a shot of one of my favorite views. This is from the dam looking down on the main peninsula.



Next is a shot from our rock "boat ramp" looking back toward the spillway.


Our dozer man did a good job, but he got a bit carried away on the main channel. It's almost a straight drop to 23 feet!


The next two are pics of the spillway itself and the view from the spillway.




Here's a pic of our soon-to-be boat ramp. We just need to smooth the rock and wait for the rains to come.



Here is a shot of the double silt-catcher. This spot should catch a LOT of runoff!




Finally, here are couple shots of our most recent outing. We stopped at the BG pond first thing yesterday morning. On his third cast, my dad catches this:



On my second cast, I catch this:

At least I know where to hook 'em!


Here is one of our tagged, feed-trained LMB. This is one of the skinnier of the tagged ones we've caught.


IIRC, Theo recently remarked that three pondmeisters have reported LMB learning to eat pellets from other (feed-trained) LMB. I'm almost certain our non feed-trained LMB are eating pellets. Feeding time is quite a sight!

Masterpiece! Wow!
Nice work...congrats.

Those are some of the best contour photos I've seen yet! Wow! Bruce likes!

Davatsa -- truly amazing job! If Lusk had a "build a pond with structure" award, you'd win hands down!! Thanks for posting.

How much are we thinkin' Dad's largemouth weighed?

Is that (island/peninsula) gonna be underwater, David? If so, I'd be real tempted to add some long pipe sections (barrels) and vertical posts (masts) and have a sunken battleship.


Did I do that already? I know I've been meaning to.

I have more pellet-eating LMB than ever this year, in smaller sizes, down to 10"-11". I think there may be littler ones than that eating feed as well, that I haven't been able to distinguish yet.

Really nice guys. You are gonna enjoy it. Congrats

Great photos Davasta!

Dave, the lure is called a minnow stick. You can find it here:
http://www.okuma.com.au/storm/prod_minnow_stick.asp

My dad also mentioned it in another thread:
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthread...=true#Post87752


You know I'll keep an eye on him and his toys, wet spots or not. I just hope we get rain sometime soon.

My wife and I will have to plan a trip up there. She loves DFW, and I love mexican food!

Bruce- I'm estimating 4-5 lbs, but we didn't have a scale. Not real long, but she was very shapely!


Theo,
The little "island" to the right will be an underwater island. The actual peninsula with the beginnings of the dock will be underwater at least to where the clay ends and the black dirt begins, and hopefully farther. The water line should be just below the "deck" of the dock. The deck will be where the highest horizontal pieces are located. That should put the underwater island at about 3' below the surface.
We're still trying to decide what type of structure to put and where, so any other ideas like the one you gave are much appreciated!
We have whole trees, cement culverts, and large pipes ready to be placed. I'm sure we'll add porcupines and Christmas trees at some point.

-- --

Great job - that's out PB guys in action.

Those are very nice CNBG. That skinny fish may have just spawned ( can account for 30 % weight loss) . LMB fry in the pond?

I nominate AL for the "Structure King" award. Take a box of gold stars Al - that beats even the slide show pond.

For crappie you will be glad to have that deep vert drop. A great place to catch them as they move up and down in the water col (they do that a lot).

davatsa, if you or your Dad ever want to call and chat, leave me a PM and I'll get you my cell number. I'd love to talk fish and fish management, in particular your desires to grow a trophy bluegill. I have some new ideas that I'd like to kick around with you. Maybe we can do a three way conference.

Bruce

Thanks, guys, for the kind words. We’ve put in a lot of time and labor, and we’re starting to really enjoy the ponds.

Eric, there are a lot of fry in the big pond, but I can't tell what species yet. It is possible some of the LMB have spawned-out and are much skinner than before.

Here's another update on our progress. We finally got some rain! It wasn’t much, but it will help. We got ¾” on Thursday evening and another ¼” this morning.
I’ll tell the tale with pictures:

First, before the rain (thankfully!), we planted seed all around the crappie pond to prevent erosion and help filter/clear the water. We planted sahara bermuda grass, switchgrass, side-oats gamma, bee-wild bundleflower (developed by Texas A&M for deep south Texas), klein grass, “bird buffet,” and various forbs.

Of course, since my dad and I are involved in the process, we didn’t plant seed how most sane people plant. We do it the redneck way: With a Sweeney feeder controlled by a remote/clicker hitched onto the back of a 4x4 jeep Cherokee with mud tires, the back-half of the roof cut off, and a high-rack bus seat. The jeep is also great for riding around and viewing wildlife. I’ve yet to successfully get this jeep stuck in the mud. For seeding, one person drives, and one person sits up top, holds the remote, watches the seed distribution, and yells at the driver to speed up or slow down. Guess who got to drive, and guess who got to sit up top in the dust?

The jeep:



Me with the clicker:



My dad was able to come back through with the tractor and the roller harrow to get the seed and fertilizer buried. The birds were already starting to rob us.



Here is a good view of our “water highway.” Basically, we diverted the water that comes across a county road from a 200-acre watershed. Instead of funneling toward the creek on our place, it is now headed for the crappie pond.
The spillway is the faint line of rock in the back of the picture, and the water will curve around into the pond:






Second, we added structure to the crappie pond.
First order of business in this area was the cement culverts.
Theo, we wanted to build a culvert condo or a sunken ship like you recommended, but it was too muddy to get the tractor in there and stack 'em. Unfortunately, I just can’t deadlift cement culverts like I used’ta could. I must be getting old. I can shove ‘em around, however. Here are the before and after pics.

NOTE: The culverts were placed off the end of the peninsula on the first drop-off before the underwater island.







Next, we staked a few whole trees with fence posts and a driver. To bend the posts back over the trees and anchor them down, I used a sledge hammer.
Here is a before and after with the trees.

Before:



After:






Finally, we added our FH stakes.
In the interest of alliteration, we decided to name this the Future Fathead Fornication Fort.







Our silt catchers are already working as intended:


The pond is slowly starting to fill!


We also got a new dock on the CC pond. It’s nice not having to slip ‘n slide down a wet clay slope anymore.



Now for a few fish.
This week was full of surprises. First, I caught a crappie in our CC pond, and then I caught what I’m fairly certain is a GSF or a GSF x in the big pond. We stocked none of those species.







If this is a greenie, can we obtain membership into the GSF Alliance?


Our LMB in the big pond are doing well. Todd Overton & co. delivered ~50 lbs each of TSH and tilapia, along with about 30 more feed-trained bass. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any stocking pictures because 1- we were too busy chatting and 2- the stocking took place after dark. Todd’s got good folks helping him out.
After all the work, we took a little time to fish:








Finally, we’re starting to catch more young, healthy HSB.

D - yes LMB can lose a lot of weight during the spawn. 20 to 30% is not uncommon.

My guess is that is a HBG. Was the pectoral fin long and pointing back or roundish. The pic looks like it extends well back and is somewhat pointed. That would indicate a HBG. Shape and size look HBG while coloration looks GSF.

Y'all shoulda put some inspiring slogans on them fathead signs.

Nice HBG!

Love the FFFF. We'll need to eventually move that photo into the archives under structure. Really cool.

What a great post, Dave!

Those 4-F shingles are awesome.

Side note: The LMB you have tagged...some look like they are not doing so well where the tags are placed. Any info. on that?

Good catch, Sunil.

I've caught one LMB (the one pictured) that looked like it was having difficulty with the tag. I showed the pic to Todd Overton's guys and asked them if they knew what could be going on. They said that the tag can irritate some LMB more than others, and it's fairly common to see similar sores to the one in the picture. The fish was otherwise healthy, very shapely, and fought hard. I think (and hope) the fish should be fine.

Thanks for the i.d. help, Eric. I don't have much experience with greenies, but I knew that fish wasn't all BG.
I think you are correct--the pectoral fin was more long and pointed, IIRC. I'll remember to get a better look if I catch another one.

We've now caught one crappie each in the big pond and the CC pond. Hopefully that is not a sign of things to come. They belong in their own pond, not the others!

Sunil, I want to note the LMB Todd brought this week were tagged different. Maybe he'll chime in with more info. They arrived past my bedtime.

Al & Dave, thanks guys. I was curious about the tagging process as I've wanted to try it myself for a few years now. Look forward to seeing you guys in a few weeks!

We tagged our broodstock this year with some small operculum tags, but they did not stay put well, so we tagged Al's fish with a simple pelvic fin clip, which should grow back "crooked" and provide an easy way to identify them later on. I would have tagged them with internal anchors but did not have any in stock....as I was counting on them retaining their operculum tags.

The last fish we tagged for Al were done with internal anchor tags, requiring an abdominal incision, which seemed to work great but was somewhat invasive in my opinion. Even so, this type of tag seems to be the best for me so far, considering all the pros and cons.

Here's a little update on the BG pond. I'm really amazed how many fish are in there. I took out 30-40 and transported them to the big pond, and then I removed another 12 to eat. All were 4-10+" inches with most of them in the 6-8" range. Judging by the action at the feeder and how fast they hit small lures, I didn't even dent them.

Here are a few "after" pics:





Here are a few pics of the haul:
Nice female BG


Male CNBG





Iced-down ready for cleaning. They sure tasted good!

Time for a new update. We went down to the place yesterday to begin stocking the new crappie pond and finish many other projects.

It was hot. This is in the shade, unfortunately. It's worse in the sun.



The crappie pond started filling while we were at the conference. We checked on it when we got back Sunday, and it had 12' of water.










Although it's premature, we decided to do a bit of preliminary stocking anyway. I transported TFS from other ponds on our place, and we bought a few pounds of GSH and FHs. My b.i.l. helped us throughout this process.












Here are a few shots from the front gate. The big pond is downhill on the right, and the new crappie pond is just to the left across the road (just out of view).



Another shot of the big pond:




Of course, since our ponds are so low, we added more structure. I recall James Holt (in another thread) mentioning that he catches his best LMB off big rocks. We don't have any big rocks, but I hope cement will work.



It's nice having another big guy (b.i.l.) to help.












Finally, what's a day working around the ponds without a little fishing?

Awesome post, Dave!

What are those three fish in the net with a hand for reference? Don't tell me those are golden shiners.

You know, if Al would adopt me, we would be brothers (even though we already are brothers).

You know you're my brutha-from-another-mutha.

Those are threadfin shad...nice ones, too.

Those look awful big for threadfins.

Awesome place & ponds. Adopt me, too. Only in the cooler months, though.

I assumed they were threadfins, since that was the only type of shad we stocked. I don't have much experience with gizzard shad...could those be gizzards??

Those are Gizzard Shad. Gizzard Shad have a nose, Threadfins do not.

Dangit! I thought we had huuuge threadfins.

sweet pics mandingo

That last shot of the pond beginning to fill really puts it into perspective. Way cool, 'Vatsa family.
Great forum'ocumentary, Dave.

I agree with Bski. Thanks, I know it's tough taking pics during fast action. I'm sure you have something in that pond to partake of the gizzards.
My 1st time to read and view all the thread. Well worth the time.

Nice place. A little redneck work can go a long way.

Hey Dave and Al nice work. My friends in George West say it has been dry. You guys getting any rain? Dolly maybe on the way!

TX715 we understand "redneck work" here. At least they quit calling it 'The Slave Ranch'!
heybud I was in George West last week and they are as dry as us. 2 miles east of me during PB conference they had 5"...we received 1.5. Bring on Dolly. Need her to come in near Corpus/Baffin Bay area for our best chance of rain. My parents are in Rockport for a couple weeks and may need to board up and come north? Would love to see if new spillway works???
Thanks all for the compliments.
al

Thanks for the comments, guys.

I really hope our LMB are big enough to keep the gizzard shad in check. Maybe it's a good thing we caught an alligator gar in that pond???

It will be an interesting experiment.

Jeez, I can relate to that. Last month at our ranch we worked 10 to 12 hours per day for the entire week we were there. By the end of it I couldn't wait to get back to So Cal to rest my bones.

The photos of the place look great guys and the fish Jeez, I only hope one day to have such great looking fish.

Keep the progress photos coming, it is really fun to watch your progress.

Oh and lets not even get started about truck and tractor envy. Dang, fun looking truck and a great Kubota tractor to boot.

I bought this bad boy to work up at our place.....

Latest project


A few fish...wonder what this one was eating????

Great pictures! Keep posting.

A little more about the fence project?

Al, the next time we visit family in S.A. - I want a tour....
I know, you have invited me several times, but visits have been short....next tiem for sure...

You have a show place for sure and know how much labor and love you have given your property - like your "high fence"..

Perhaps too short for deer, but plenty high for catfish!

Forgot to post my little friend

Is that fence to keep bad things out or bad things in? Either way it is a beautiful looking fence.

Man you guys have some monster fish.

Nice size Rattler. DIED grows them big like that also.

George, your invitation is open...whenever you can.
JHAP We want to keep 'GOOD' things IN! Our plans are to move some Axis, Fallow and possibly Sikas down here. My wife likes to watch them.
Frankly, goats may be in order because of smartweed, willows and primrose growth.

****************Greg Grimes*************************

Would you elaborate on your recent article in PB? "We tried repeated applications of four different EPA approved herbicides"...
What works on willows and primrose?
Great article Greg!

I had forgotten talking about exotics with the Vatsa's in Arlington - that was huge fun for an Ahia boy who had only read about them!

Guns 'n Roses rocks! Wait 'til Axis cranks it up with Welcome to the Jungle.

LOL Brettski. Thanks for the nice replies, guys. Theo- we'd be honored to have you out there to hunt with us someday.

We're excited about the projects. Right now, though, I'm most excited about our future BC/WC, HSB, FH, GSH, and TFS pond.


Nonetheless, the first order of business before Todd comes for our "pond electrotherapy session" is to use steel leaders and live and/or cut 5"+ BG to catch some of those nasty alligator gar out of the LMB pond. Tough job...I know...but I'll bite the bullet and do it. Unfortunately, that's one of the ways we'll probably catch more of those large CC as well.

Brettski
I think that's the crap my wife puts on for an afternoon of
bushhoging. Diesel, graphic equalizer with an Ipod hookup. That'll get it! She brings new light to tractoring! Glad she wears her seatbelt. Then I get to hear it again at Spur's home games.
I just want a little Barry White, at the pier, to help the 'gills do their thing...

Well, at least Dave knows where to look for his lost CD's.
-
hmmmmm....the Barry White influence on BG fecundity....explains alot.

Being a city boy I had no idea what Axis, Fallow and Sikas were so I googled them. Wow beautiful animals. I can't imagine having those majestic animals roaming around.

Did I mention that I have huge, ornery Grey Squirrels on my property? (oh the humiliation)

You know Electrotherapy sessions always sound like they are going to be more fun than they actually are. Of course since you're doing it to your pond you might have a different experience that me.

Slowly getting there(New Crappie Pond). Have had several 1-1.5" rains. Unfortunately the Bass and Catfish ponds need creek to run for a sizeable increase. 4-5" rains in area but not on us yet!



I was worried about runnoff and seems there will be NO problem with this one.

Refresh our memories, Al. What do you already have in this pond if anything?

Looks great.

10# FH 10# GS a few Shad from another pond. Plan is for 150 Black crappie some mature RES and a lot or minnows. This is subject to change when Todd sees and decides what's best.

What is the size of the pond again, and how big will the crappie be when stocked?

2a when full. I designed for a possible increase in size in future. The redirected drainage through the field has surpassed anything I anticipated. Need to see how pond and spillway handles 4-5" rain before any decisions made. Could get interesting???
Crappie size, as big as Todd can grow...
HSB next spring or fall for Crap. Control.

Time for a new update. The crappie pond is coming along nicely. Even with the minimal amount of rain we've had, our expected watershed for this pond has done much better than we'd hoped. The redirected drainage through a large field has performed extremely well. All of the different grasses we planted in there help reduce the sediments in the water entering the pond. The FHs and GSH have spawned several times throughout the spring, summer, and fall. There were thousands of brand new fry even yesterday...can't tell if they are FHs or GSH yet.

Here are a few pics of the filling pond:





The structure awaiting its new watery home.


Of course a feeder was required to keep our growing forage base fat & happy.


A view from the makeshift boat launch to the dam side. This shows one arm of the "U" shape of the pond.


Stocking day arrived again! With our abundant forage, we felt it was time to turn loose 50 black crappie. The plan for this pond is FHs, black (and possibly white) crappie, GSH to help control the crappie fry, and HSB and TFS to create an open-water forage/predator combo.

The crappie before being set free in the candy store. They all looked to be around 6".


We'd love RES as a bonus fish in the crappie pond (no bluegill, though). We managed to catch a RES from the little BG pond. It was quickly transported to its new home in the crappie pond.


Bullhead duty in the BG pond. If my hands get stuck by a stinkin' bullhead one more time...


Taking kiddos fishing...that's what it's all about! The smile on the six year-old's face is priceless!


Unfortunately, we're about to lose our CC pond...or what's left of it. After a severe drought (the crappie pond drainage being the exception), we're down to about 3-4' max depth and about 1/3 the normale surface acreage. Here's the good news: With inevitable death for the CC if we don't get rain anytime soon, it gives us a great excuse to start either 1) transporting fish, or 2) harvesting. Two words: FISH FRY!
With a little help on Sunday, I was able to get a few beauties.





Tonight, my wife and I are heading to my dad's to enjoy a fish fry with my grandparents. On Friday, my dad, grandfather, and I will make our annual trek northwest to deer camp. As our wise friend George always says, "Life is good!"

davatsa,

Beautiful fish, great looking pond.

I'm somewhat of a crappie fancier too. If your FHM all get eaten up (as mine did!), do you think baby RES and TFS will make sufficient forage for the BC? Do you have a backup plan?

That next to last photo appears to be a Herculean effort.

Thanks, Theo.

I have rather long arms as well, and I can do a mean Condello pose. Not as good as the master himself, though.

Bobad,
That is a good question. We're somewhat hoping the crappie will target the GSH, TFS, or small RES when FHs run low. However, the TFS should be more of an open water forage for the HSB, the GSH should help control crappie reproduction, and we don't plan on having enough RES to adequately feed the crappie. Truth be told, we'll probably get 100 pounds of roseys or FHs from Todd Overton 2-3 times per year. It's not the most efficient way of doing it, but we think and hope it will work.

Our most recent stocking should get the ball rolling. The FHs and GSH are so thick you can see hundreds (maybe thousands?) from any spot on the shoreline. The 50 crappie are having a ball I'm sure. We'll probably stock more mature crappie at some point if we can get some from Todd. We're also looking to stock some mature RES within a year, unless we can catch/seine some of the larger ones from the BG pond.

Al has got the fish itch again and I guess I'm gonna scratch it for him. What you really need, Al, is some dang water. I've got some nice stock at the moment.

The place looks INCREDIBLE!!!!

BTW, the caption for the treefish mentioned bullhead. I am lousy at fish ID's but those look like channels to me. Am I wrong as usual?

That's right. Bruce could make the Bullheads look that big.

Davatsa...

Have you considered adding some Gambusia minnows to the pond? They are pretty prolific and would add yet another food source for your crappie.

Great update! Thanks for posting it. It's very fun to see what is going on at other people's ponds!

Thanks for the compliments, Rex.

In that picture, there are actually three bullheads and a bluegill. The easiest way for me to tell the difference between a small CC and a bullhead is that the bullheads have a straight (or slightly curved) caudal fin, while channels have a noticeable fork.

i'm insanely jealous. yers is filling up while mine is draining......birth vs (near) death. the growth rates on the gills, tilapia and cats is impressive, beautiful place and fish dave and al.

DIED, much needed rain forcasted for the weekend. Perhaps our mudholes will get a boost of water!

They have appeared naturally in our other ponds. I have not been able to i.d. any gambusias yet in the crappie pond. They would be a good food source while present, but do you think they would last long?

In your warm climate, with rare ice cover at best, I bet they would. Gams are just incredibly prolific IME (limited).

Davasta...

From what I have heard, they are about as prolific as you can get here in Texas.

dave if you (or sunil) would please translate the parenthetical portion of this thread title i would appreciate it.....or do i have to press 1 first?

if you get some shoreline weeds goin in the crappie pond, the gams will do fine. with only open water they will likely dissappear.

If I have to press 1 to vote, you can press 1 on this thread.


That's exactly what I was worried about, Dave. We've had gams in our other ponds, and I know they are prolific in our area, but we have trouble keeping them around.
As of now, the shoreline is bare, but we've planted all around it. If we can get a good rain, hopefully we'll get some shoreline weeds goin.

Dave, I think he means "More Questions."

Actually the spanish word for question is pregunta. Many times folks (myself included sometimes) add "o" or "os" to the end of words in an effort to speak spanish as in the question "Where is el bathroomo?" or "More beero please."

Understando?

Davasta...

If you don't have grass or weeds along the shoreline, you can plant some or construct some type of barrier out of a silt fence like what they use at construction sites. Toss in a few Gambusia in your new pen and put a little Barry White on a boom box. This can be something you can cycle through every couple of weeks when the fry hatch. This might help until you can get some plants or bushes planted along the pond edge.

Weirdo

Time for a new update.

After trying to find a time when all of us could get together, my dad and I finally met Todd Overton and Clint, his right-hand man, down at the ponds on a warm, South Texas December 9, 2008. At July’s conference, my dad was fortunate enough to win the auction for a free electro-shocking survey by Todd Overton. All proceeds went to the Jesse West Endowment at SDSU—an extremely worthy cause. Thanks, Todd, for being selfless enough to offer such a great service for the auction.

To make the trip a bit more worthwhile, Todd also brought some FHs, GSH, RES, and BC. They all went into the new crappie pond that is about half full. That pond will have FHs, GSH, TFS, RES, HSB, and BC.

It was neat for me to be in the boat with Todd and Clint when they did the survey. Of course, I played back-up and netted the ones Clint missed. The only problem with that is that I missed way more than he did. Oh well. Nonetheless, I was impressed with how many pounds of fish we netted in just a short amount of time. The gizzard shad and BG seem to be doing well. It appears we need to harvest some of the HSB—we caught many more than expected and their growth rate has not been as good as we’d hoped. The LMB, with the exception of some low Wrs on the smaller fish, are doing very well.

The LMB pond filled in January and February of 2006. Although it is just under three years-old, the largest LMB shocked-up was just shy of 7 lbs. We missed a few other large fish. On a side note, my dad hooked a LMB in that pond a few weeks ago that he conservatively believes was pushing double digits. He did not land the fish, but it came completely out of the water and gave him a few close looks. That’s when you realize the hard work is paying off.

Todd did stock 50 feed-trained LMB and a few 3-4# fish about a year-and-a-half ago. Could one of those fish (gorging on gizzard shad) have already reached double digits? Either way, this is not a trophy LMB pond. Our goal for this pond is to have as many 3-6# LMB as possible so family and friends can enjoy catching quality fish. An occasional lunker will be a great bonus. In line with the rest of this thread, and because a picture is worth 1,000 words, here is the day in pictures.

One final note: Todd is a class act with a first-rate operation. It has been a pleasure knowing him and doing business with him. Despite having a new baby boy, he was willing to come down and share his time and knowledge with us. Thanks, Todd!

Todd’s rig:







We don’t have any action shots because yours truly was helping Todd and Clint in the boat. But here are some pics of Todd weighing and measuring our haul.





































Here is a shot of Clint recording all the data.




And my personal favorite photo.




Just as Todd and Clint were weighing and measuring the final fish, a much-appreciated cold front blew in and the temperature started dropping. They hunted for hogs on our place until dark. Both saw hogs. One of them couldn’t get a shot at the fast-moving critters, and the other one got a good shot but missed. To protect the innocent, I won’t say who is who. Hopefully the hogs will not be so lucky when I pay them a visit in the morning. Fresh pork…YUM!

So, davatsa....

Do they have some deal in Texas where you can pay 20 bucks and have your picture taken with a supermodel?

LOL, Bruce. Actually, they do. But there's no guarantee she'll marry you. I just got lucky, and I thank God every day. She's a beautiful woman inside and out.
I showed her your comment. She said, "I like that guy. I'm glad he's your friend."

I'll try to post the pics again in a larger size. Maybe that'll do Todd's work a little more justice.

Great photos davasta. Although you mentioned that didn't intend to create a trophy bass pond it looks like you might just be stuck with one. I guess you'll just have to suffer with it.

Dave must be doing something right to snag a woman like that. Props to you Dave!! We haven't put our report together for this pond yet, but for the most part we are pleased.

I'm not pleased with the internal anchor tags I used on some of the feedtrained bass, because it was obvious that they pulled out, despite being recommended specifically for bass. I'm not a fan of tagging fish, but I am a fan of the pelvic fin clipping.

This pond has a significant population of fairly large size baitfish like adult bluegill, gizzard shad, and tilapia. Few intermediate and young-of-year bluegill were observed. Few shiners and threadfin shad were observed. The main factor influencing the dwindling population of small baitfish for the time being is the low water level....7 ft low, so all fish are concentrated. Some dense structure can be placed along the shoreline now to provide sanctuary for bluegill when the pond fills again. The current largemouth bass population is being sustained mainly by gizzard shad (stocked by the creek). We've added this evidence to the pile of existing evidence that gizzard may indeed have their place in the food chain for largemouth bass and other large predators.

I am pleased with the look of most of the fish, and will be recommending the stocking of additional adult florida influenced wild bass with pelvic fins clipped, to take advantage of the big bait fish. We'll also recommend the harvest of some HSBs, and the feeding of high protein feed in both feeders in the future.

We plan to install windmill aeration in the spring.

We'll be working on the compilation of data to provide Al and Dave RWs on their bass, so that they can post that data for the forum if they like.

By the way, I was the one that missed that hog from 60 yards. Shot the gun from that distance yesterday and was a full 8" high, so after adjustments I'm zeroed in again.

Al and his son Dave are outstanding gentlemen, which is why I always look forward to that trip south. We appreciate their letting us scare their hogs away from the deer corn.

Todd,
Now that you're zeroed in again, you need to come give 'em another try. Knowing my dad, I'm sure we'll need some fish again when we do the windmill aeration. Maybe the Florida or Tigre LMB? If it's still cool enough and the hogs are still around, take some pork home.


I bet you never thought you'd be paid in pig parts like in the Communist-era Soviet Union.

Well, the CC pond is virtually gone. We still have a few small BG and (unwanted) crappie left in there, but the big CC up to 15+ pounds, LMB, and HSB are gone. We're in a severe drought. I guess now would be a good time to expand the pond and remove silt. The pics below show most of the pond, except for a long inlet that goes back behind where the feeder is pictured.







The fish in our crappie pond are doing well, but there is a film-like substance coating the water on the wind-driven side of the pond. It almost looks like an oil spill. Any ideas what it could be?







We've never had anything like that before. Well, I'm off with my dad to head out there. I'll post another update this evening.

I have had similar looking films here (in the warm months) without ill effects. IIRC stuff that like has been identified as "organic proteins" or some such. I have always figured mine were the result of some (small floating) algae growth.

Sorry to see the CC pond basically gone, but you are right to use the silver lining and plan some remedial dirtwork. Those pics really demonstrate how far it is between Ohio and South TX - everything up here is soaking wet and freezing today.

I agree with Theo. Sorry about the pond.

We never dreamed the CC pond would go dry, but we also never thought we'd see a drought this bad. Most of the area ponds are dry. We created the LMB pond 18' deep (max) and the crappie pond 23' deep (max) so this won't happen to them. We're about 9' low on the ponds.

With the water out of our way, we figured now would be a great time to add more shoreline structure to the LMB pond. We do not have enough yoy BG based on Todd's electrofishing survey even though there are plenty of larger ones. The pond is so low that there is no shoreline vegetation or structure for them to survive. We added even more structure now so that when (if?) we ever get rain, there will be plenty of cover.

ditto the pondal condolences, Dave. Never say never, eh?

You have some really good sized bass in your pond what did Todd think think the growth rate was. Sorry about the drought I can really understand that part. I think everyone in Texas needs rain.

Are you going to stock more of the forage base after the report?

Yes. GS fry and lots of Talapia. This is provided we get rain. Probably give BGs time and see what they do. I am convienced the Talapia take alot of pressure off them. May do a purge of Fhs. I like to add 100-120 lbs. a couple times a year. Fun to watch.

Wow, sorry to see that. You guys must be near Heybud?

Actually, Heybud is over 250 miles away from us (he's pretty much due north).

Texas is just that dry throughout most of the state. It really is getting critical down here. Many ponds in our area are dry. Livestock and wildlife are losing places to water. Forget crops...those have been long gone.

I take back everything bad I said about alligator gar and carp washing into the ponds when the creek runs. Without the creek running, two of our ponds won't get water. We need the water--we'll take whatever else washes in.

P.S.- Theo and ewest, thanks for the help re: the filmy substance in the crappie pond. The fish seemed to be doing fine, but the surface of the pond on the wind-driven side is unsightly. We'll keep an eye on it and hopefully it will clear on its own.

Can you drill a water well? I thougt the water table was shallow where you are.

James around 900' to do any good. (supplement a pond). I flipped a coin last year for a well or high fence and wish now I had drilled. For an irrigation well, diesel motor and pump to the 'Carrizo' water (much more than 900')... around $120k turn key. The shallow water is almost dry and can pump 6-8 gal a minute max.

My water holes also look real sick. My main one near the house is 7 ft low and the one acre has now become about .4 acre. It still has about 7 ft of water in the bowl. Still have BG, LMB and CC but spawns just don't have a prayer in a bowl.

My other one acre pond is shallow. It is down about 4 ft with about 18 inches left to go. I doubt that there is much left alive in it. Nothing comes to pellets. It is now about 1/2 acre.

Pondmeistering is impossible under these conditions. I kinda live vicariously thru you guys and keep switching between looking in my rear view mirror and scanning the sky for clouds.

We see it a little differently, Dave. We see it more as you breathing life into our projects. Many of the advances we have made have come from your boost. It bums us when it ain't workin' well for you.

I've not seen this type of filmy stuff before. Maybe Ewest can dig something up for us.....

Maybe it's oil and with the money from it you can drill a well to china.

Hi everyone! I would like to introduce myself as ahvatsa's daughter and davatsa's sister. My husband and I moved out near my dad's place 3 years ago to establish local relations. (In reality, dad said we should stick to the old testament ways, in which case my husband owes him 700 days of labor for my hand in marriage). I am obviously new to the posing thing, but with the bar coming up next week, (good luck bro, I KNOW you will do well) I wanted to give it a shot!

Dad (ahvatsa) finally took the “bull by the horns.” The bull being the South Texas Drought and the outcome is a well to show the drought who's boss! The well started pumping on Easter weekend. We ran a 2”PVC line from the hill (where the pump is located) down to the ponds. The main line runs into the LMB pond with a split off to the Crappie Pond. Dad was prepared (or preparing himself) to drill 700+ feet after talking to neighboring well owners. However, around 300’, it was producing 90 gpm! Within a few weeks there was a considerable increase in volume; that made dad VERY happy!


Big Lake:



Crappie Pond:




The water is clean with the high sulfate content being the only slight abnormality. Todd Overton supplied us with a fresh stock of tilapia and threadfin shad in both ponds as well as some Florida LMB.

Since dad’s passing, the feeders haven’t been kept full like usual as we try to figure things out. The fish seem to think they are hungry even though in reality, they have a great habitat (for now). Last weekend, we took a 3 year old fishing for bluegill. We were using a Spider Man rod and reel with a perch hook, worm pieces and small bobber. Within seconds, we had a 3 pound LMB. The next few casts brought up our vast variety of Overton’s Tilapia. In disbelief, and in an hours time, we caught 15 tilapia on night crawlers! The Spider Man reel was singing…

Tilapia on a worm:




The 3 year old:



The overworked guide of the 3 year old/ the Spiderman rod and reel:




LMB:

Tilapia:


The Catfish Pond is still as dry as a bone. However, we have tried to take advantage of the exposed bottom by improving the layout and structure placement.

We plan to keep our pond journey updated here in effort to give back a fraction of what we have taken away form this forum and wonderful family!

Hi levkatsa,
So very glad to have ya aboard. I knew your post would be special, but my heart skipped a beat when I got to the pic of the big pond. That was the pond that your Dad was working on when I came on board with the PB family. It all clicked and assured me that my good friend Al was surely looking down and smiling.

We all miss Big Al and are glad to have another stand in. Heck, he is impossible to replace.

I look at new members daily and had a pretty good idea who you were. Your Dad told me that he was very proud of you and Dave.

levkatsa, it is a great pleasure to have you post and to get to meet you, virtually at least.

If I am correct on identification, you fishing guide looks much happier when not carrying around a log chain.

Welcome levkatsa!

I guess you'd be correct! But dad always taught us, you have to put in the work to truly enjoy the benefit! I'd say we all appreciate the great things in life more because of him!

I have had a request to post my name, and while I'm not much in the market for online personal ads, her it goes... "My name is Lisa and I enjoy long walks by ponds (with my husband Jason, of course!). That's Jason with the chain and Spider Man!

Welcome aboard Lisa!

Needless to say, we are all very saddened at Al's passing.

He means a lot to so many of us.

He had personally told me, many times, about his life, and how proud he was of you and David.

Lisa,

It's very nice to see those ponds full of water, and it makes me happy to know that you are enjoying the resource.

It was a pleasure to meet you and Jason this spring. I hope you will continue to enjoy these ponds and I will do whatever I can to help you all keep them up to par. Al would be proud of that catch!!

Take care!

Welcome to posting Lisa. We miss Al a lot but are cheered by the knowledge that his family and ponds will continue to grace our presence. We spent many hours talking about the plans he had both for his ponds and children. I reminded him often of how proud he should be of all of you. His idea that putting in the work leads to good results is proven beyond any doubt by his children and ponds. Of course , by the grace of God, he had good land and children to work with. Good job Lisa on your first posting and on the family and ponds - Al I know you are watching - well done friend , well done indeed.

"Happiness is not a life without pain, but rather a life in which the pain is traded for a worthy price."
- Orson Scott Card