Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Five to worst creatures to have at or in you pond?

List your top five worst critters to have at or in your pond.
1. Otter
2. Heron
3. Nutria
4. Flathead catfish
5. Man

1. (Saving spot in case BIL ever shows up)
2. Muskrats (currently, none)
3. Great Blue Heron
4. Canada Geese
5. Little Green Heron

1. Man
2. Kids (not your own)
3. Man
4. Man
5. Bullheads

1) GSF
2) GSF
3) GSF
4) GSF
5) GSF

1. PETA
2. EPA
3. Neighbor
4. OSHA
5. Ted Kennedy

Does "man" include "woman"?

Only if the woman is a poacher.

I'm revisiting my list and will replace #4 Man with #4 Geese.

JHAP and the GSA will be in touch shortly.

Based on what I have read on this board;
1. Thai cobras
2. Texas rattlers
3. California bears
4 and 5. Rosie O'Donnell

1. Water turkey
2. Otter
3. Great blue heron

Everything else is a distant 4th or lower.

1. Trespassers!!!!!
2. Trespassers with guns or fishing poles
3. Water Turkey
4. Muskrat
5. GB Heron (though I enjoy watching them)

Last week my wife and I arrived at the pond, and I went out to the dock to throw some fish food out. I hear a big bang, and think, someone is shooting fireworks off on my property. Then, a bunch of pellets start raining down all around me, and they weren't fish food! I didn't get hit, but some of them hit within feet of me... and were quite close to our two boats, an RV, a tractor and a job site trailer.

I hopped in the pathfinder and floored it up the hill to the middle of our acreage to find two teenaged boys... one holding a shotgun, the other sitting on a four wheeler. I believe I was frothing at the mouth I was so angry. I ripped in to them pretty good. They won't be back. What can I say? I don't like getting shot at, and I REALLY don't like getting shot at on my own property.

1. In Laws
2. Pirrhanas
3. Cormorants
4. Alligators
5. Snakes

Does anyone have a suggestion how to save my catfish. My pond is about 100' x 60' and deepest is 12'. My cats are huge and I've lost 2 in the last week. My largest bluegill just died this afternoon. I've been noticing large discolorations on their backs and sides. Some even look like fighting wounds. Almost "bloody." I live in Texas and it's been 100+ for about 10 days. Are they sick?

Just a jab to see if the DeathStar is still operational...

1) trespassers
2) otters
3) zebra mussel
4) rusty crawfish
5) chupacabra

Hi IronMike, welcome to the forum.

Sounds like you have a serious situation. I would immediately post this as a NEW TOPIC - lots of good guys in TX can help you out - sounds like a pressing need. So, go to the Forum List, select appropriate topic, and hit NEW TOPIC and post this question - experts will be along shortly to help you. Sorry I can't offer you any assistance - far out of my experience.

Good luck - I will be hoping for some cool temps and rain for you.

Jeesh WG - I can't believe that incident - and even more unbelievable is your restraint. Not sure what I would have done in your position...lucky one of the kids had a gun to help ease your anger. That plain sux...I know my turn is coming someday - I hope to resolve it peacefully.

Do you think they were shooting at you intentionally or just be idiots and randomly shooting and some of the pellets came down near you? Did you call the local law enforcement agency? If so, what did they do(or not do)?

It's operational and we are currently field testing a new weapon. It's our Sonic Puke-Eruption Weapon (SPEW for short). One sonic blast and the victim has an immediate episode of projectile vomiting. It took us a while to get the beam focused, and once again I apologize to all of the 261 residents of Sand City, California, but it now appears to be fully functional and ready for deployment.

So, to summarize, FRPeeps, if all goes well, you might put on your very own display on the 4th of July.

Oh and in answer to the topic:

1. Green Sunfish haters.
2. Green Sunfish blasphemers.
3. Green Sunfish abusers.
4. Green Sunfish slanderers.
5. The IRS.

1. A big flock of geese
2. GBH
3. Green Heron
4. Nancy Pelsoi
5. PETA

TJ - I had my farm pistol with me (almost always do out there), but of course would never pull that on a couple of kids... yikes! It was an accident (the shooting at me part) I'm sure, but I was certainly angry at the time. We've had our issues with trespassers for sure, adult and kid alike. In fact, we've posted signs only to see them torn down a few days later, found fishing tackle that wasn't ours stuck to stumps, bobbers that got cut off with catfish still stuck to them, tire tracks from strange cars/utv's/etc... One time we even had a guy drive up with a boat he intended to put in the pond! I have been doing random visits to the property just to make sure no one is there (sometimes there is)... and in hopes they see that I'm there regularly so just avoid trespassing all together. New, bigger signs are going up soon, and so is a large perimeter fence. Sometimes it just doesn't matter though. So, we are also planning to go to the expense of putting in some cameras to monitor things when we aren't/can't be there.




CJBS2003 - I believe they were shooting at pigeons and doves that are always sitting on top of the 40 foot (private) steel water tower on our property. They definately weren't aiming for me on purpose (they couldn't see me from their position), but none the less, they really could have hurt someone or themselves for that matter. Not a safe thing to shoot at a giant metal thing just a few feet from you, and NEVER a safe thing to shoot in a direction where people and equipment could be. I gave the kids a firm talking to and sent them on their way. No law enforcement needed to be bothered, and I figured their parents could handle any punishment they felt was appropriate. My wife knew who one of the kids parents was through a friend of hers, so she gave them a call as a follow up. They were quite nice and understood the seriousness of the situation. Their son had aparently told them before we had called, which assuming he was honest about what had happenned, was a mature way to own up to the situation.

I just hope they learned something from the whole thing. A lot of folks in the country would be far less forgiving than I am about such things, and they just need to be safer, for their own sake as well as others.

You know, when I was a kid, I fished a LOT of farm ponds and explored a LOT of other people's property, but I always got permission first. In fact, I usually offered to do some work for them if they'd give me access. Some said "no", but most said "no problem, just make sure to let me know when you would like to come out first" or "sure, but only if I am around." I knew just about all the farmers in the area because of that, which I thought was pretty cool.

Could be herons. A lot of my catfish have noticable scars on their bodies (mainly heads), and I've always assumed them to be from failed catch attempts by herons.

Weissguy, invite some of the local police officers or deputies to fish your pond... The local law enforcement presence may help curb other unwanted guests. Places that I bow hunt and fish don't seem to have the trespassing problems they once did and I respect the land owners who give me the permission. Its a win win situation...