Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction New Member from Southside Virginia

Hello,

I am a new member here, but have been studying pond management for several years. I have three ponds on the family farm, one I designed myself. I plan to build two more on another farm I own and I was recently asked to help manage a dive quarry where I scuba dive.

On my family farm I have a 1/2 acre pond I manage mostly for CC. It was initially stocked with HBG, LMB, and CC. The CC did not reproduce well and were caught out. The HBG reproduced and over time turned into a trashy looking little sunfish and the LMB were limited due to the size of the pond. All this was done when I was a little kid. I loved to catch those early HBG though, they were big. As I got older and learned about managing, I but in 3 or 4 FHC, one around 15lbs. This helped the overpopulation of HBG decendents. I also stocked CC and removed all the LMB I could. I put in several stacks of tires for the CC to reproduce in. This has worked very well. We now have a self sustaining CC pond, as long as all LMB cought are not returned. The CC eat the little HBG decendents. They rarely get over 1/4 lb. Turned out to be great forage for CC.

The oldest Pond on the family farm is a 3/4ac pond that has LMB, BCP, and BG. As well as an infestation of Watershield that we have been fighting for years. I have managed this pond well the last few years and now we are routinely getting 3 and 4lb LMB out of it, as well as large BG and BCP.

The newest pond is one I designed. It is about 1.5 acres. It has a creek channel, a false creek channel, flats, stumps were left, a peninsula was put in, and lots of structure was added. I stocked Tiger LMB, BG, and WE. I wanted to stock YP, but the supplier fell thru. All species are doing really well, the Tiger LMB are about 4lbs in 2 years, BG are getting up to 1lb, and the WE are still chugging along. I would like to still at YP soon, and may experiment with HSB as well. I figure to suppliment WE Fry every other year or so.

The Quarry I have been asked to help manage is the real reason I am here. It is about 5.3 surface acres, averages about 30-40ft deep, with depths to 92ft. The water is very clear, with visibility of 20-40ft on average. Currently there are CC, LMB, BG, and PS in there. The CC are all mostly 24-36", the LMB are few and far between and around 14", and the BG and PS are all large. A few small minnows can be seen in water above the thermocline. Small fish are not present. The whole system seems unhealthy to me. I am leaning toward eradicating all CC, LMB, BG, and PS. I want the divers to be able to see a healthy ecosystem that they don't normally see. Since the quarry offers cool and cold water year round, I was thinking of goig with SMB, YP, RBT, HSB, and a few Paddlefish. However, I am not sure what species to introduce as a smaller forage fish. Any suggestions on this scenario would be appreciated. I've been reading the articles and post on here, but it seems they are all aimed at ponds like I have on the farm. I know there are experts here. Oh, and the Quarry does not allow fishing, so all management would be tightly regulated. Thanks!

Kyle Duffer

Hey, Kyle, welcome to the Pond Boss Forum! Great to have you here! We'd love to see some pics, especially of that quarry - sounds like a great dive site. I like your plan to improve the fish population for sightseers, too! It sounds like you're on the right track in your thinking about taking advantage of the cool water to introduce some different species than you see every day in so many ponds. There are plenty of folks here who will have good suggestions, so hang on for their input.

Kyle, have you identified the thermocline at different times of the year? You mentioned cool and cold water and I wonder about spawning temps.

Do you also have shallow places for spawning? Some quarries don't.

I would want to know something about oxygen saturation and temps at different depths and times of the year.

That said, welcome to PB. Like Todd said, got any pics?

Hello, I'm also from Southside Virginia, great to have you here. Very fortunate to have so many ponds, I'd kill for that many. Is that quarry near southpark? just wondering cause I know of a quarry over there near that size, its very nice.

I like the list I'm not positive about the forage species but definitely add RES. I've been experimenting with Red breast, I doubt they would overpopulate, they spawn late in the year, beautiful fish and they would love the cool waters of a quarry. Another great thing to add is crawdads.

I'll get some pics up as soon as I can. I have a video on FB.

The quarry is over near Blanch NC.

The thermocline hovers around 30ft or so in the summer. Surface temp in the summer is around 82-85, bottom temp around 52-55. Oxygen should not be an issue. With all the Scuba divers in there almost daily, there is alot of air at all levels. Plus, plant life is found down to 50+ft. I aim to do some testing, put pH test from various areas are good for trout, so I am told. I did not do the test myself. I have not dove in the winter enough to find out about the situation then, but I aim to this winter.

There is several shallower places for spawning. BG are spawning from 1ft down to 25ft. There fry just don't stand a chance right now. I am discussing cover for fry and other forage with several members. Group owned place, need group approval before I can place more cover in there. Most of the "cool things to see" would offer good cover for any fish that can tolerate life in the cooler water below the thermocline. That's were a plane cockpit, several boats, a bus, a car, and several other things are located. Not to convence the group of the need for shallower cover.

I plan to add some crawdads, but I don't know how well they will fair. Guess we will find out. There is a good muscle population.

I also plan to try about 25 RBT this fall and see if they overwinter well and survive next summer. I am more concerned with there ability to deal with the stress from the interaction of divers than I am there ability to survive the quarry itself.

Kyle Duffer

Kyle:

If there are any golden trout in your area, give those a thought along with the RBT. They are just a color morph of the RBT.

Divers won't stress the fish at all.

Kyle,

I just want to welcome you to Pond Boss. We are finally getting a number of us in WV and VA. For a long time, I was it!

Again, welcome,
Ken

@esshup Beautiful fish, nice catch!

If a decent amount of rock is present they will do fine, with a quarry you probably don't have to worry about the borrowing kind. I found out just what kind of impact Crawdads have in a pond...I fish a very small farm pond that has huge bass, average 2-4 ponds with a large amount of 5-10 ponders present. I wondered how this pond supported so many bass, right now it dropped a good 4 feet and I never saw so many Crawdads! Herds and herds of them shooting around the mud.

Note: that this pond has every kind of fish seen in a river Pumpkinseed, GSF, flier, crappie, (I swear I caught what looks like a Spotted bass once) and some fish I have no clue what they are, seems this would bring the fishery down vs helping it so it has to be the Crawdads. Also this pond has no rock what so ever and they are reproducing well (prob the borrowing type)

Caught this one today at the very same pond, the pic doesn't do justice cause this guy was the fattest bass I've seen this time of the year, especially after all this 100 plus degree weather. I got this guy in the gills unfortunately but he swim off so I think it will be fine.

Bass Shepherd:

Thanks, but that's not my fish. I pulled that off of the internet. I had some up to 4# like that in the pond, but I fear that the warm water this summer got to all of them. I'm going to try again this winter.

You will have to get some pics. If only they could live in the standard ponds around here (besides put and take in the winter).

Killing off the present fish community in a pond of that water volume may be a real challenge/expense...

The addition of other species could be interesting... Even if you cannot kill off the present fish community, you can manage around that. The addition of some trout would add diversity to your pond and add a two tier fishery as it is called. Only time will tell if your pond can support trout year round, but with depths to 90+ feet, there is a very good chance. I am sure the divers will enjoy the trout.

With your quarry pond being so clear and infertile as quarries often are, I don't think paddlefish would thrive and possibly not even survive. They need plankton rich waters in which to filter feed.

Reference your newer pond, it isn't too late to stock YP. If you need sources for them, let me know and I can give you a few leads. I would stock advanced sized fish so they don't become expensive bass food though... Check with the VDGIF reference the HSB though. They are illegal to stock in VA, but if your drainage doesn't empty into the Atlantic, they may allow them as the law is to prevent HSB from spawning with wild striped bass and messing up the genetics of the wild fish.

Can't wait to see the photos!

Guys, I can't get on Photobucket from work. I can't even see pics on this thread. I will have to check it from home.

Here is a link to the website for the dive club. JMR Quarry is the one I am researching for.

http://www.ncpdra.org/divesites.html

The underwater pics and the aerial pics are best.

Also, here is a link on FB to a video I made. Not sure if it will work. Let me know if it does or doesn't.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150256569365215&oid=102425356924

I got the idea for Paddlefish from a dive quarry up in the midwest. I don't figure on many, maybe two or three, just enough that they get seen from time to time.

There are several producers of Golden Trout in the state, but the hatchery that is on the way for me to and from TN (daughters family there) doesn't carry them. Figured to get a few sample fish from them, matter of convience. If they fair well, I will like to branch out to Golden Trout. And maybe other trout varities.

I will have to catch some Crawdads out of my large pond, it is also loaded with them.

I would like any help finding a YP supplier in my neck of the woods. Seem they are all out of business or had bad years the last few years. As well as any good suppliers of WE fry for the same pond.

And a supplier of SMB for the quarry.

I am still in a quandry for forage fish for the Quarry. As stated, the plankton level is not as high as in a pond, so shad or anything like them would likely disrupt the entire system. I figure fatheads would get quickly eaten into nothing, even if I was able to get a large breeding population going after the removal of current fish and prior to stocking of new fish. I wonder if I could provide them a fenced in breeding sactuary or two? Still likely wouldn't be enough.

As for getting the fish in there out, I don't figure to get everysingle one out, but I figure that we should be able to get most out. That should allow any new fish room to grow.


Kyle Duffer