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The walleye hit a small jig tipped with a small piece of nightcrawler under a casting bubble. I stocked 50 of them last November in the 5-7" size range, this one was just a little bit under 8" and it was a little thin, but that likely has more to do not having enough small forage fish going into winter and early spring. The 4-6"smallies I stocked last summer really hammered everything under 4" in size last year, I did overstock SMB numbers last summer to get the GSH numbers under control. Right now I have a lot of 4" to 6" GSH which have been competing with both my smallies and walleye for forage, those same GSH pulled off an epic spawn in the last 2-3 weeks and there are fry everywhere you look now. My 4-6" RES were also looking thin a month ago, now they are all fat little pigs. My smallies and walleye should plump up as this year shiner GSH fry grow larger, some of the GSH fry are already 3/4". I haven't seen a GSH hatch like this for quite a few years.



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Met with TX Parks and Wildlife Tuesday. I'm interested in a controlled burn and overall property recommendations. She really liked what I've done with the property thus far. It had been abandoned for 30+ years. Encouraged me to get started on the 5ac mesquite thicket...next winter...maybe.
Went early for some peace and quiet fishing without the dogs. Caught several BG, a healthy LMB and hooked a CC that managed to untie the knot at the shore. Dang braid doesn't hold a knot well.
Ate BH twice for lunch this week. Trapping BH rate has significantly dropped. Only 2 today in the big trap and none in the cloverleafs. Water visibility is at least 24" in some areas. There is at least one swarm of YOY BH about .75" It was basketball size but after several days of daily 12ga blasts is down to softball size. I'm sure predation is also assisting.
Going to have some road work done soon. Hopefully I can sneak some BG gravel beds and rock pile into the budget. We have the rock, just need it moved.. SHHH!
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Last edited by ShortCut; 06/13/20 10:57 PM.
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Lots of the BF tadpoles are turning into frogs. I’m not sure when they lose the defensive properties that keep fish from eating them. They still have a small tail, but they can hop. Grandkids caught hundreds of them yesterday.
Also, caught this crayfish. No pinchers??
I stocked some several years ago, I purchased at a pond supply shop. Not sure what kind they are. I thought they got cleaned out when the pond was low, but apparently there were survivors. Hope it’s a papershell.
[Linked Image from i290.photobucket.com]
[Linked Image from i290.photobucket.com]


9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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Thanks Shorty, that info is very helpful. SO it seems that your walleye grew a few inches in the past 6-7 months, but now they should really have plenty to eat. I wonder why such a huge success for the shiners? High water? Cold spring?
I too have GSH that are approaching 6-8" long. THey were stocked now I think 5 summers ago and I don't see many young just the old generation as there are no predators who can eat the largest GSH. I have had very successful spotfin shiner reproduction and there are tons of the tiny SFS in the shallows. I have to make a trip up north and may swing by the fish store and get a few pails of FHM. FHM could never survive in my pond more than a few weeks, but now with hundreds of other minnows everywhere they might just be able to blend in long enough to pull off a spawn or two this summer yet.

Keep posting your pictures of your RES I love seeing their colors!

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Came home from work this evening and was enjoying watching my pond and happened to luckily see the beaver I've been after. I was very happy that I was finally able to 'remove' him from my property.

Last edited by Heath Lawrence; 06/21/20 12:32 AM.

3 acre strip pit: BG, RES, LMB and BCP.
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Originally Posted by canyoncreek
Thanks Shorty, that info is very helpful. SO it seems that your walleye grew a few inches in the past 6-7 months, but now they should really have plenty to eat. I wonder why such a huge success for the shiners? High water? Cold spring?

There are several reasons for the huge shiner hatch this year. Last year I had too many small 2-3" GSH and a very poor shiner hatch following a fish kill that killed 98% of the fish over 6" in my pond. Last year's drift related fish kill wiped out most of my smallies, mature RES, and almost all of the large shiners in my pond.

What's left of last year's small 2-3" shiners are now 5-6" long and sexually mature. We also had a dry spring with low water levels that allowed water pepper and other vegetation to flourish around the pond, all of this is now sitting in 15" of water providing spawning structure and cover for the shiner fry.



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Originally Posted by Heath Lawrence
Came home from work this evening and was enjoying watching my pond and happened to luckily see the beaver I've been after. I was very happy that I was finally able to 'remove' him from my property.

Good deal. Those things can be destroyers of dams, although in your situation with a pit pond that may not be an issue. Dustin from Optimal sent me some starter #2 to feed the HSB fry and I have clouds of FHM fry in the shallows of the forage pond so hopefully the HSB are growing and doing well. May put out a minnow trap and see if a few will venture in to see how they are doing.


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Exactly. I had seen some small trees the beavers had ate off, I just didn't want them to curddle and kill anymore of my nice big trees. I'm very excited to see how the HSB turn out, I'm sure they'll do great! That reminds me I need to buy some more optimal.


3 acre strip pit: BG, RES, LMB and BCP.
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Caught another walleye.

[Linked Image from forums.pondboss.com]



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Cool Shorty. Looks healthy.


John

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2 questions/observations...

1. I spent too many hours going through the entire fuel system of my father in laws 50 hp Suzuki 4stroke outboard (low pressure filter, high pressure filter, low pressure fuel pump, electric high pressure fuel pump, spark plugs, injectors, check lines, fittings) due to engine quitting slightly above idle. It is a 2004 and all of this was original so not a bad thing to have done. Then started checking lines, swapping bulbs, swapping tanks with other outboard tanks, and finally tracked the problem back to a fuel/water separator mounted under the console. I had already just installed a new fuel filter in that separator housing so never thought that could be the issue. The fuel pumps into the filter and bowl beautifully. But apparently fuel can't get OUT of that unit. I see a small vent plug but the plug is solid with a rubber o ring so I can't see how any air goes through that plug. But if I bypass that fuel/water separator the engine runs great.

We use a small 6 gallon plastic tank and fresh gas most every trip. I don't feel like we even need a fuel water separator, is that for a saltwater rig? Or for boats that have an onboard under the deck tank that somehow can get condensation in it? I'm looking to order the new metal housing that the filter screws into which should solve my problem but it is crazy after all these hours and wrenching that somehow in that metal housing which just has a fuel in fitting and a fuel out fitting that we could have an obstruction somewhere. I can blow in the in and in the out and no obstruction but somehow the motor cannot draw enough fuel through it.

The repair shops are all backed up due to COVID and no available parts so I was determined to solve this on my own. Learned a lot, watched some youtube videos and I guess I can rest easy that all the filters, plugs, injectors, pumps should be good to go for another 16 years.

2. HELP!! what is the best HAND CLEANER?? I have all kinds of grease and the nasty stuff that accumulates on fuel lines when they lay under a cover in the back of the boat for too long on my hands. Can folks share their favorite handcleaner brand with me?

Thanks!

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cc, good mechanical sleuthing you've done there. Yes, I agree, all that work is a good idea for a motor of that many years. I'd run the rig without the water separator, too. I didn't see that you are using non ethanol fuel. The ethanol can absorb a little water and do the "drying" for you. Just do as you have been and use fresh fuel each outing.

I've been using Humboldt Hands, a bar soap from Eureka or Arcata California. Our son went to college over there; he stocked us up with lots of bars. They probably have a website.

I run chainsaws for a living, climbing pitchy pine trees, etc. That soap, and Simple Green, cut most of the sticky stuff that I get on me every day.

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Thanks for the advice!

Amazon has a lot of options. Any idea which one works or smells OK?

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=Humboldt+Hands&ref=nb_sb_noss

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I took my boat in for some work on the Tuesday morning before last and the guy told me he got in 22 boats that sat before. I also had a fuel starvation issue. Changed out the bulb but did not solve the problem. Guessing it is the fuel lines damaged by Ethanol gas. I am hoping to get it back week after next. That's a month out of service.

CC, you are definitely a better mechanic than me. I am rebuilding a wheel hub, drive axel. bearings etc on my Polaris side by side. I would have never attempted the project before. Just started the project so hoping I don't have to carry the whole thing (parts) in a box to the Polaris dealer and ask him to put it all back together. smile

Last edited by TGW1; 06/26/20 09:42 AM.

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TGW1, I am FAR from a good mechanic. I recall my dad being frustrated with me as a teen that i had no sense of tools or things mechanical. He could fix anything and I admired that but didn't know where to start. I was (and still am) determined to tackle almost everything myself and try to be 'self-taught' like him. The big advantage i have now is youtube. Almost everything is spelled out for you on Youtube with pictures. It saves me a lot of figuring out how you take things apart to get to the parts by watching the steps someone else used to get down to the part you need.

Online parts diagrams and easy access to almost any part online has helped me a lot. I also am learning that what makes a good mechanic is having the correct tool for each job. I'm slowly breaking down and buying a few of the 'proper' tools which helps a lot when the going gets tough.

What we did with the boat motor was 'threw parts' at it. I'm sure a good boat shop would have put a fancy fuel pressure gauge on and found that the filters were not the issue but the fuel supply to the motor was the problem.

We still need properly trained mechanics with the experience that I don't have, and for all electronic diagnostics I'm lost!

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Youtube to the rescue.

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Did some weed trimming on about 1/4 of the pond. Hoping that was the right call. I did see my fathead minnows had babies. Such a proud dad moment. lol.

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Went out and caught some BG to check relative weights 15 weeks after stocking 3"ers.

Caught one male at 5.0"/1.6oz, one female at 5.5"/2.0oz, and two females at 5.75"/2.5oz. All seemed to be protecting beds at the end of my pea gravel beach in 2.5-3' water.

Also caught five HBG that were at least 5.75"/3.0oz, with the longest 6.25" and the heaviest at 3.6oz.

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Caught two large LMB one evening, each around 20". Both looked pretty healthy, recovering from spawn. Some very big CNBG as well, over ten inches and one pound.


7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160




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Still haven’t broke ground but I built structure all weekend. Starting to get a pretty good pile going.

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Fished just a short time in my small 1/10th acre sediment pond just to see what was in there. Lots of runoff and terribly turbid water earlier this spring with lots of flow through I was not expecting much. With the dry weather it is finally clearing up enough so the fish can see the bait.

Caught a few mutts that I clipped the fins and fed to the LMB and CC in the main pond. But also caught a half dozen nice smaller RES about 5-6" long. Happy to see those in there. Caught a couple of colorful CNBG that size too. Wife caught a small LMB. A lot of action for the half hour we fished right at dusk.

This pond really doesn't get managed much as it is just to catch sediment before it goes into the main pond. But it is kind of fun to fish it just to see what is there once in a while. Probably a lot of YOY fry dump over in the main pond in big rain events. Get a lot of natural hybrids produced in this pond that I believe is because of the turbidity in spring the males/females maybe have trouble at times determining species.

Last edited by snrub; 06/29/20 05:08 AM.

John

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I saw my first grass carp in the pond yesterday. Totally surprised at how large it was. Stocked last fall at 14" and a slim fish at that time but it looked to be 3 times the weight it was when stocked and maybe 17" long. The other thing i have notice is my APW looks like the GC are feeding on it and that is not the plant I wanted to remove. Maybe they are feeding on the BPW but there is so much of it i don't see much or any reduction in it. i continue to remove a boat load of it every day through raking it. And I'm too old for all that and not something i look forward to each day.

I can't believe how fast my pond went from a great fishing pond to a pond full of bushy pondweed. I REALLY have no idea how my larger fish have been effected by the BPW. It's been a Nightmare for me.

Last edited by TGW1; 06/29/20 07:12 AM.

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Tracy
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Tracy,
I hope those GC make some progress on the BPW. Raking out a boatload a day will keep you in shape, but there are more fun ways to get exercise!
I’ll be raking FA out today myself.
Jeff

Last edited by SetterGuy; 06/29/20 07:17 AM.

9 yr old pond, 1 ac, 15' deep.
RES, YP, GS, FHM (no longer), HBG (going away), SMB, and HSB (only one seen in 5 yrs) Restocked HSB (2020) Have seen one of these.
I think that's about all I should put in my little pond.
Otter attack in 2023
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Saturday night we were outside enjoying the evening when Daughter's Doberman that thinks it's a Lab saw something cutting across the driveway between the house and the barn.

Dog took off like a shot, then there was some awful wailing and gnashing of teeth, and the screams of some poor critter being horribly maimed and killed.

When it was all over the dog's nose was split down the middle, she was cut to the bone on her right hock, and there was a full grown muskrat shredded on the ground next to the toy hauler.

I felt bad for the dog getting chomped. Can't feel bad for the muskrat. I'm glad the varmint didn't make it to the pond. I hope it was a loner on a scouting mission.

This morning I noticed one of the noodle floats had been pulled out of the cage that I was holding baby RES in for pellet training.

The cage was tipped over and mostly sunk, and all but half a dozen or so of the RES were gone. The BG cage had been messed with too. One float was out, but it's a smaller cage and
was still floating. I'm thinking that a raccoon has discovered my fish gulag. I'll set the live trap out on the dock tonight and see if I can catch the freeloader.

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Sounds like fish cages should be sunk, at least overnight. Like almost everyone, I have lots of raccoons. Thanks for sharing the experience, it will help.


7ac 2015 CNBG RES FHM 2016 TP FLMB 2017 NLMB GSH L 2018 TP & 70 HSB PK 2019 TP RBT 2020 TFS TP 25 HSB 250 F1,L,RBT -206 2021 TFS TP GSH L,-312 2022 GSH TP CR TFS RBT -234, 2023 BG TP TFS NLMB, -160




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