Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Put and Take Pond

Hello!

Currently have a pond in our front pasture that is due for renovation. Pond is approximately 1/4 acres at capacity. Watershed is 11acres. Depth is unknown, but in the summer there is 100% coverage of American Lotus so I would assume it is shallow throughout. It did not dry out during this years drought but receded to probably 1/10 acre or so. Only current fish species is GSF.

The goal for this pond is to provide angling opportunities for myself, but more importantly kiddos, that put a variety of food on the table. Have other ponds that are LMB oriented so not interested in putting bass in this pond.

With this in mind, I have thought through the below plan.

1) Deepen pond to depth of 10-12ft throughout. I want it to drop off quickly to minimize growth any lotus seeds or roots that remain in soil post dig. Plants that do sprout, are hopefully minimal and can be treated as needed.
2) Stock pond with 5lbs FHM, 100 RES, 10 CC, 10 HSB.
3) Put and take CC and HSB as they become eating size, restock as needed.

Some further notes and questions:

1) Do I need an additional forage (Bluegill) to maintain my food chain? I know Bluegill rapidly overpopulate so wouldn’t know if the CC and HSB could control them. The pond will be fed inconsistently (property is hunting focused and 2 hours way, so will fill fish feeder when I am there but may go empty periodically).
2) Should I look to add tilapia and rainbow trout as seasonal put and take species? I am not familiar with the stocking rates or impact to the main CC/HSB goal of the pond.
3) I know little about aeration but can aerate the pond if need be. Would take any advice here?
4) May not drain the pond completely to renovate, if so, I am assuming adult GSF would eat the FHM and fingerling CC? I’ve had a 4” GSF hit a 9” plastic salamander so I know those buggers have some attitude.

Thank you!

Even if you don't drain it completely, I would either Rotenone the pond or use enough hydrated lime to get the pH to 11 to kill all the GSF. While GSF aren't bad per-se, for your particular pond and goals, they will cross with the RES and become a problem like Bluegills will if they aren't removed when caught. And a lot will need to be caught. If you plan on feeding, the fish can get the majority of their food from the commercial feed. I recommend Optimal Fish Feed - you can order on-line and have it delivered right to your door. Optimal is very digestible and has less waste pass through the fish to end up feeding plants and algae in the pond than other feeds.

You can get a bigger feeder (a 100# Texas Hunter Feeder) and not have to fill it for up to close to two months if you don't want to feed a lot. They make directional fish feeders that hold up to 400# of feed. I would rig up a solar electric fence controller and wires around the feeder to prevent cattle trying to use if for a scratching post, or hogs from trying to get at the feed and tipping the feeder over even though it comes with 18" long 1/2" dia metal stakes to anchor it to the ground. .

You might need Triploid Grass Carp, might not. Let the weed growth dictate whether you need them or not. Rainbow Trout in the winter will be a nice change and they do great on artificial pellets. I would think yes to the Tilapia. It's cheaper to stock them than to have a pond management company make bi-weekly trips to control the FA that will grow. I'm saying that with the thought that you will be fishing from shore vs. a dock or pier.

If going more than 6-8 feet deep, then yes aeration will help make the whole water column have enough O2 so it's usable to the fish from surface to the bottom. .

The HSB will be a put and take especially in the warmer late Spring, summer, early Fall days because they will fight to the death. The only way you may have a chance on releasing them is if you have a container with water and run pure O2 into there to get O2 back in their system. George Glazener made one years ago. Sadly he passed away a while back. Maybe Fireishot has a picture of it? From what I remember, it was a large Rubbermaid tote, Water from the pond, a micro-pore diffuser, a flow control valve, an O2 welding regulator and a pony O2 tank. You need to set the regulator at 40-50 psi max, put the flow control around 0.5 SCFM and after the HSB is pretty frisky, re-release it back into the pond.

Try not to release any CC back into the pond, the ones that were caught will be almost impossible to catch after that. If you can source some 14"-18" CC, stock them year 2 after the RES have grown too big for them to eat. You might want to look into stocking Golden Shiners too. They will also help feed the HSB.

If the pond is designed mostly for kiddos, then please add one section that DOES NOT have a steeply sloped bank.

With enough pond usage, someone will eventually go into the pond. Steep, clay banks are impossible to climb. One effective pond "exit" is a good safety addition.

Further, that area may be used for spawning or other shallow water beneficial needs as part of your pond organisms' life cycles.

Good luck on your project! You will be amazed how productive a well-managed small pond in Texas can be.

Lots of good info esshup. Thank you!

FishinRod - had the same thought after I posted albeit different purposes. This pasture will not have full time livestock does is part of the larger rotation. This pasture will only have a few “pet” longhorns every couple seasons, but they will need an easy way out too