Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Help Bob!!!!

I have a .64 acre pond that needs evaluation. Do you know of any people in or around Ashland, KY.? If not, does the POND BOSS staff travel? Also, if I were to drain my pond and wanted to save some fish, could I use large water tanks with aerators? I know the pond has not been managed in 15 years at least. I have owned it for 2. Thanks Bob, and good Fishin'!!!

I performed an electroshock analysis in Lexington, KY, but doubt you need that detailed of a service for .64 acres. The pondowner said he got some good advice from KY DNR staff also. I may be heading to KY again, if so I could could my travel cost some. www.lakework.com
Good luck, Greg Grimes

Johnny - I always question the wisdom of trying to save the big and old fish when a pond is being renovated or rebuilt because:
1. The older a fish is the longer time it has had to accumulate or become a harbor for parasites and disease orgainsms (bacteria & virsues). Despite what most believe these organisms are prevalent in all natural water bodies. Many of these things are internal and cannot be observed externally. Restocking old fish into a new pond setting is very risky business.

2. New ponds can very quickly grow a new "healthy" stock of big fish IF things are done properly in the beginning. 3 lb+ bass in 2 yrs & also 8-9" bgill.

3. Putting big fish into a new pond setting introduces "oversized" predators that clean up on any newly stocked smaller fish. Money and effort often wasted.

4. Those big fish grew big in a "pond/lake" that had a proper balance of larger food organisms that are necessary to properly sustain those bigger predators. This same forage base/balance is not present in a new or renovated pond and the large fish end up losing weight or become malnourished as a result. Improperly fed fish are very suspeptable to disease and sickness. If this happens what have we really accomplished from all the work of saving those old large fish??

5. Putting a few large fish in to a new pond setting often quickly results in an out of balance fishery because the first spawns of the few restocked adults ends up having too many (or too few) offspring survive. Most pondmeisters are not knowledgable enough or do not have the proper "tools" to adequaltely sample the new fish populations and things get "out of wack" quickly. Then proper fish growth in the future is compromised.
Think seriously about it before doing it. Sometimes it is not worth the effort in the long run.

Johnny,
Job one is to prioritize your project. First, decide whether to renovate the pond. Renovate, and what do you get? A bigger, deeper, better pond? Or a pond with less silt, same size? How does the cost of renovation compare with the cost of moving somewhere else on the property and building a new, bigger pond? Compare those thoughts. Second, the fishery in a .6 acre pond is probably irrelevant, especially since it hasn't been properly cared for. That doesn't mean there aren't some nice fish. Third, if you intend to move fish from this pond to another, be confident, the receiving pond is capable of handling the new introductions. If not, pull out the fillet knife and chow down.
And, yes, some of the Pond Boss staff will travel. I know I do.

Johnny - Check out Jones Fish and Lake Management Cincinnati,OH. www.jonesfish.com. Not PondBoss oriented but maybe close enough to provide some help. They have a shock boat and "trained" fish biologists. Personally, I wouldn't spend my money for a shock survey for a 0.6 acre pond. You should be able to sample enough fish yourself with fishing, nets and traps to get a fairly decent picture of your pond's fishery. Knowing what to do with the information and how to interpret it is the key part here.