Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait New CNBG pond

FireIsHot, you'd be suprised how fast your trapping skills will improve if you have to depend on them to live on!

esshup believe me, I'd starve. The water went off at the farm for 3 hours this weekend, and I was ready to go to the Four Seasons.

This will be my last post on the CNBG brood pond project til next spring, when I seine the pond and check the results. It has been a great experience, and far exceeded my expectations. I already have a nice mix of stocked and YOY CNBG.

Here’s some of what I learned during this project:

1) Patience. I tended to micromanage this pond because of the size, and that was a mistake. I forgot that things take time, and the ability to wrap myself around this small pond made me impatient.

2) Food size. There is a difference in pellet size when one’s trying to raise fish. I started out only using Aquamax 500, and really didn’t get the results I wanted. When I started feeding Aquamax 400, the water boiled and the 1-3” CNBG really started eating. Matching pellet size to the fish you’re targeting is just smart.

3) Purpose of feeding. If you’re feeding in an area to attract fish, that’s different than feeding fish to grow them. I learned this in my big lake when phosphorus waste became an algae issue. The 15 minute rule does apply, but so does the amount of food that may be missed and float to the bank. Don’t over feed. If you're feeding in an area to attract fish, then less food is necessary.

4) Bank slope. Having the banks sloped a little more than needed, greatly reduced the emergent weed issue. Weeds like Primrose really stay pinned to the bank, and can be controlled with a rake only.

5) Not all weeds are bad. My Primrose is a cheap, controllable source of protection for the fry. I found no reason to over control it.

6) Build down not around. The weather patterns over the last few years have proven to me that the spring rains are the primary catch period. Unless things change, building a project ½ acre that has an average depth of 8’ may be better than a 1 acre lake with an average depth of 5’.

7) A great dirt guy is not the same as a great pond builder. I am extremely lucky to have a great dirt guy. Having said that, I compromised on decisions I wanted, and it was a mistake on my part, not his.

8) Spend the money up front. It’s far cheaper to dig, or change a pond, before you add the water.

9) Small ponds are greatness. The enjoyment level far exceeded my expectations.

10) Educate yourself before starting. That’s what Pond Boss is about, and searching, researching, and heeding the experts’ advice was the best thing I did. I took time to educate myself before digging, and it really paid off in time and money. A clear and defined goal helps tailor the results.

11) Fertilize. Because of the small size of the pond, I could see immediate results when I fertilized. I only had to use a gallon and a half of fertilizer for the year. The fish loved it, and the weeds hated it. Keeping my water clarity at 12-24” kept weed problems in check, and the foundation of the food chain rolling along nicely.

12) Stock Smart. Buy your brood fish from a reputable hatchery, even if a road trip is involved. This is your primary time to control trash fish, so don't assume your buying what you want. There are several hatchery guys that post here, so seek them out.

13) Kabota’s don’t float. My Dad who’s nearing 80 proved this, and confirmed it 3 more times this year.

That summary should be framed and sent to every pond owner. You nailed it.

Hellow FireIsHot, I read a study on CNBG feed studies and the last section disscussed some of the questions you were asking,ie. structure etc. I downloaded the document and will try to figure out how to attach it here. If I cannot attach, I will provide the email address, after I find it.

Hi again Fire is hot, the email for the dissertation is: https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/8874/research.pdf
Nice pond and good luck. I stocked an additional 100 CNBG(2nd stocking) from Overton a week ago,among some other stock.
Next year will be my second year working on my pond and hoping for full pool. East TX. is a tough area to get a pond full, unless a well is on ones property.

Wow, that was a lot more detailed than my "pull them when they're big" method.

With the liver/fat feeding thread going on, some of the guys may be interested in pages 170-210 (estimate), where CNBG liver's are addressed.

Thanks for posting.

That is a gold mine of info not seen before wrt BG. It will take a few days to get through it. The study is very well done. Much thanks for the heads up.

If you read it keep in mind its purposes - to find an alternative to fish meal for young BG in closed systems. It is not about supp feeding in ponds for years but about aquaculture of BG to harvest size for food. Here is one key point made ... Diets based on fish meal protein are more likely to meet amino acid requirements of fishes (Gatlin et al. 2007). ]

248 pages of great research. Hope he got his Doctorate.

Well, it's almost time to see how the results of last years project went. Been a rough couple of months, so I haven't wet a hook, or been free to do much other than the typical house husband stuff.

But, I did need a way to control water movement between the 2 puddles, and adding rip rap as a cheap barrier seemed to work. This forage pond gets a lot of runoff from the pasture above us, so the free movement of fish between the puddles compromised my original goal.

The rip rap let the water from our recent rains move through as needed, but should keep fish movement to a minimum. I'll know more after I drop the water level, seine, and check the results.

I’m a lucky guy - got to go to Al’s place today to view his current forage/grow-out pond and discuss and plans, but first an introduction to a “jaw dropping” beautiful view of his place:


Al will give an update to his plans and objectives, but long story short - he is starting over on stocking and forage since his little pond was flooded last year and discovered LMB encroachment. I had an opportunity to observe his draining and discussion about seining and stocking plans:


Eric, Al has plans to dig another small pond for brood fish but after I had a close view and how it was constructed, I immediately thought about your success with “blocking nets. I suggested that he review your experience - could you provide links to your posts?
This approach may prove useful for this year’s program until time permits for his new small pond?



Al, thanks for a great day and opportunity to learn some new pond management tricks!
George

Pond's down tonight after 2 runs of the 3" pump. I got the 8 hour Honda, and was surprised at the difference in volume in that and my old 2" pumps.

Back to farm tomorrow to hopefully get pond low enough to seine, and then see what Mother Nature left me from last year. We did have a few red ears? that came up with the pallets, and I'm assuming late Fall, early Winter spawn?



We had stocked a 85/15 mix on bluegill, so hopefully I have 2 or 3 different classes of fish.

Looking at installing a slide valve gate and drain on the next pond, and it will be attached to the main puddle like this one.

Any thoughts on this setup?

pond drain

Eric, what we were talking about today is installing the blocking net across the pond where it narrows in the pic above. Would this be viable for a temporary grow out pond until the other pond is finished?

If you are referring to the fish in the pic as a redear, it is not. It is most likely a pure GSF or a hybrid with a pile of GSF genetics in it...

Beautiful front gate and great looking place.

They are not many GSF in this part of Va.,I have been fishing here for 39 years and have never seen one. I stocked several hundred hybrid BG but they died out in 4 or 5 years and left no GSF. I love catching them.

Al, Eric has published articles in PB magazine about blocking nets but I have passed my copies to son Jeff – you may have the back issues.
January/February – 2007 “A Hatchery Pond Inside a Pond – Blocking Nets”

Here’s an early post that I think will be very useful:
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=5690&Number=52295#Post52295

George

Al, that is a very beautiful place that you have there. I an sure that it brings a lot joy to you and your family.

Al very nice !!!

Here are a couple more blocking net threads. Don’t have the PB article here. Will look at home tonight.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.ph...true#Post155141

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=68480&fpart=1

Ok then. I found another one on the bank today that had 5 very distinct vertical stripes. Crossbreed?

Probably happened when my pond flooded last year, but I have a plan for them. Seine and Lime Saturday morning, then restock next week with OTS CNBG. The pond was getting wiped anyway, so at least I didn't make another oop's. Thanks for the head's up, and thanks for the compliments. It's too much work.

Don't forget to save some strength to stock Georgetopia!!

Eric, thanks for the help. The netting might work perfect for this pond since it is basically a deep bowl, and has an approximately 130' channel that goes from 8' deep to the shore. I had it shaped this way for spawning beds, and the net's span wouldn't be more than 40' at the widest point.

I'm really not inclined to dig another pond at this point, so a blocking net would be the perfect solution.

Thanks again.

A nap and I'll be fine.

Southern Silver Sasquatch sighting!

Beautiful place Al. I'll have to chat up your auto gate sometime...been considering one for some time at my place too. Can't wait to see it in person!

Al check your email. Before you buy a net check on rigid plastic fencing/netting. It comes in rolls of different size mesh and lengths and heights. It is easy to roll out and D ring to poles to divide ponds or make pens. Much easier to take care of than netting. 1/4 inch is good for raising BG.

Up to two now, when did you get number two?

Yesterday. Got him, but lost him and a 330. He chewed through the cable and made a hasty retreat back into the hut under a road culvert. I think he's off the list though as I punched out the trails, repacked with clay, matted, and then dropped a ton of limestone rip rap on top. Other 2 traps caught nothing yet.

TJ, thanks. Spent a lot of money up front for the infrastructure, etc. but it's been worth it. And you will see it! You're on the approved cool kid list.

"Slugs and snails are after me
DDT keeps me happy
Now I guess I'll have to tell 'em
That I got no cerebellum
Gonna get my Ph.D.
I'm a teenage lobotomy"

Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, RIP