Okay, Pond Boss faithful!
With these days of rapid-fire social media posts, the Chicago Cubs releasing their goat, and one of their fans breaking out a 32-year old can of beer from his freezer (He said he'd drink it when the Cubs won the World Series) I thought tonight is a good time to update everyone.
Keeping in mind the theme of change, the fisheries business is morphing as fast as it ever has. The industry is maturing, with companies guiding the business moreso than individuals. More vendors are working with more pond management companies to offer more services to help more property owners become better stewards of their precious water. But, those regional experts are candid with their knowledge and thoughts, to help people accomplish goals.
Pond Boss magazine continues to do our best to stay attuned to these changes. In the upcoming issue, the Jan-Feb one, we have some exciting articles and stories.
As a tease, here's my editor's letter.
I love fall! The holidays are near, and we give thanks and honor the birth of our Lord. Festive family comes together, we celebrate, watch some college football, enjoy each other’s company, share our lives, and do what families do. Autumn color radiates the change of seasons, and then we embrace Nature’s restful time of year.
The horrid election cycles are over, and half the country moves to Canada while the rest of the nation gloats about their win. Congress will still be dysfunctional and Washington D.C. will still represent much of what is wrong with our country.
But, being the resilient people we are, we’ll adapt, just like Nature does. That’s our nature. We’ll go hunting, do what we do with this season, do what we do every day, and then prepare for what’s next—spring. Speaking of hunting, I have a great idea for the ladies of Pond Boss. Remember Bruce Kania, of Floating Islands International? His wife, Anne, started a program called, “Joy of Hunting”. One of Anne’s (and Bruce’s) passion is wing shooting. Upland game birds, especially pheasants, are prime in their neck of the woods, and with all the water on their preserve, migratory waterfowl fit their game plan as well. Anne is focused on helping women become better hunters, but even more importantly, she teaches how to combine the elements of enjoying nature, gun safety, ecology and how to tie the ambiences of being in the field into a lifestyle experience. Debbie and I highly recommend it. Look at
www.joyofhunting.com.If you haven’t saved the date for Pond Boss Conference Expo VII, please do so. October 12-14, 2017. See the registration form inside these pages. Also, you’ll find a summary of the program.
Inside these pages, as fate has it, you’ll see a common theme between several topics. Steve Alexander, from Private Waters Fishing, penned a story about the model of paying to fish private bass lakes. In a more traditional sense, Dr. Wes Neal addresses other ways of creating a revenue stream from private water. Otto sheds some light on what it takes to give CPR to an aging pond. Michael Gray admits his affair. From the fish side of the fence, Dave Beasley talks about DIY management, our buddies in South Dakota write about the effects of strategically adding artificial habitat to impact bass behavior, and a sixth grader pitches an idea about using a prehistoric fish to help cleanse your water. Yes, you read that right—a sixth grader. Dr. Bruce Richards shares a newsy story about aquatic plant management, and Dr. Boyd shares some very interesting facts about how the shape of your pond affects water chemistry. The Mini-Pond story updates you on a project we’re working on at LL,2. Eric West scours science with an update on single sex fisheries—with an interesting conclusion. Mark Cornwell attacks mosquitos with different species of fish, and Dan V explains the squeeze on wildlife. We’ve got a creative recipe, courtesy of another sixth grader. Sixth grade writing teacher, Ashley Melton, from Austin, Texas, approached me about a contest for her students. She wanted them to look at a real world opportunity and asked about the possibility of some of her students being published. I told her that we wouldn’t promise it, but if the kiddos would do appropriate research and write a story worthy of being in Pond Boss, and if I thought it was a good fit for our readers, we’d do it. She invited me to visit her class, and I accepted her offer. Spent a day in class, coaching sixth graders on what it takes to be published. They accepted the challenge and submitted some well-written stories, with good research. Our goal was to publish one story, but we wound up with three really good, on topic stories, and three creative recipes. So, please enjoy the offerings of Mrs. Melton’s sixth graders.
This summer, we’ve spent twelve weeks building a new world headquarters for Pond Boss. As we go to press, we are putting the finishing touches on our new home. Next issue, we’ll share a pictorial and show you what’s going on at our new home base.
Finally, we invite you to share these pages with your friends. A subscription to Pond Boss magazine is a gift that keeps on giving. Each issue, I hear from someone who shares a nugget they received that helps them become better stewards of their waterways. I invite you to share this opportunity with someone you know that can benefit.
From our entire Pond Boss team, we’d like to offer our thanks during this Thanksgiving season, and we follow that with a very Merry Christmas.
