Caught two more crappie from the pond today. Both over 11". I guess I should be happy that they've all been big. No sign of young fish, so maybe they've not been too successful with their spawn.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
I think they're both HBG. #1 is a Male, #2 female.
I'm missing any signs that hint towards hybrid in fish two - no yellow margins on fins, etc. - what characteristics lead you to believe it's a hybrid?
I dont think the female shows the yellow markings like the male does (spawning colors). Otherwise, the body shape of both fish especially the head and mouth, suggests GSF characteristics. Also note the ear tab on both, long on #1, short on #2, like BG.
Last edited by Mike Whatley; 04/22/1912:54 AM.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
Busy weekend of working around the pond. Got the last brush pile burned up and cleaned up, ready to start a new season of habitat work around the pond with the dozer and excavator. Observed seven different species of ducks on the pond in addition to several pairs of geese. The pond is back down to just being full, put the boards back in the water control device. Had a run in with some trespassers backing their quad and motorcycle down the edge of the pond dam and spinning out going up and over the dam. I won.
Son got his turkey Saturday morning in Indiana, his season opened up this morning in Michigan and he had his down at 7:44 AM today.
Watched a couple trucks stall out in the deep water on the seasonal road that floods when I release water from the dam and get towed out. The picture below is from a few weeks ago, the water was at least 1.5' deeper now when they tried to get through. The one truck which didn't make it through yesterday was a 2016 Chevy diesel, it sounded as if it sucked water in before it stalled so he might have an expensive repair bill. Before they pulled it out the water was about 3" over the bottom of the door windows. Highly entertaining to watch them open the doors and see the cab full of water run out after it had been pulled to dry land.
Taking a chance and planting about 2 acres of buckwheat today. It's a few weeks early and hoping we don't get a hard frost after it comes up.
Bryan, thanks for the update! Sounds awesome all the fun you get by your pond! Sounds like you need to patrol the area regularly and get some game cameras with the trespassers there.
You would probably know, as long as I have a mallard duck pair on the pond will I not get a wood duck pair to join them? I know people wait many years to get wood ducks and my pond is a long shot due to activity around it (and my dog who can't get too near it but the fence does allow him in the vicinity), but I also wondered in a small pond how a mallard pair and a wood duck pair would get along?
The female mallard is on the nest (somewhere) and the male sleeps in the shade or swims in circles in the middle of the pond every day waiting for her.
You would probably know, as long as I have a mallard duck pair on the pond will I not get a wood duck pair to join them? I know people wait many years to get wood ducks and my pond is a long shot due to activity around it (and my dog who can't get too near it but the fence does allow him in the vicinity), but I also wondered in a small pond how a mallard pair and a wood duck pair would get along?
The female mallard is on the nest (somewhere) and the male sleeps in the shade or swims in circles in the middle of the pond every day waiting for her.
I think mallards and woodies do fine on the same pond. I see them (and other ducks) intermix while cruising around our pond frequently. You could always put up a mallard nesting tube, in addition to the wood duck box.
Below are blue wing teal and Canadian geese, hanging out..
Hen mallard nesting tube
"Politics": derived from 'poly' meaning many, and 'tics' meaning 'blood sucking parasites'.
Sorry guys missed your questions...I trap lepomis/minnows/shiners up to 5" and the opening is about and inch wide I believe. I use the 18" version - simply install it so it's in 1-3' depth and in 24 hours I typically have 100+ fish. The mesh size is such I can also collect lepomis down to 1" length. This type of trap is really designed for smaller fish collection - the cloverleaf styles are probably better suited for larger fish. Steve I imagine this trap could help make quick work of your GSH - if you want to test drive it ping me and we can connect on the farm.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
I've had a couple of wood duck drakes visit my little puddle late evenings and roost in a big oak on the property. I'm considering putting in a nesting box out in the pond, but I'm concerned the pond being so close to the house, and 3 dogs ruling the yard would be counterproductive. Do y'all think they'd use it?
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
I took my wood duck boxes down at the pond because my lmb grew larger and I like baby ducks. I could see one of those lmb gulping down a baby duck or two. So plans are to add the boxes to the bayou that runs through part of my property.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
I took my wood duck boxes down at the pond because my lmb grew larger and I like baby ducks. I could see one of those lmb gulping down a baby duck or two. So plans are to add the boxes to the bayou that runs through part of my property.
Yeah...and then there's that issue. I'd hate to see a hen with a bunch of babies swimming in the pond, just to see one get ate. I know it happens in life, but I dont particularly want to witness it. One more reason to try to replace my 3 bass with crappie...lol. Chances are, now that I've had a change in thought about crappie vs LMB as a predator, my bass have probably spawned and now I'll have more of them to deal with. You've convinced me to at least wait a while until I see how their spawn panned out.
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
I haven't yet, but we've been blessed with our very first fish kill in our hatchery pond. Getting packed up to go seine and see if anything is left other than tadpoles.
I recieved my delivery of twilight blue pond dye today. So after taking temp readings top and bottom and making some notes on my calendar I put a little dye in the pond. My primary goal for the dye is to help control algae blooms (FA and BGA)as well as help shade the pond from the oncoming heat of summer.
Knowing the reduction in UV rays are going to hender any future phytoplankton blooms, is it possible I may need to think about fertilizing sometime in the distant future to help promote a bloom this fall? I know... it's barely spring... but no time like the present to think about the future.
I adjusted run times on the aeration to 3 hours this past Monday and am running from 7a to 10a. My temps today were 78 on top and 70 on the bottom. I'll take another reading tomorrow to see how the dye has affected temps and adjust accordingly. I expect I may be able to move back to warmer parts of the day and longer runs without as big a threat of super heating the pond (I was already bumping 80 on top and 77 on the bottom before changing run times).
.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
I haven't yet, but we've been blessed with our very first fish kill in our hatchery pond. Getting packed up to go seine and see if anything is left other than tadpoles.
So sorry to hear that. What do you think happened there?
Added 100 lb of TP today. Shallow water temp 78 F in afternoon, surprised me it was so high. Water has a nice green tint, looks more fertile than I've ever seen before. Still could use a little more fertilizer after the 75 pounds added, maybe only another 10 or 12 pounds.
Pond weeds doing well, as are YOY LMB and CNBG. Mostly Am pondweed and something like nitella, not chara (I tried smell test). Does not appear to be taking over, ends about 4 feet deep. I see all different sizes of fish, a good sign.
Still want TFS, but maybe it's too late in the year. ???
Mike's not against going to extremes or even off the beaten path...I don't even know where you'd get that much toilet paper OR what good it would do your pond, but I'll back you up Mike!
Scattered deer corn into shallow water around the shore. Wood ducks and black belly whistling ducks both seem to enjoy the corn. I've seen both checking out the interiors of the duck boxes. We'll see if they have kids here this year. That'd be fun to watch.
Found two snake skins, one probably a yellow bellied water snake. The other definitely a banded water snake. Both are welcome.
4 acre pond 32 ft deep within East Texas (Livingston) timber ranch. Filled (to the top of an almost finished dam) by Hurricane Harvey 9/17. Stocked with FHM, CNBG, RES 10/17. Added 35lbs RSC 3/18. 400 N LMB fingerlings 6/18