No sure what kind of wheels those are. I was thinking old wheel barrow/utility cart. They would appear to have had solid rubber tires at one time. I'm just glad the old property had a scrap pile on it when we bought it...I love scrounging!
I like the trailer. It's got a nice Fred G. vibe to it.
I've been kicking around the idea of making a lightweight dolly for my pondhopper boat. Wheels and axle that can attach to the stern without tools, and some sort of yoke attached to the front tie ring that can be used to drag it around.
There are going to be a lot of river bottom potholes chock full of crappie after the water goes down, if a guy could get to them...
I like the trailer. It's got a nice Fred G. vibe to it.
I've been kicking around the idea of making a lightweight dolly for my pondhopper boat. Wheels and axle that can attach to the stern without tools, and some sort of yoke attached to the front tie ring that can be used to drag it around.
There are going to be a lot of river bottom potholes chock full of crappie after the water goes down, if a guy could get to them...
A light weight pallet, with bike tires, using a length of all thread for each axle works pretty good as a dolly. Mount the tires on the all thread, then nail the crap out of the rest of the rod with large fence staples to the bottom of the pallet.
.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 have seen wheel kits on the web like you are talking about Augie...they called them Dingy Launchers. That's what I wanted to do, but my junk pile did have the right stuff, not to mention the more complex design efforts involved.
Two tips I learned from a professional SMB guide in SEMO:
1) When bottom-dragging for SMB, the first tap is often for stunning prey. Pause on the first, swing hard on the second.
2) Gear up -- use a higher gear ratio reel when fishing for SMB in relatively shallow water. When they race toward the deep water (and towards the boat), if you don't crank fast enough to keep up with them the slack in the line will allow them to throw the hook. I use a 6.3:1 but 7:1 may be better.
I’ll see if I can determine my reel ratio. If I remember right they were pretty high speed. All the hits I had were taken right at the edge of the water.
Edit. I was going to fish this morning, but the water is a little warmer. Don’t want to stress the fish, or make the SMB any more hook shy. So, no fishing for now.
Decent rain so had to check the tank and cloverleaf traps. Only 5BH from the forage pond but 18 in main tank. Bucket stocked them in the cattail pond that is only a foot deep, leaks and never overflows. It's an old saltwater evaporation pond and pretty salty but they should be fine. 1.5in of rain is going to stop the expansion project for a few days.
How are you going to know unless you try!
NW TX 2ac main pond fed from 1100ac watershed going through 2 2+ac sediment ponds. 1st filled 10/2018 900BG, 200RES, 200HBG, 100CC and 23# FHM...."Free" BH, GSF GSH, LMB & ??? 75LMB 3/2020 I subscribe!
Then I should own that patent!! My baby brother and I built that exact setup to haul our jonboat down to the calcasieu river. We'd paddle across to the pothole swamp and shoot ducks as teenagers. We weren't old enough to drive yet. You know what they say....necessity is the mother of all invention.
.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!!
Fish were still aggressively feeding yesterday, a mix of LMB, HSB, and CNBG. My son had good luck with a dry fly ant imitator on a flyrod for panfish. My grandson caught two big LMB, one close to 5 lb, and a solid 2.5 to 3 lb HSB. Once I saw it was a HSB I intervened to end the battle quickly so as not to exhaust it.
Still have a good flow from stand pipe, no noxious fumes. Probably excess rain has kept bottom layer from anoxia so far, but not likely that will continue.
Took some temp and visibility readings this evening (6pm). Surface temp is now 94f, 18" down = 90f and a bottom reading at depth = 84f. Visibility is 36", even with dye in the pond. Short of switching to black dye and really throwing it at the pond, or pumping cooler water from the well, I dont know what else I can do. Only running the surface fountain now, 6 hours from 4-10am.
I'm really hoping that what I read in this month's issue of PBM about fish acclimating to their regional temps holds true.
We're bracing for the first tropical system of the year with predictions of 5-10" of rain in the forecast. That should cool things off a bit, and likely flush the pond for the fifth time this year. YTD rain is 40".
What a year it's been so far.
.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!!
According to Lusk, the fish you catch in 90 degree water and return to the pond will more than likely die from stress. I’m through until cool weather (Autumn) returns.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Mowed around the ponds again today. All summer, we have been getting mostly small, but frequent rains. The grass grows so fast you can tell it in half a day after mowing. I probably burn 10 - 12 gallons of gasoline a month just mowing this place. BTW, the dewpoint at 9 PM was 78 degrees!
Checked the traps. 5 YOY BH in the wetland with 2 traps. 15 YOY BH in the main tank mostly in one trap. Captain Obvious told me to fish for larger BH next to a trap...9 and this injured one. In about an hour. Snapping turtle, GBH (three are regulars), owl? Still in 1st year and found this moss getting started. Great for fry but if it is what I've seen before it can take over shallow areas. What is it called? 1.5in rain yesterday and dirt crew made it in to dig and haul quite a bit of topsoil. Free decent expansion! They aren't going very deep (5ft) but it should make for a good spawning area. Considering leaving a cove area but will the water get stale if not connected adequately to deeper water?
Still in 1st year and found this moss getting started. Great for fry but if it is what I've seen before it can take over shallow areas. What is it called?
ShortCut, That looks to me like Sago Pondweed-not a bad thing overall.
Battling Leaf Cutter Ants. They form conga lines from holes to the pond edge. They strip every single leaf off my Canna Lilies, Pickeralweed and Water Primrose. Once these are gone they hold their ant noses and go after the mud plantains.
Before it got dark I followed the conga lines to three holes which were treated with bifenthrin granules.
I'll go looking again in the morning. These guys are pretty near unstoppable but we gotta try.
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
Fire ants are a continuous battle in North Texas. But, I recently found that if I stir the nest and shake some Sevin dust on it the ants are gone within days. I find no indication that they have moved. I think they might be getting it on their bodies and carrying it back down into the nest.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Down here we encourage fire ants as they help control the leaf cutters, ticks, scorpions and termites. I first met fire ants in Dallas and never thought I'd grow to appreciate them. Still don't like when a dozen of them sting my leg while mowing though.
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
Fire ants are a continuous battle in North Texas. But, I recently found that if I stir the nest and shake some Sevin dust on it the ants are gone within days.
Thanks Dave for that tip. I will try Sevin dust. I use Amdro and it works ok...but with Amdro I think they are just moving down the way. I wonder if Sevin dust also works on other kinds of ants? I see a lot of non Fire Ants too.
Fire ants are a continuous battle in North Texas. But, I recently found that if I stir the nest and shake some Sevin dust on it the ants are gone within days.
Thanks Dave for that tip. I will try Sevin dust. I use Amdro and it works ok...but with Amdro I think they are just moving down the way. I wonder if Sevin dust also works on other kinds of ants? I see a lot of non Fire Ants too.
When we lived in Gordonville, TX., I found placing a piece of tin siding on top of mound caused them to just move out. Not sure what it does but they were gone in a day anytime I tried this.
Drove around pond to see how things are going. Looks like lots of FHM and GSH with HBG trying to spawn. Some HBG nests being guarded are swept clean and others seem to have quite a bit of green in them. Is this normal? I wondered if the male was waiting on a lady to come along, but it was going to be a long wait. I was always concerned I didn’t but out enough spawning habitat for FHM, but I see any possible site being guarded. Any overhead structure really, even if it is about same size as the male guarding it.
I did a little snorkeling and the water is pretty warm from top to bottom. I thought by raising my diffusers off bottom it might leave a little cooler water on bottom but it did not. But my fish are active and are tearing up the water when the feeders go off. The HSB and the feed trained lmb are also really aggressive when hand feeding. All in all everything looks pretty good right now. Except I don't fish when the water is this hot because I am afraid I will hook into a potential soon to be trophy and then the fish would die off before it's potential is reached. Oh well, all is good but I am ready for things to cool down.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.