Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Bob Lusk's Call For Comments on PBMag Changes

In the "From The Editor's Desk" section of the July/August PBMag, Bob talks about the possibility/likelihood of bringing some changes to the magazine, and asks for comments on what we would like to see in it. I thought I'd put mine here and collect some more from y'all.'

1. Some Mags I subscribe to have regular writers who I think are hacks. I really can't stand what or how they write. I am happy to state that I don't feel this way about any of the current regular writers in PBMag.

2. I would never have asked to see columns on wildlife management or birdwatching in a Pond Management magazine, but I consistently enjoy reading Dan Van Schaik and Birdman Mel's columns and find them good accompaniment to pond information in a general outdoors manner.

3. Changes: Personally, I would like to see more articles NOT about LMB and BG - those have kind of been done enough. I would be interested in detailed information on other species being given more often in the future. For example, I never plan to stock Tiger Muskies, but I think an encompassing article on their use in sport ponds would be very interesting.

What do all of you want to see in PBMag?

Simple things can be added like...

1.) A pond comic.
2.) Pond photo of the month submissions/winners.
3.) DIY ideas/instructions.
4.) Swimsuit issue (I just had to throw that in).
5.) Fail photos/lessons learned can be humorous (so long as they're not mine).
6.) Mo Conservation Mag does a "What is this" photo. A close up of something pond related, eg. a frogs ear only. Rather difficult to figure out until you see the full photo...on page 7.

None of these are deal breakers, but might be easy to implement. So long as they do not replace the normal content.

I have only read 2 issues so if it has been done forgive me. More pics of pond docks and fun things around the pond ( DIY STYLE ). Some seem like they have an endless budget but I don't think that is the norm. The swimsuit issue sounds good but sorry prolly 97% dudes on here. Hope I don't offend anyone but that's not my style. I don't want to see what some of ya our offering LOL.

Maybe a section on Pond Tech, with reviews of a product from several manufacturers. Kind of like what is done with hunting gear and gadgets. So maybe DO meters or thermometers or water test kits? Maybe under water video cameras? Fish feeders? I'd stay clear of fishing gear (since this is addressed in many other fishing specific mags). Maybe some head to head comparison type stuff.

." Changes: Personally, I would like to see more articles NOT about LMB and BG - those have kind of been done enough. I would be interested in detailed information on other species being given more often in the future. For example, I never plan to stock Tiger Muskies, but I think an encompassing article on their use in sport ponds would be very interesting."

I too, would like to see more on the subject of other species such as YP, WAE, etc...
I also think one must be careful of how far outside the box one gets from the private sector of fisheries management. I realize customer base can grow but as Lusk also states-you can loose customer base if they loose interest.
I'm personally attracted to items such as DIY structure ideas, SMB spawning structures like TJ has. Growth rates or expected growth rates-NOT WR-of many species. How growing seasons affect different species, etc.
Not my ball but I'd hate to see this turn into a "how to place your deer feeder" FAQ.
I like the idea of addressing product ratings from vendors listed in the PB resource guide-I have one I'm not happy with and people need to know why.
My 2 cents..

Northern pond segment would be helpful as we have few additional cool water species [YP/WE/TM] unique to our fisheries.

Alt forage base options for fisheries dependent on goals.

Make it a random selection, so 97% of the time the picture is a dude from here in a swimsuit. :P

Well, that might not be good for subscription renewals.

That's not really what I had in mind, but it would really put a face to a login in name, wouldn't it? YOU FIRST THEO!

More cowbell?

If not, then we may need to get more vested in the magazine. Bob writes most of the articles, and I'm not sure he's got the time to expand that much. If there is something that you're doing that's of interest, or unique, then write an article. Bob will clean it up, and take care of the grammar, etc. I think Sprkplug did one several years ago, and it was a good one.

Despite TX being the epicenter of the PB world, I'm in on more northern fish also.

Visits to advertisers so we can find out why we would even be interested in their products. A day in the life of...

I'm always interested in homestead stuff also.

I pretty well enjoy it the way it is. I really like the wildlife and bird stuff.

Maybe more how to do it type stuff.

I love the magazine! The kids portion is entertaining and gives ideas on how to keep kids involved and learning ( I learn stuff there too!)
A lot of the technical stuff is over my head, so I wouldn't want to see any more articles that make me use a dictionary.
Yes on articles on different species! Different main predators, different forage, different bonus fish.

SUNIL! Bring on King Ding-a-Ling.

More on ponds less than 5 acres, less on larger bodies of water.

More articles on building, rebuilding or fixing smaller ponds.

I'd like to see some Whodunnit articles for info & fun. Such as describing a real situation, then asking readers for their proposed solution out of say, four or five possibilities. Then explain what the best choice would be, and why.

The questions & answers could vary from quite basic -- Why is clay so important to building a dam? -- to advanced, so most readers could get some right and have to learn others. Bob has done something similar to this in the past, I'd like it to be a more regular feature.

I also enjoy the articles on birds and pond insects. Dragonflies are awesome for beauty & mosquito diet, would love to learn more about them.

Maybe a section on our/my screw ups at the pond. I am sure there are some out here that will never admit to their screw ups, but I bet most of us have done something that did not work out so well at the pond. Heck, I can think of several things I have done that did not work out so well and would not repeat it if given the chance. I bet I could think of a half dozen of things I have done that did not go so well or as planned or did not work at all or wound up costing more money than it should have cost. I see things here on this Forum today or the past month that I see some are doing that I would not do and think it may wind up being a screw up before it's all said and done. Maybe not but I'm betting


I can see a comic strip (as mentioned above) that might work as we all describe our screw ups

Since we are all just outside playing. Maybe not call them fails but how bout ( 1st try ) pictures. I'm a picture freak. I like to see progression pictures. AS in before, during and after. Love seeing the beautiful docks people have built. Things I would do different ideas.

I would like to see past articles revisited. For those of us that just started getting the magazine.
The DYI contest for a project you done on your pond, dock, fish cage structure ideas!!, lighting. What ever that can make our ponds better. I have farming magazines that have this in it and it is the first thing I look for. Give a mug or hat if you get your idea in the mag.
How I screwed up and how to fix the problem would be great.
Would love to see a monthly article on toys for the lake, slides, swings, floating play stations any thing that would make the pond fun for kids. When the fish are not biting.

Great stuff, guys!
As you bring the ideas, help figure out how to fulfill them as well. People love real world stories from our readers. If you have a story idea, email me and share your idea. Odds are, I'll take it. Like Allen says, I'll clean it up. You just need to tell the story.

I'm collecting ideas from everyone willing to share them, and if I can figure out how to fulfill those ideas, we'll sure use the best ones.

The product reviews get a little dicey for me. That's why we spend a fair amount of time vetting advertisers before bringing them in. Believe it or not, we've not allowed several, primarily due to a conflict of philosophy or struggling to understand their products and how they fit with Pond Boss. The dicey part is how to not become a prostitute for products and keep an unbiased journalistic approach to the articles.

Keep those ideas coming...LeighAnn and I are watching.

I think it would be interesting to have a regular contribution from PB subscribers showing their pond and experiences in managing or constructing. It is very interesting to me to see how wildly budgets, creativity, and effort vary in pondmiestering. I enjoy seeing the big spreads, but it is nice to see the simple and low maintenance ponds. Does a decent pond have to consume huge amounts of your financial or time resources?

To expand on roundy’s thoughts, it would be interesting to follow a few ponds long term. Pick a half dozen or so ponds about to be constructed or renovated and provide ongoing in-depth articles over a several year period. Updates can be once or twice a year. I would pick a range of pond sizes and locations.

Another idea would be to have a couple pages with Forum Posts of the Month. There are some great discussions that many people may be missing because they fall off the Recent Posts sidebar. The could be copied directly from the forum or edited/summarized for the magazine.

FireIsHot in a Speedo?

I think it would cool to have a fairly regular feature about what to look for in a pond property. It is so much easier to find good property to build a house than build a pond! In our case, even when we had the finances, it took six years of searching. Wrong topography, wrong soil, wrong neighborhood, not enough watershed, too much watershed, too visible & accessible from a public road, noise from a nearby interstate (we didn't notice at first because it was a windy day), you name it.

I’ll throw this out there knowing I may offend some. I apologize in advance. I subscribed for three or four years, but let my subscription lapse. I just wasn’t getting that much out of the magazine. Part of that is my schedule. I wasn’t taking the time to dig into articles that may have been on topics I was interested in. My overall impression was it seemed like a scientific journal. Lots of articles were filled with charts, and statistics that I’m sure a pond management professional ate right up. (And those pond management professionals are what make this forum so informative!) I just wasn’t finding a lot of articles that I enjoyed reading. I eventually came to the conclusion that I really wasn’t in the target audience. I get more information directly from this forum on specific issues I’m most concerned about or interested in. So I donate here.

Mudhole made a good suggestion I think. How about a section in the Mag titled FROM THE POND BOSS FORUM. And then BOB can put in his comments/thoughts. Or FROM the Wednesday PB Facebook videos where he might tell/describe the topic of the Wed show. And I still like the idea where we tell of our pond mistakes so that others might learn from attempts to improve/manage things related to ponds.

We don't call him 'Dreamboat Annie' for nothing!!!