Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Corrective stocking Starting over (again).

I have 4 ponds. One is a couple of acres, one a 1/4+ acre and a few smaller(now dry). We’ve had virtually no rain this year and everything is low or gone. We also had almost no winter weather.

Cormorants hit my big pond a couple of years ago and I restocked. I also strung lines across the pond to keep cormorants out. Everything going into last summer was looking good. However, we have had very little rain and the water levels dropped significantly. During this time, last September, my colon busted and I spent 25 days in ICU. When I was released, I had to almost re learn how to walk. Couldn’t pick up anything over 5 pounds, no 4 wheeler riding, etc. I was weak and had lost most of my arm and leg muscles. Doc’s told me that if I screwed up and busted stitches, they probably couldn’t save me. During this time, I was unable to monitor anything on my ponds or even visit them. I could walk the 100 yards to the closest pond but couldn’t make it back to the house. BTW, deer rifles all weigh more than 5 pounds so I had to skip hunting season. The lines that I strung over the big pond to deter cormorants needed to be dropped down due to declining water levels during drought. I couldn’t even walk the 100 yards to look at it. Thus, the birds were evidently able to get under the lines and pretty well clean me out. I have nothing or almost nothing coming to feed. Well, there are the 16 turtles.

They evidently also got to my smaller pond that had 7 or 8 catfish; about 4 to 5 pounds each and a heckuva lot of BG and GSF. One CC is now coming to feed and, as usual, an awful lot of GSF and BG. I had hoped that the tall, old growth, oaks would keep them from getting down and off from that pond. Evidently not.

I’m about 80 per cent on getting my health back but can do about anything. Bottom line is that I feel good and, other than weak legs, I’m ok.

I need to restock but not until significant rain occurs. For now, I have stopped the feeder and 4 wheeler the mile back to the small pond to toss feed. Those guys go nuts when they hear the 4 wheeler coming. I appreciate them.

So, next Spring, I’ll be, once again, restocking fatheads, bluegills and later some bass. This assumes that we get enough rain to even have ponds.

Darn, Im so sorry to hear that DD, glad you are getting better and at least getting around, I wish I could send some of the rain we are getting here this spring, too damn much, the farmers havent been able to get in the fields at all, get more rain about every fourth day, just as things get dry enough to think about starting anything it rains again. as an excavating contractor I am not being able to get much done at all, ground is saturated. raining even as I speak. I was at my pond two days ago and had about four cormorants flying around there, we dont have as much problems with them as you guys do I dont think but I can see a few of them getting their flight patterns re arranged if they hang around, they are a little skittish but not too bad, I have woods and hills surrounding the whole lake so I can get up to the edge of it without being seen.
Hang in there, sure glad you are getting better and hope you keep improving,, you need some fishing therapy badly, and eating some fresh caught fish couldnt hurt either! some nice crappie slab fillets? making me hungry thinking about it. hopefully there is a fellow member not too far from you that has some fishing left that he will cut you in on, sure wish I was closer, we would go out on a boat and make a day of it harvesting some fish, and maybe dispatch a few water turkeys for good measure.
Good Luck and keep getting stronger!

Sorry to hear about your health and wishing you a full 100% recovery soon!

DD,

Sorry to hear about your ponds getting knocked down while you were knocked down.

Glad to hear that you are bouncing back!

Hopefully some rain will head your way soon - and your ponds can start bouncing back too.