Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction What did you do at your pond today?

Very well could be. I tried to look up various birds when I saw it at the pond Had a brownish back and a white belly. Head and neck seem mixed with brown and white. Pretty sure it's some sort of heron but couldn't see anything in pics that picked up all the colors in the right places. Perhaps a juvenile not in adult colors?

I probably spoke too soon as you are in Kansas and I don't know what birds you may have. The shape looks like Green Heron to me. Not sure about the color patterns over the life spans though.

Green Heron

Closest thing I've seen to on site. I'd say winner winner chicken dinner here Sunil.

Thanks for posting that.

Green Herons, IMO, are actually more fun to observe than the GBH, only in the aspect that a GBH remains stationary for longer periods when stalking, whereas the Green Heron seems far more animated.

Saw one of the YP tonight while we were at the pond touching up riprap. 8-3/4" @ .362lbs. Had to cypher the RW a little as it was between the lines. I came up with 131% based on the info in my spreadsheet. Looked nice and healthy. Sadly, forgot the phone in the truck. Priority was to get her back in the water to swim another day.

Yesterday when I went to the neighborhood pond, a familiar Great Blue Heron was standing on the trash guard of the stand pipe. After I arrived, he majestically flew away, and then a Green Heron, who I'd never seen before, flew out of a bush and across the pond to another bush.

We had substantial rains over the past week which rose the water level up by about 2'.

And on a sadder note, Wally, my buddy HSB, shed his mortal coils and left this world. He was 24" or so, and maybe 6 lbs. esshup may post a picture of him for me. Wally, "if I don't see you no more on this world, I'll meet you on the next one, and don't be late. Don't be late.'

Sunil,

I have been fishing on several occasions where a Great Egret (large, all white heron) was working the shallows when a Great Blue Heron flew in and harassed the egret out of the pond.

I think the GBH are very greedy for "their" fish. I suspect he was bullying your Green Heron.


P.S. Sorry to hear about Wally, I know he was one of your good buddies! Do you think it was hot water stress and then a cold rain shock that got him?

Thanks, Scott!!

So, my shoe is 11" long, so Wally is a bit over 24" in my opinion.

After going to my neighborhood pond today, I realize I've had a fish kill. I saw three adult bluegill that were floating, one of which had a turtle-mouth-shaped missing piece of flesh. The water was, as always, very muddy after heavy rains, and today, things had cleared to where you could see the fish clearly at the surface, but they were not hitting feed much at all. I saw some adult bluegill grazing, and a few smaller LMB taking some feed, but no larger fish like CC, Blue Cats, or HSB.

The pond is also teaming with fry and they seem to be LMB, or at least, not bluegill as they are longer.

I also got to my main pond in Somerset today, Things look good there, and I caught a 2-3 lb LMB in a few casts.

Sorry about your fish kill.

Eventually, we all reach a point where we have to root for rain to reach our ponds, and then sometimes it turns out to be a massive, cold rain that turns over the pond and causes a kill.

It is hard work taking good care of our fish!

Caught 5 inches of rain yesterday which made water go out the spillway.

Nice! (Hope it wasn't so much that it shocked your fish.)

I was on the very northern edge of those storms. Caught 0.19".

I guess your rain dance is much better than my rain dance!

I'm with you Rod. Driving back in from the property last night it was raining cats and dogs as we pulled into the house. Out at the property this afternoon and the total rainfall looked to be ZERO.

On the birght side of things - I stopped by the property this afternoon to check the fish traps. Nothing huge to report there but "just because I was on site" I pulled out the fishing pole and messed around for a few minutes aways from the feeder where it's way to easy.

Underwater log produced a 7.2" LMB at .24lbs 145%RW
Dad's Dream Zone produced a 6.1" BG at .21lbs 121%RW (this is as far from the feeder as you can get on the pond).

The little male BG has some really nice coloration.

Sunil - Always tough to lose a friend. Hate seeing you had a fish kill. Everything starting to balance out a little?

Thanks. That fish would come and greet me, and follow me around even if he wasn't taking feed.

I walked around more of the pond today and found a few more dead mature bluegill. When feeding today, it was all smaller bluegill who almost acted like they were new to feed. I'd say all these bluegill were less than 6" long.

I did see several of the LMB I stocked a few months ago, and they're lightly hitting feed.

So, I think I lost most of my bigger/adult fish. I probably had, or have now to some degree, between 100-200 larger adult bluegill in the 1 lb range. So, I saw about 8 dead bluegill, but that was only walking around maybe half the pond. I probably have a lot of dead fish laying on the bottom. I don't think that's going to help my water quality.

No sighting of any CC or Blue Catfish, although I did smell the smell at one point. I have or had 10-15 of those in the 5-7 lb. range. They may have perished.

I didn't do anything at my ponds today ... because they are all in terrible shape due to drought.

However, I did pick up an 18' Triton bass boat for $700. Motor is rough, but I have a good motor on another project boat. Between two "project boats" I hope to have one decent operational boat this fall.

If I can't fish my ponds, at least I can fish our good state waters! Been too long for me since I had a good fish on, bending a rod. I can think of no better medication for diffusing work stress.

Congratulations!

Sounds like a good plan FishinRod. I’ve got an old 19’ John boat in my barn I haven’t had out for a few years. My son just moved back home from Austin TX. He’s a fishin fool. Can’t get enough. I hope he gets my old boat running and gets out. Plus I hope he starts to really see what’s in our pond. It hasn’t been fished hard in a while.
I hope your boat/motor combo gets you out on the water soon. Our rainfall is off again this year, as usual, but my pond is hanging in there, not full, but doing ok.

I predict that your fish populations will be well sampled in the near future!

Did you catch a rain today?

Yes. Caught 1.27" in the wee hours this morning!

Your rain dance skills are most impressive. Since Central OK had plenty of recent rains, you sent the storms mostly through Kansas last night. Much appreciated!

Do you hire out to drought-stricken farmers? If so, you can probably earn "Jeff Bezos" money over the next couple of years.

Sunil, it sounds like an O2 crash.....

Scott, yes, that's what I think too.

I fed yesterday, and have started feeding Optimal Grower now. Bluegill and LMB hitting the feed (Grower, Bluegill, and Bass, but nobody really hitting the Hand Throw).

After about 15 minutes of observation, I did see a HSB that was maybe 15/16" (from a stocking of 9-10" HSB earlier this year or last year) as well as a 4/5 lb Channel cat and similar sized Blue Cat.

Did you give him a name yet?

I suggest "Almost One Inch Long."

I suspect the RW on that fish is also about 7,000%!

He hasn't earned a name yet.......