Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Complaining About the Weather

People (mostly me) have been clogging up some of the active threads with comments about the recent weather.

I need to stop doing that, so I have started a new thread.

Mostly for complaints - when you need to vent! However, please add good news too since we all enjoy reading "success" stories on Pond Boss.

To start us off on the right foot: Whoo hoo, the cold front has stalled right over our farm, and we have had thunderstorms training along the same line for the last 12 hours. I believe we are currently at 4.60"!

Our winter wheat has already germinated, so I don't want it washing out. I am ready to cry "Uncle!" I will attempt to send all of this moisture to our members a little farther south and to the east of Kansas!

Good luck everyone, grab as much as you can!

That's good news Rod, we have 2.2 inches so far. I sealed up the pond box hoping we get enough to fill it up. I'll gladly take your surplus.

I didn't even plant anything this fall for forage, it's been so dry I'm waiting for Spring. The ones I know that did plant early and get a little bit of a stand have been battling the army worms and bugs. Going to plant some Sudan grass early spring, or may just sell the cows and farm equipment. Market has been really good and I don't have enough ground that it pays.

We were inundated with 0.02" of rain Thursday, bringing our total for the month of October up to a whopping 0.61".

Good thing I've got a big start on the ark.

I hope you are using your carpenter's square that is marked in cubits!

2.6" as of 4pm today, pond up 1' , possibly 2 more inches tonight, been hearing thunder all evening, hope farm is getting a soaking. Hope everyone that needs it , gets what they need.

Glad to hear yours is up 1'.

The ground was so dry here it soaked most of it up before it reached the pond. Our soils are sandy so it takes a good rain or a frog strangler or a couple of days of slow rain to get significant run off.

On the bright side of it, this gives me more time to finish my dense artificial habitat beside the spawning beds I just built.

I was looking at the drought monitor web site and am amazed by how widespread drought conditions are in the US this year. For us in western NY it has been just slightly on the wetter than normal side. A very good growing year for farmers unless you were unlucky to be where some of the summer storms repeatedly hit, like Canandaigua, NY.

My puddle only got about 4” below full this year without any big runoff events. This compared to 3’+ when the pond was first excavated. Finally my leaky pond is no longer a source of anxiety for me, and the fishing has been fun lately.

But NY in general had very little rain in October, and not much is in the forecast for the next 10 days. You folks out west of us need it more than us, so we are happy to share!

In my 34 years on the place here west of Indy, I have never seen surface water this far down, but averages have a way of working themselves out. Maybe there will be heavy snow this winter?

In my 24 years at my place, I have never experienced this type of drought. My pond is down 3+ feet and I am beginning to understand how some of our friends out west feel. I just shake my head when I look at my pond, it's sad, but the fish still seem to be "happy" and feed on the warmer days even this late in the year. We have big dogs and mark their deposits in the yard with flags - it's a real chore to get them in the rock hard ground.

I was hoping to plant wheat for deer in a couple of places. But, we got virtually no Fall rains at the right time. Actually I’m a long term drought and my ponds were about 50 to 60% full.Then, the last couple of days a neighbor, about 1/2 mile from me, got dang near 4 inches over 3 days. I don’t get as much as him due to owning a high spot where the clouds split. I live 80 miles away and am busting a gut to go see the ponds but we have more coming in the next couple of days. I’ll go look in 3 or 4 days. Or maybe I won’t be able to wait that long.

DD1,

I worked hard to send that rain down to you!

I am going to try to send you a little bit more today after I eat lunch.

We got zero essential rain this summer, and this year's pond still isn't at our lowest water level. Normal water level is around 11 acres, but it's close to 7-8 now. My wife has had to hear me moaning and groaning, but there are a few upsides.

As the water dropped, the grass carp are pinched and cleaning up the pond. As CNBG come out of the shoreline cover, the LMB are gorging right before winter. Also, It's easy for me to restock brush piles now that I can walk right up to them, which is easier than doing it out of a boat. Lastly, al the entrances to beaver huts are out of the water, and I can find slides that are above the water line. A couple of the huts have several entrances, so I can pack them up and control when and if they come back to them. Sadly, cormorants still have an occasional heart attack above the smaller pond.

Friday- Thru this morning , 4.3" , came up barely a foot , still 6' down from full pool , just too slow and soft a rain on ground that hadn't had run off in 16 months. But our wheat farmers needed exactly what we got. Couldn't get to pond for 2 weeks , finally got out last Wednesday, Mr Cormorant and Mr. GBH were standing on same log , 18" apart , I got out , screamed , waved arms , GBH was a gone bird. Mr. C plopped into pond and started fishing , I screamed and waved arms , He fished. I ran up to my gun cabinet , retrieved my Ruger 10-22 , carefully placed a round in front of him , splashed water in his face , I was impressed with lead placement, he kept fishing , apparently my not being at pond in 2 weeks , he had established squatters rights. Placed 2nd round right in front of him splashing water in his face , he now took me seriously, and flew 200-250' up the canyon landing on the pond and back to fishing , this shot was scary (might accidently hit him , a protected bird and all ) , I ran around one of our barns, up a slope , dropped range to 100' splashed water in his face again , he flew 10' and sat down to fishing again and round #4 water in his face . He jumps and is flying the length of the pond back towards me, straight on , 24" off the water , round #5 and he flies thru the spray and sits down were the 1st round sprayed him , Yes , it's #6 and water in his face , he takes off E by NE , Learnin , bad news is he was last seen heading towards Grant County , but some well placed rounds may cause him to light somewhere between Tulsa OK and Parsons Ks. The good news, haven't seen Mr C or Mr GBH since that afternoon. Oh yes, back on subject , weather , forecast on my app says 70% Thursday and 100% chance of rain Friday , certainly praying here , need 6' in upper pond , taking delivery Thursday at 8am for 200 #'s of RT and 80#'s of Optimal feed for them. Learnin , that's a beautiful Flash Board system you built , hope it lasts decades for you.

No birds were injured or killed in the above story ,it's not even believed that said Mr C even needed to change under clothing or fouled any feathers hidden or visible.

I think I saw my first ever cormorant at the pond yesterday. Flew off as I approached the pond. A shotgun will be added to the list of "tools for the property" on visits now. Won't be aiming to take the fella out should I see them but I'm not opposed to scaring the dickens out of them...

On the weather....Looked like the pond raised about 8" from the rains and was still draining off the watershed. Typically takes two days for the water to make it off the hill and into the pond. Should be just in time for the next chance of rain.

Boon, sent you a private message.

Got it, and thanks for the thoughts.

Scaring not killing were the keys to my statements above.

FishingAdv Mr. C hasn't made this far North yet but if he does he'll get the same treatment here. I walk around the pond almost daily, last time I saw him was about a week ago, only took a few warning shots to send him on his way. I carry a .22 pistol for my walks around the pond, only thing I've ever sent to the great beyond with it was a snapping turtle. He decided to eat some chicken liver that I was fishing for YBH with.

You must have drained the rain clouds before they made it here as well. We got just under 3 inches. A farmers rain like you got so still haven't tested the Flash Board. Expecting it to be Spring before that happens.

On the positive side, I still have time to finish up adding the cover beside the BG beds I've added. Got the flowers in from TEMU, not exactly like the pictures but I think they will work to provide the dense cover needed with the absence of the bushy pond weed.

Rod, I'm sure glad you started this thread to turn loose the rains.

No complaining here today, we've had over 3 inches and still more to come.

Nice flow coming into the pond.

Pond is up over 1.5'

Still a ways to go to test out the flash board riser.

It was muddy feeding the cows this afternoon but still no complaints here.

I got about 3.5 at Bowie.

Hopefully, your GSF no longer have their dorsal fins sticking up in the air!

Just the big ones.

We only received about 0.13 inches for the 60 days Sept 1 to Oct 30. Have received over 11 inches since October 31. Ponds are still not full, but no longer look like mud holes.

Wow, that is some serious feast or famine behavior for your rainfall. Glad to hear that your famine may be ending!

2 tenths last night, at least it's keeping the dust out of the air.

More chances in the forecast later in the week. According to the POORcasters. If I was wrong as many times as they are in my line of work I would have been fired years ago.

The Farmers Almanac predicts that Oklahoma will experience a warmer than average fall with below average rainfall. Hopefully they are wrong as well.