Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam Put the plug in the drain Saturday!

10-4 email me back to confirm order. I think we can get you some next week. Ewest I like your idea but that is basically the plan we use for trophy bass clients. Low sotcking densities on bass leads to great growth but also better bluegill survivial thus reduction in bluegill growth.

Jersey would you rather have more 5-7 inch bluegill to catch and bigger bass or slighlty less overall bluegill but larger 7-9 inch bluegill and slightly less bass growth? That to me will dictate the bass stocking program in June 2008.

Jersey I also think since so many have followed your journey this needs to be a PB story. You can follow it through planning/building in first article, fish stocking/mgmt second article and fishing success in third article that can come out in spring 2009. Whatcha think posters/jersey.

Greg I agree. Jersey's goals decide what the plan is. I was keying on his little management idea so he would not have to worry as much with culling LMB to soon. I like to reach carrying capacity (usually 2-3 years) in an understocked LMB position. It is easier to add a few LMB or BG than to constantly have to cull LMB.

It would be a good story for the mag.

Especially if it could all be told.

Greg, I'll give you a call today to discuss.

My goals for this pond are to have a fun place for kids (of all ages) to enjoy catching BG, CC, and an occasional bass. I'm not looking for any records, just some fish that are fun to catch and big enough to eat.

I'd love to share the whole experience of building this pond with the forum. I have lots of pictures of the process which started in May 2004. I only wish I could do half as good a job of documenting as Brettski has done. I do agree that following the making of a pond from the planning stage, through design and construction, initial stocking, and achieving the final goal would be a great series of articles for PB.

As far as sharing the "whole" tale, I guess I'll have to do that at some point. I'm afraid the suspense of it all is more exciting than the actual story, but as Sunil would say, it is certainly core to my adventure.

Jersey,

Congratulations on taking the next step! Having just reviewed this post and refering back to your initial set of photos, it looks like you did not add any artificial structure, i.e. trees, tires, rock piles etc. or maybe the photos don't show it. Did you put any structure in the pond? Just curious.

Russ,
The graders left a pretty good bit of contour in the deep (dam) end. I put in a big pile of pallets covered in cinder blocks in the shallow end, and in another area put two Xmas trees. It's not as much structure I would like, I hope it's enough.

Jersey,

I was just stareing at the picture wondering - that pond has drain pipes and siphon pipes too?

Gator

Gator,
The drain is not really a drain. It was just there to let the water out as we built it. It has a cap on it now.

I just got a call from my neighbor. We had about 2+ inches of rain yesterday and the water is flowing out of the siphons. I guess that means it's full! WooHoo! Now we have to adjust the vent pipes to fine tune the level.

Pictures soon.

Jersey, I gotcha.

That is a mighty fine looking pond. Congrats, sounds like you have an excellent water shed.

Way cool, Jersey....hurry up with the pix. I wanna vicariously enjoy the purported zen-like experience .

Better close the siphons or all the water will drain out. Once they start they should run until they lose suction. Glad she is full !! Where are Burger and Sunil when you need them to join in the reply - " Put in the FHs ". :p

ewest,
The siphon vents aren't that low, but I know what you mean. I can't confirm if the siphons ever actually siphoned, or if the two 12"er's were enough to just let the water spill through. I do know that the level is now 6'8". It has been 2 weeks and 6 days since we put the plug in. That's a bunch o'water!!!

Greg says I might have fatheads and BG next week!

Filled up just in time for the fish. They are on order and will be there tuesady. I had to juggle the schedule but will make 2nd half of fish run that day to see your pond. Might be as early as 3:00 pm but will call you with 2 hour notice. thanks and I will let you get lots of pics b/f we shoot them in the pond.

5000 Fatheads, 2200 BG, and 550 RE. Thanks, Greg!


Full pool!

Outstanding!!!

Boinggggg!

Nice!

Gator

Jersey that is the fastest I have seen a pond go from empty to full and looking like it is 3 years old. Well done !

I had guessed that it would take 6 months to fill. The guy who built it guessed a month. It took 2 weeks 6 days. All of the grass around it is rye. I hope to replace all of it with Bermuda this summer.

Greg put the fish in down by the dam. When I left, about 3 hours later, there were little splooshes on the surface 900' upstream in the shallow end.

The shallow end got as deep as 6'10" during last weeks rain. It has finally settled at 6" 2". The siphons never siphoned. But there sure was a lot of water going through them. Here is a picture of the "normal" everyday flow coming out of the lower siphon. The other siphon is just a trickle now.

wow, what a watershed you have there Jersey...very nice indeed.

Gator

Jersey nice seeing you again. Hope all is well. Let me know how it goes with putting on a elbow on discharge side of siphon. Too bad you could not get a full shot of the gray beard, Did the close up shot of the fish turn out well?

a blessed event jersey!

great lookin mess-o-gills there.

i love seeing the splooshes and rings on my pond, its a great feeling to know yer new babies are happy!

Jersey I don't see any yellow/orange tails or fins. Did you stock regular or CNBG?

Gosh, I don't know.
Greg???