Good thread - there is a vast chasm that lies between!
Some pondsters have "vast" fish and fishing experience and other have none.
I well remember catching my first "bass" more than 80 years ago - fishing for "brim" in a creek behind our house with worms with a cane pole - ran out of worms and tied on a berry blossom and caught a bass.
Been fishing all my life and know a skinny bass from a fat bass so don't do WRs or run around with a O2 meter or water testing kits and don't over think turbid water and don't keep paper records - only photo journal.
I have raised some really nice fish and mother nature and I have killed a few on occasion.
I am a firm believer in "to over analyze is to paralyze" - especially in pond management, for me anyway. Fly/lure in the water is my tool and observation is my teacher.
Everything about pond management is a means to an end for me - if not for the fishing sport I would not have any interest in ponds.
Some of my biggest stocking mistakes have turned into success by stocking large numbers of CC that aided bass in controlling over abundance of small forage fish, and in the process, discovery of the sport and beauty of CNBG.
This was a two edged sword however, causing my first fish kill by excess biomass and too much fertility with excess feed.
I also learned on my second fish kill that bottom diffuser aeration alone could not prevent a fish kill in severe Texas heat wave and drought conditions.
Went against all conventional wisdom from the fisheries experts and TP&W biologists about stocking HSB in ponds and now a common practice in
Texas farm ponds.
Deep pockets are sometimes necessary some time to achieve maximum success in in pond management, but some folks like to keep it simple by choosing a simple recommended “balanced” plan of LMB, CC and BG.
Fun stuff - thanks Sparky!
George
