Hello everyone,
I'm new to this website but have checked out quite a few post from other members and the knowledge on here is amazing. I've already come to appreciate everyone's input, mostly thru trial and error cases. Now to my story/question.
Approximately 5 years ago my pond was dug for the purpose of building my house pad and for a leisurely bass/bluegill pond. The pond is roughly 1.25 acres w/ an avg depth of 12-15' (a slow and steady 4/1 slope) depending on where you are standing. Whenever the pond was first dug, a natural spring was hit and the pond filled quickly with some of the prettiest water i had ever seen. Crystal clear w/ a bluish green tint. Basically perfect pond water. I then added roughly 1200 bluegill (Copper-nose and Hybrids) along with 12 lbs of minnows. Fast forward 4-5 months and we get the "Flood of 2016" in south Louisiana, a 100 year flood to the experts. Even with a 3' levee around my pond, the flood waters overrun the levee and enter my pond. My pond disappears for roughly 1 week. Naturally the pretty water i once had was a muddy color for a while. Eventually the pond clears somewhat but never back to the pretty bluish green color I once had. Few months pass and I add roughly 30 Large mouth Bass. Weeks pass and I notice what I assume were catfish fry. Thru the years I have been able to catch blue and yellow cats along with bass and bluegill of all sizes. I have also caught the dreaded "Bullhead Catfish." My pond has a visibility of roughly 6-8". My thoughts on why my pond is muddy is a combo of the silt from the flood many years ago and the introduction to the catfish dirtying the water. My 1st plan is to get a few hoop nets and attempt to catch as many catfish as possible in an attempt to reduce their numbers. Hoping this may reduce some of the murkiness of the pond. My 2nd plan is to attack the silt issue with a combo of Alum and lime. I would images my bass are doing a decent job of maintaining the catfish but the pond continues to stay muddy. I am unsure if Plan #1 will help or be a waste of time, same with plan #2. Any and all help is appreciated. I apologize for the lengthy post.
Thanks,
LB
