The current GC numbers may be enough to keep the submerged weeds trimmed back so bank fishing is practical. GC will likely work on the milfoil last. Give it time and reassess the results after 3 summers with the GC. During this time you may have to trim out weed areas so bank anglers have access. Another option is to regularly fish from some sort of small boat or raft. When weeds are dense bass usually patrol the outside weed edges.

As the GC eat a lot of the weeds they will create a lot of manure that usually feeds plankton blooms and this may help reduce water clarity. If the alkalinity (lime) is too low plankton blooms may not thrive real well in the pond. Since the pond has relatively ample flow through after rains this murky water inflow may help lower the clarity after rain events. Pond dye is not a good option since the frequent flushing events washes out dye. Frequent flushing may also wash out alkalinity from lime additions; other members with water flow through pond may know more about this topic. I know soil farmers need to add lime every 3 to 4 years determined by soil tests. There are pros and cons to pond flushing events.

Long term capital appropriation plan would be to deepen and or rebuild the pond; maybe smaller to save $$, but with deeper edges, especially the upper reaches or fill in the upper portion with dirt dug from the main basin. Bigger ponds are always a bigger expense no matter what one does to them. Example - a 5 acre pond is best served by 2 or 3 feeders. It is suggested to not feed more than 10lbs per day. Amount of feed dispensed does influence the carrying capacity of fish. 5 acres can grow a lot of fish for one or two anglers without any feeding. Fish numbers management has a big influence on fish sizes.

Last edited by Bill Cody; 11/15/20 05:31 PM.

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