Thread: Pond Mgmt 101

Oops! No, I forgot that bluegills liked worms. I did try to catch catfish. I used that catfish dough bait and fished one pole on the bottom all day. Nothing! Several times turtles nibbled on my bait. One turtle took the hook and held on for a while. It let go after I reeled it in part way.

I will try for bluegills tomorrow! Thanks
Patti

Patti - The bluegill are on the banks spawning. You may find them under the trees in the shade in about 1 - 2' of water. They will be along the bank right now. Use a small bobber about the size of a marble or first joint of your finger(1") along with your worm.

Many people have purchased property that has a pond on it or they have built a pond on it. Initially the pond has no trees around it and there is good wind action across it. The pond is stocked and the fish grow and life is good. Many years pass and trees grow around the pond providing shade for the owners and the fish. Slowly the pond is starting to change and the owners are never aware of it. What is happening????? The pond is aging and the water quality is going downhill. Algae problems are starting to occurr and there may be odors starting to come from the pond. MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING Remember those nice trees???? What about cattle watering in the pond? Are they pooping and peeing in it?

Over the years the leaves fell into the water and sank. The fish pooped, the cattle pooped and each fall the algae died and sank. Gradually the organic matter on the bottom built up thicker and thicker. The bottom of the pond turned anaerobic or septic just like your septic tank. The need for oxygen increased to assist in the decomposition of the organic matter. Where does the oxygen come from to keep the fish alive? WIND ACTION across the surface of the pond. The ripples, white caps, etc. are all providing mixing of the water and oxygen transfer. So the more wind action the better the mixing and more oxygen for the fish and the better the digestion of the organic matter. Remember those nice trees that surround the pond?? They are nice and thick aren't they. What are they doing now????????? CUTTING OFF THE WIND ACTION. What is happening to my nice beautiful pond? It is suffocating. What can I do to help it come back to life and be nice and clear. Sometimes nothing, it is too late.
Then there are times when the trees can be cut and removed from the pond edge.
Which trees do I cut?
Where are the prevailing winds?
You cut the trees on the Northside and Southside in line with the prevailing winds. Then you wait. This is a sssssllllllloooooooowwwwwwww process at best. This is labor intensive and many people will not want to bother. That is their priviledge it is their pond.

This happened to me on my farm. I fixed it in a slightly different way. I had a logger come in and remove over 150 tons of mature pine. While he was at it
I had him open an "alley" in the timber to allow the wind to hit the pond. One year later the pond was a little clearer and did not have a scummy film on the top during the heat of the summer reducing oxygen transfer. I caught it early, but my pond is still aging.

Another good piece of information. Thanks George!

We are lucky in that we have no trees actually on the pond bank. Closest trees are hackberry, elm, and pecan trees that are either below the high side of the bank (east) or the low side about 20 feet away (north). West side has a driveway. The pond is muddy, but has lots of waves. It is mostly about 4-6' deep, with a 10' depth in one part.

I fished for bluegill today with worms near the shallows, but didn't catch anything but a small mouth bass. (About an hour from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.) I will try again tomorrow. I may need to buy some bluegill to stock the pond.

Patti

Patti = Keep trying for the bluegill and keep me posted. I have a source for some adult bluegill

The question about turtles in your pond has come up occasionally. So I thought I might comment about them. Should you shoot them or not??? Well ask yourself these questions 1) Are the turtles giving me fits when I fish with a bobber and bait? 2) Are the turtles repeatedly bothering my fish when they are on my stringer in the water? If your answer to both of the questions is "No" then you do not have a turtle problem in your pond. Most of the turtles found in your pond are, most likely, red eared sliders. These are the ones commonly bought in pet stores. They eat most anything including dead fish. They are the vacuum cleaners in your pond. They clean up a variety of items and maintain your pond. They are good for your pond. Soft shells are neat in my book. I leave them alone too. The snapping turtles depending on their size may cause an issue. They are federally protected. You have to make your own mind up on them

Many pond owners are experiencing concerns with various types of algae right now. A couple of types that I have noticed lately is "mat algae" and "shredded lettuce" looking algae. As the water temps rise the environmental conditions change and different algae will appear and then disappear as the temps increase further. The Canadian Co pond that I am working on recently had an incredible bloom of what looked like shredded lettuce. Last night when I took DC Crappie Kid out for an evening of bluegill fishing I noticed the "lettuce" was gone and the water was clear. I knew then that the water temp was rising and the environmental conditions had changed sufficiently for this to die out.

The second type is the mat algae. You know what I am talking about. The large clumps of floating moss that cover everything like a blanket when something is dragged thru it. This too will pass as the water temps rise, just be patient

Gawd I love shootin turtles!:D