pond fun 4-4

[RangerRob]

I hit a buddies pond yesterday on my way home from work. It was really nice out when I left work and just couldn't resist.

I got there shortly after 4 and the wind was blowing warm and steady out of the west. Bucks and bream were cruising the shallows in large numbers. Two were quickly hooked on a C-rigged 3X lizard and then the bite died. The wind had shifted from westerly to coming from the north ... and it was a cooler wind blowing with a tad more gusto. I switched over to a 1/4 oz DJW "mad bream" colored SB and eventually caught two more slightly larger than the first two ... no trailer hook needed - though it was there - they swallowed it whole. All of the fish were between 12" - 14" and skinny as a rail. Unfortunately this pond has a problem with this. No beds were sighted.

 

[Bprice]

RR,

Through internet research I consider myself knowledgable about farm ponds, well because one day I want to raise the new Alabama Record Largemouth. Anyways, he probably needs to start harvesting 2 lbs of bream a month, and 1 lbs of Bass... This will help the balance. Also he might need to seine the pond, if the pond is filled with tadpoles, frogs, crawfish, GREEN SUNFISH (will choke a pond) and other non-stock animals, he might need to drain and restock fresh. The TWRA website has great info on pond building and harvest.

BP

 

[RangerRob]

I wish. Truth is ... the land owner doesn't give a hairy rat's arse about the condition of his pond. At one time it had some decent fish, but he let people start releasing them straight to the dinner table. He's even encouraged me to do the same, but that ain't my bag. There is a low number of sunfish and very little cover. It's a shame too b/c it's only a mile from my house and when my son is old enough to fish safely, it'll be a good place where I could drop him off for a couple of hours and not worry about him.

 

[fisherpal2k]

Shoot RR you may have to do like I did. I went to a guys house and asked if I could put some small brush in his pond and work on it for the right to fish in it. He said ok. So I started putting in brush and just a few old dead logs I found around the edges. emoPoke I worked on it for a couple of weeks in the fall and by summer the next year he had a nice place going. Then he sold the darn place emoBang And I don't get to go back. But it did work for awhile. He was pretty nice about it and even started helping when he saw the changes it made in his place. emoThumbsup

 

[RangerRob]

I've thought of doing that, and maybe one day I'll get around to it since the family probably wouldn't mind. Those 'crappie condos' that Bprice and jtf showed pics of would be a cheap, easy solution. I'd like to plant some willows along the banks too, but, all in time ...

 

[Bprice]

Yeah man, the condos are cheap, and nice... if you can score some five gallon buckets, buy an 80 lb bag of quickcrete, and find the Boo your ready.