Pond and Lake Management Thread

[Huntingfool]

I have owned owned three different properties over the past 20 years with ponds on them. First was 5 acres, second was 8 acres and my current is 2 acres.

It became a great hobby and I have learned alot from experience, reading, asking questions, etc. I found out that there is a lot more to it than digging a hole and dropping a few fish in. Just like deer management it takes effort, time, and some money but it sure is a blast when family and friends come out and fish and have a blast.

I have seen many people just go hire a bulldozer guy and have them dig a pond - more times than not they end up with a leaking pond that is in the wrong spot. It is important to find someone who has experience with pond building for sure.

It is great these two experts are willing to share their professional knowledge with us on this thread - it is invaluable

[RascalArms]

any type of aeration is great for ponds and i highly recommend it but it wont fix the problem once it gets to the point in your picture. you'll need to do a treatment to get that algae knocked down so that the aeration will benefit the pond.

Yup, I will spot treat a section here and there and hopefully be able to knock it back again.

I have owned owned three different properties over the past 20 years with ponds on them. First was 5 acres, second was 8 acres and my current is 2 acres.

It became a great hobby and I have learned alot from experience, reading, asking questions, etc. I found out that there is a lot more to it than digging a hole and dropping a few fish in. Just like deer management it takes effort, time, and some money but it sure is a blast when family and friends come out and fish and have a blast.

I have seen many people just go hire a bulldozer guy and have them dig a pond - more times than not they end up with a leaking pond that is in the wrong spot. It is important to find someone who has experience with pond building for sure.

It is great these two experts are willing to share their professional knowledge with us on this thread - it is invaluable

So true….I have neighbors on both sides of me that are dealing with this right now. Not to mention one of them screwed me up with his runoff water that has caused me issues the past 2 years. See above 🤨

[Sippy]

We enjoyed a site visit with a TBHer today. Looking forward to putting a plan together for his pond!

[bear]

Wild guess for draining, dredging, removing the trees.

50k plus

A local HOA here was requesting bids to dredge their ~10 acre pond. I saw bids from 35-65k. They went with a $55k bid.

Holy crap…. I didn’t know you had to drain- just wanted to dig out a few spots and remove cattails that take up most of the water.

Good grief that’s expensive…. That sucks


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[Sippy]

Holy crap…. I didn’t know you had to drain- just wanted to dig out a few spots and remove cattails that take up most of the water.

Good grief that’s expensive…. That sucks


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That’s why I don’t like online estimates. I was under the impression you wanted to open up the lake meaning remove a majority of those trees. If what I was thinking were trees are just cattail, it would mainly be a spray job. That would be a few thousand.

[Sippy]

What can you do without paying for a survey?

FISH!

One of the first thing i ask a client is if they have catch records. It is very helpful and does not take much time to record a quick length and/or weight. We can quickly calculate the relative weight of each fish from these records and have a good idea of what is going on under the water.

It is just one easy tool, but it is cheap and effective.

[BrandonA]

Same idea as the Camelot Belle to a point. The have a faster growth rate and are very aggressive feeders.

My thoughts, you better be ready to feed them.

We caught or first DD Camelot 4 yrs after stocking as a fingerling. They do grow fast

[Huntingfool]

We caught or first DD Camelot 4 yrs after stocking as a fingerling. They do grow fast

Brandon - when you put your Floridas in how big were they? I put in 1.5 to 3 pounders - just curious how long it takes for them reach the 6-8 pound level? Also do you keep your feeder going during the winter months? Thanks

[BrandonA]

Brandon - when you put your Floridas in how big were they? I put in 1.5 to 3 pounders - just curious how long it takes for them reach the 6-8 pound level? Also do you keep your feeder going during the winter months? Thanks

They were fingerlings about 1-2” long. I am just starting to feed or will soon. If you have the food source they should put on 2lbs per yr with some growing faster

[Sippy]

.

[BrandonA]

I’m not an expert at this but we let our baitfish have 3 yrs to flourish before we stocked Camelots. My belief is you have to establish the baitfish before you put your gamefish in

[Sippy]

I’m not an expert at this but we let our baitfish have 3 yrs to flourish before we stocked Camelots. My belief is you have to establish the baitfish before you put your gamefish in

That was a great plan

[Sticks&Strings]

i recommend using cedar if it is present on the property...bundling 3-4 small cedars (1-3inch diameter) wrapping them tight with Romex cable with a cement block. it provides good cover stays in place and helps clean up cedar around property.

Oh wow, I am going to do this for sure. Thx

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[BrandonA]

That was a great plan

Yes sir. People want to get in a hurry but if you want to grow trophy bass it’s a slow process and a tedious process

[Huntingfool]

That was a great plan

I have had baitfish in my pond for 4 years and fed the heck out of them before I put my Floridas in the pond - plenty of food for those boys and girls - time will tell