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Adding structure to a old pond
#12383674
08/12/17 10:55 PM
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 30
logan.chadwell
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 30 |
I need help on ideas on adding structure in a pond. It is 5-10 feet and has no structure in it and is mud bottom.I can do whatever it takes to keep the fish alive on these hot summer days.
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12383700
08/12/17 11:15 PM
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,143
reeltexan
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 8,143 |
The mud bottom is the battle. Does the whole tank have "mud bottom"? How large is this water?
Need a bit more info...
"..The pleasantist angling is to see the fish Cut with her golden oars the silver stream, And greedily devour the treacherous bait. Bill Shakespeare
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: reeltexan]
#12383711
08/12/17 11:30 PM
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 30
logan.chadwell
OP
Outdoorsman
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OP
Outdoorsman
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 30 |
The whole tank has a mud rocky bottom and the tank is about 80 feet side to side.
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12383964
08/13/17 03:13 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,795
Donald Harper
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,795 |
This is what I use in our ponds to help them make it through the Summer. You can get it all at Tractor Supply. Build you a few homemade habitats to drop in the pond for the fish to have a little shade and ambush points. Feed your Bass regularly with about 3 different bait fish if possible. Feed your Bluegill with a pellet feeder. Take regular water sample and sent those off for testing and suggestions on fertilization.
Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success. Websiite Sponsors: www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips 20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: Donald Harper]
#12384118
08/13/17 11:55 AM
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650
senko9S
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650 |
over feeding and fertilizer is not where its at. also that pump will do nothing for O2 levels as well. poor sales strategy Harper...
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12384120
08/13/17 11:58 AM
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650
senko9S
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650 |
I need help on ideas on adding structure in a pond. It is 5-10 feet and has no structure in it and is mud bottom.I can do whatever it takes to keep the fish alive on these hot summer days. check out the pond boss web site
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12384660
08/13/17 09:39 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 450
jafish
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 450 |
All you need do is cut GREEN mesquite trees and stack them up in piles. Green mesquite sink like a rock. They go down and stay there. No weight needed they fall like as if made out of cement straight to the bottom. Been there done-it.
TAKE A PHOTO HOME NOT THE FISH. CATCH AND RELEASE Set the hook first and ask questions later.
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12384700
08/13/17 10:13 PM
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 450
jafish
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 450 |
Just use the part of the tree that you like and cook with the leftovers. Pull your trailer up beside the tree and start cutting. They stack good on top of each other in the water. Don't use the thin brush part. Use the thick branches only. Cut them off where they are 3" and over. That makes them stack good. Green trees cut easy. I use a chainsaw but my kids use a sawzall and it works great too. They can't get a big stump like I can. Ever fish in there will be in the pile under the shade if you use the larger limbs. Think big pile tall so they can pick the depth they want.
TAKE A PHOTO HOME NOT THE FISH. CATCH AND RELEASE Set the hook first and ask questions later.
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12384722
08/13/17 10:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,795
Donald Harper
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,795 |
Mr. Chadwell Pond Boss will be a great help if you will put some money on the line. Talk to your Co. Agent. He will be glad to come out and offer suggestions. The water testing can be done through him to see if the pond needs any nutrients. The spray bar works like a spray bar in a live will. It will do the job as we have not lost any fish in 50 years in small ponds. If the acreages was larger then another system might be required.
Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success. Websiite Sponsors: www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips 20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: Donald Harper]
#12384821
08/14/17 12:14 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 483
beeflover
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 483 |
I'm excited for you with a pond in your yard!
If your pond does not get a lot of wind on it already, I agree with Donald Harper, aeration will help most to increase fish retention. I don't see where he mentioned fertilizer which is not a good idea. A fountain or device which is only circulating a small area of the pond is not very good. Ideally you would like to have circulation top to bottom thru the whole pond.
Your pond is shallow but has good surface area. The best for your pond is something that pushes a lot of water at the surface to circulate the whole pond. Not a fountain or a waterfall which circulates only a small area.
Here is a unit that would be good in a 2 hr electric [url=motorhttps://www.google.com/search?q=aire-][url=motorhttps://www.google.com/search?q=aire-][url=motorhttps://www.google.com/search?q=aire-]motorhttps://www.google.com/search?q=aire-[/url][/url][/url] 02&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj37Pjpr9XVAhVTzGMKHXS0A6IQ_AUIDSgE&biw=1040&bih=623#imgrc=VW_B9-wyBgB_qM:
If the link doesn't work see the Airo-2 surface aspirator,
This is as simple as a little electric motor with a strait shaft to a prop and is mounted on a little float. This will mix the whole pond top to bottom. You could put the outboard from your duck boat on a little dock and aim it down the shoreline and accomplish the same thing.
I don't believe bass spawn on mud so you might dump in a couple loads of sand/gravel to make a little spawning area.
Also, you could play with introducing some weeds like pads or reeds. Lots of bass clubs and lake associations are trying this. Find a slough, pull some weeds up with the roots on, put in bucket and then go stick em in the mud in your pond.
I like the idea of some wood laydowns in the pond and a few shade trees around the pond to keep you cool in your lawn chair! Speaking of cool, what kind of temperatures do you see in the pond now? Can you circulate irrigation/well water thru the pond to cool the water and add circulation?
Good luck, nothing better than a bass pond in your back yard!
Last edited by beeflover; 08/14/17 12:41 AM.
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12385365
08/14/17 02:16 PM
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,130
salex
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,130 |
www.pondboss.comSome of the advise posted on this thread is just wrong, incomplete, inaccurate and did not address your question. Lots of very experienced pond owners who give solid advice for free on the PondBoss website.
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12385597
08/14/17 05:37 PM
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,753
Outdoordude
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,753 |
www.pondboss.comSome of the advise posted on this thread is just wrong, incomplete, inaccurate and did not address your question. Lots of very experienced pond owners who give solid advice for free on the PondBoss website. Agreed. Also, try to speak directly with a fisheries extension specialist (A&M Agrilife). Some of the county extension agents know a good bit about pond management, others just know enough to serve their county's most important needs in regards to ponds. Adding habitat can be as simple as sinking a complex pile of large diameter limbs and trunks in one spot. Managing the environment and chemistry in the pond for optimal fish production is not something that you can get in a couple sentences on a forum. This bit is going to be best served by speaking with a professional and explaining to them everything about the pond and your goals to develop a plan. Also, please don't pull "some weeds" out of a slough and stick them in your pond. Vegetation is beneficial to a point, but unless you're willing to stay on top of it and introduce the right species you'll just end up ruining the pond.
Scott Jones
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Re: Adding structure to a old pond
[Re: logan.chadwell]
#12385682
08/14/17 06:46 PM
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,984
Chris G
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,984 |
I would start by buying some Muck Away tablets. Most of these time that mud you are talking about isn't really mud, but instead sludge. It's a combination of bacteria, dirt and silt. You would be shocked how well this product works at getting you back to a reasonably hard bottom. It's not cheap but it really works.
Then for the structure, any of the ideas above should work.
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