Hello pond fishermen,

Two days ago we had a significant rain event coupled with some cooler temps behind a cold front in the Dallas area. This aftenoon I noticed the water was very cloudy with significan amounts of sediment. We also had 10-15 mph winds today. I was hoping for some good fishing tomorrow or over the weekend, but the cloudy wate will make things tough.... How long does it usually take the wate in a 5 acre lake to clear-up after a rain event like this?

Any advice is appreciated!

Brent

Brent,


It really varies from pond to pond. How fast the water clears in a pond is a function of the chemical composition of the soil and water already in the pond. Some ponds will clear quickley others can take weeks, or even months.

I would say, if the pond was fairly clear before the rain event, i.e. visibility > 15-20 inches, then you could expect clear enough water for fishing by this weekend. Otherwise, it may take longer.

Thanks Meadowlark - we'll give it a shot this afternoon and see how its coming.

Well the water was about half way back to normal clarity this morning. Although the wind is chopping it up pretty well - we were forecast for calm winds today in the Rockwall area....

On another bad note, I visited our front pond today and unfortunately found several dead fish. Both small and large, I found a dead five bound catfish, several dead bream and a couple of small dead large mouth bass. This pond has been suffering for the last two years with a submerged pondgrass problem. We hired a professional to manage that pond last year and he really got the pond grass under control. It now appears that we have at least a small fish kill under way... I spoke with a neighbor that lives by that pond and walks/exercises around it every day. She said that she started noticing dead fish about two weeks ago. Any thoughts Medowlark?

Brent

Brent,

Did you happen to get a really large rain and/or infusion of water just before the neighbor started noticing dead fish?

Fish kills are unusual this time of year in ponds because generally the O2 level is high in cooler water temps. Low O2 is the major cause of fish kills in ponds.

However, a sudden change in ph, such as can happen with a rapid large infusion of water, can also lead to a fish kill.

Dead bream is a bad sign, sorry to say, because they are usually the last to go. Generally larger fish have less tolerance to big ph changes and will be the first ones to go, with BG being the most hardy and the last to expire.

Do you know what kind of treatment was used on the pond weed and when it was last applied? Is the pond possibly located in the golden algae drainage system?

I'm really sorry to hear about this problem...been through it myself and know how it feels.

You'll need to try to fish the pond and/or do some trapping possibly to determine where you stand and what kind of replenishment you might need to do....the good news is that Nature is resilient and it will rebound quickly.

Is there any way that you can aerate?

Dave-
We do have two fountain aerators per pond that run 14 hours per day. I really don't think were dealing with an O2 problem.

Meadowlark-
We have had two significant rain events and the first dead fish were noticed after that initial rainfall. The other ponds also got the same rain, they are the same size and no fish kill. I also noticed grounds crews spraying herbicide (week control) in the week before the first rain/fish kill start.

I am not sure what product has been used for pond grass control, but the last application was early fall. The only thing that has been done (intentionally) with chemicals on that pond is to 'colorize' the water deep blue. I voted against this, but the remainder of the homeowners really wanted the water blue.... The pond man assured me that the color would have no effect on the health of the fish.

Our pond maintenance guy is knowledgeable and is also licensed. I have spoken with him at length about the biological impact of the chemicals that he uses. Essentially he is used to control algae blooms, moss growth and otherwise maintain water quality during the hot summer months. He has a degree in a related science and he was the person that managed our stocking program about eight years ago. We have two fine 5 acre lakes that have consistently produced bass in the 5-7 lb range. The 'good ponds' get some run off from a nearby golf course and I suspect the fertilizer is priming the lower end of the food chain. That front pond has never produced many decent fish and I've noticed red sores on some of the fish. There is a swimming poll adjacent to that lake and I 'suspect', although I've promised otherwise, that some of the pool water winds up in that pond....

It was never going to be a good bass lake like the two, but at least it gave one some options if the other lakes were crowded or otherwise out of commission...

Brent,

Can you test the ph level? That would be interesting to know, but more so right after the kill and before and after the rains. The combo of herbicide and big rains worries me. There was enough time for a major weed/algae kill right before the rains and possibly significant ph changes with the rains...a deadly combo. The rains may have washed additional herbicide into the pond as well. Any idea what kind of herbicide? Also, the presence of fertilizers adds risks of a fish kill, but again this time of year generally O2 is not a problem. Was there an algae bloom in the pond before the spraying and did you happen to notice a change in water color after the spraying?

I'm not going to argue with your pond guy, but I will say to you as a friend that I don't like that water blue stuff in my ponds and do not agree that it has no effect on fish....it can have significant effects on the very lowest end of the food chain and that in turn will effect fish on the upper end of the food chain...in fact, I don't like any chemicals in my ponds and I include fertilizer in that statement.....but that's a different topic.

From the description, there are several candidates for the cause of the fish kill and perhaps they even acted in combo.

Brent, fountains are mostly for looks. They provide very little areation.

I believe I would take a water sample and send it to A & M for analysis. It should determine the presence of any any toxic junk. I seldom see a Do problem this time of year but it can happen. I really suspect the herbicide. The dead fish you see kinda run the gamut that absolutely point to a water quality issue.

Bluntly, I disagree with the "Pro" and agree with Meadowlark. I would never use a pond dye if I was interested in fish. I would also rather use grass carp and tilapia to control vegetation. Chemicals, especially copper based, don't break down all that well. I have found "Pros" that will Pee on you and tell you that it is raining.

Update-

I took a sample of the water and sent it for analysis at their water/soil/forage testing center. The results were inconclusive although there were tons of contaminants in there. There were herbicides, organophosphates and other terrible stuff. I attribute all of this to run-off from the surrounding residential area.

One thing that did pop up on the radar was a Ph problem. The water was very basic (high Ph). They suggested allowing the pond to sit for 4-6 weeks and resubmitting a sample - which I have done.

I've lost the battle on this pond as the HOA refuses to budge on the water coloring dye. I have observed people catching bream and dink bass, but all the larger fish appear to have died. At least my pond is still very healty - large fish and good numbers.

Now that's funny.