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NFC: report from flatwood pond
my rejuvenated farm pond is three years old now. it dried up so we enlarged
it and dug it about ten feet deeper then we stocked it with native bass and
bream. the bluegill first then a year later the bass.
i put 100 bream then 21 bass. last year i started having a problem with
filimentuous algae so bought three triploid carp from the fish truck.
triploids have an extra chromosome and cannot reproduce but do they ever
love algae and have eaten their way to being about 24" long and as round as
my arm. its my understanding that they eat their bodyweight daily.
i stocked it very lightly for an approximately acre surface area pond
however this area is prone to drought especially lately and the pond can
shrink drastically after several months of no rain so i wanted to keep it
light for that reason.
i fished it for the first time last week using artificial bait on a spinning
rod. the bait is a yellow and black tiny torpedo with the front treble hook
removed and the barbs ground off the back hook. i work it like a grasshopper
trying to escape and pulled a half dozen fish out for a look see. they
looked great. two of them were the initial 100 stock and were about 9". they
were small fingerlings (about .75 inch) when released.
two months ago i spotted a great heron with a large fish on the bank. it
turned out to be one of the 21 bass. it was a beautiful yearling fish. the
herons have been a problem this year but i'm determined to work with nature
rather than against it and realize that the herons effectively reduced the
fish population last summer and fall during the drought.
this morning i spotted one of the growing turtle population. a snapper
better than a foot across sunning. i've been wanting to experiment with
turtle traps and will construct one from pvc and wire with a sunning board
stretching from the bank. i have also seen elaborate bottom traps for
snappers but this is way too much work. ten years ago we caught a snapper
larger than a fullsized trashcan lid walking through our backyard heading
for the pond. his/her head was almost as big as a football (or so it looked
at the time). we transported her to a watery world about three miles from
here and released her there. i mean, a turtle can find water in a drought.
just follow one sometime.
nice rains this year though and the pond is expanding. water plants are
starting to flourish in the shallows again. i spend part of most days at or
around the pond. i've picked up much worthwhile knowledge here on this list.
thank you.
thats about it for now from flatwood pond. i'll try to take some fresh
pictures soon as everything turns green around here.
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