# Sharing my blog



## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Thought I would share the progress of my pond with you'all Its been great fun so far hoping for dryer days ahead NORMALLY we are heading into the driest weeks of the year, but this year not so much probably break the precip records since such these things were recorded. Feel free to give advice since I'm really just shooting at the hip. I think most pond builders are not really all that up to speed on fish habitat and structures but our guys really know how to build a leak proof pond. My blog is http://honeyruncreekpond.blogspot.com/


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Thanks for sharing Ranger. Well planned and it looks like you have a first class crew. I like your snag free fish attractors too. 

I built mine this time of year but was lucky to have only a couple of light showers that didn't effect us much. We got a big rain a few weeks after we stopped digging and the pond filled nearly to the top.

You probably have it planned but trenches dug between deeper water and structure or through flats give fish a highway to travel. You can use the spoils to create humps too. Just be careful not to create any leaks in the bottom. Also, record where you place structure and try to place most within casting distance from shore in water less than 6'. Maybe a couple deeper in 6'-8' if you plan to ice fish or from boat.

I'm making a few assumptions but the best advice I can give you is to be patient on stocking predator fish. Get some fatheads in and some floating planks for them to spawn under. You can also add your bluegill, 3-5" to start. Let them go an entire season, feed some pellets if you can. It'll be tough but you'll be rewarded in the near future. When you add your predator fish there will be an open buffet and growth can be incredible. Do not stock hybrid bluegill. If you want some channel cats, don't stock more than you plan to eat in a year or two, more can be added later. Discourage channel cat spawning by not placing structure they will use for spawning such as tires, culvert pipes etc. They are cheap to restock.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Great blog ranger!! It is cool to see the progress throughout. Looks like you will have a great looking lake when finished.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Was already following this, as I've personally spoke with Ranger several times. Love watching things like this come to fruition. Keep the up the good work, and most importantly take it slow!


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Thanks for the advice Pond fin I wish I could have the trenches but due to the clean-out of existing pond they are a little afraid to dig much in the bottom. I will instead try to provide a row of rocks coming from the structure to the shore for a kind of highway. I am lucky we have a big supply of sand stone on the old property near by. Fishman your advice was great I'm kickn around the idea of a summer full of bait then letting the dogs loose in the fall. When I do stock it will be with larger fish all breeds. Bass Gills and Perch. Perch to be harvested as soon as aged. Not sure on the Crappie heard it both ways good/bad. Thought about some 12-20 Stripers but thinking 12-20 Saugeyes would probably do the same thing [Preditors] will have to wait on Saugeye due to only being able to harvest 15 inchers from local lakes size limits. I need the pond fish to mature first. I do plan a bi-yearly Fathead shiner deposit and a strong pellet program solar feeder. Fishman still like to get you out here sometime as they close on completion the saddle between exsisting pond and new deep section is exciting it will slowly slope up from 12ft to 6ft then flat 6ft area then as steep drop off back into 12ft that will be fun placing that structure. They are starting that as soon as it dries alittle they said it doesnt have to be perfectly dry to run their big dozier since the dont have to run the dump trucks now.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Don't kick it around Ranger...WAIT. It will be the most dificult thing you do with this pond but will be rewarded.

Are you going the feed-trained bass route?

I'd hold off on the crappie. Bass, bluegill, perch and saugeye/hybrid stripers will be enough to keep an eye on. Triploid crappie may be available at some point too simplifying management of them. 

In a fed pond, hybrid stripers, compared to saugeye, are the best choice IMO. Fantastic growth, fantastic fight, and easy to manage. Not bad tablefare either but you'll have perch to eat anyway. Plus, their smaller mouth and readily filling up on pellets will take some pressure off of the forage for the bass. Plus, they are fairly easily caught, whether on a lure or worm and bobber...well hooked anyway...I'll post a video of my 4 yo daughter trying to reel in an 7lber soon.


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Really love the idea of pellet train bass to get the pressure off the fathead/shiner population. Tell my more about these Crappie I do like to catch these wiley dudes sometimes Do they reproduce? Waiting yes it seems tough but I'm game...I think. The reason I want Saugeyes after a mature pond is devoloped [even if I have to keep the the bait-a-stockn] is they are my favorite fish period. They are the most incredible looking fish ever and I love their soft bite on a jig. I fish them on local lakes and Erie 99% of the time a little sick love affair I guess. I stocked them in the last pond I had accessable to me and they worked great. Heres a vid of my best day on Tappan this year. 



 My complete fishing blog is at http://walleyewarrior.blogspot.com/ It is my dream when I am semi-retired to guide on Erie a couple days a week catering to wealthier clients just taking 2 guys in my Ranger 620 from trolling to casting weapons I would provide all of the very best equipment. Hey a guy can dream but this really could happen. Maybe if the weather was cursed that day which it mostly is... They would like a trophy pond experiece. Well I veered off course there but love all the advice you have given thanks PondFin


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Ranger, Triploid to a pond manager means sterile...by definition, three sets of chromosomes in each cell. Crappie can be difficult to manage and this simplifies things. Triploids can potentially grow larger as well since reproduction energy is transferred to growth. It basically a put and take scenario. You have the expense of restocking but not the headaches and possible cost to other fish if they do not perform as desired.

Since you are starting fresh....how would you feel about a pond omitting largemouth altogether? Maybe something a completely non-typical?

If eye's were my top fish I think I would do something like this:

Spring 2012 Bluegill 3-5", shiners, minnows. Feed Pellets, provide spawning substrate for the shiners and minnows

Late Spring/early summer 2012: Work on erosion control, bank stabilization vegitation. Observe watershed for possible improvements thoughout summer and fall.

Fall 2012: Add saugeye and perch. Feed trained, not wild caught. Feed trained will outgrow transferred fish soon enough. Maybe even some feed trained walleye (if so desired). Fingerling smallmouth can be added now as well.

Winter 2012: Place additional structure on the ice. There should be some decent catchable bluegill by this point.

Spring 2013: Add Hybrid stripers. Option:Crappie, triploid preferred (if available) or black crappie with careful consideration.

Late Spring 2013: Grass carp, add bottom diffuser aeration. Plant shade trees at strategic locations.

I know you said you are planning to go with larger fish, so the above probably isn't what your thinking. How many acres is your pond?


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Hhhhhmmmmmm...... mind is swirling all good points pond is only 2.75 acres hoped for larger but core testing limits some. We are placing shale around entire permeter for erosion and pest deter. the most exciting structure is just starting construction. They makeing the pond bigger I am making a terrific saddle with some dramic drop-offs and pionts where the new part of the pond meets the old if they can do as I requested. With a strong spring is a diffuser required we are also setting up the pond to have over-flow water taken from the bottom. Sugeyes are not available from any hatchery only walleyes and I here they struggle is that correct? I do like the idea of no largemouths.


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Ranger, your pond sounds pretty cool and you've obviously done your homework. My pond had some extreme dropoffs and saddles but that was mostly due to miscommunications on how many feet deep vs. feet from grade and that it was my wife's first time running a dozer 

As far as features and structure go, keep in mind that the main priority of this stuff is to concentrate fish or make their location more predictable for fishing so keep record of where they are and concentrate on areas within casting distance of likely fishing perches. 

From personal experience, rock over clay doesn't last long unless the rock is really thick. Rock over a good geotextile over clay does. It keeps them separated and is fairly cheap. Mowing over rock isn't good for the mower and geotextile will greatly reduce weeds/trees from springing up between for many years.

I really don't know why saugeyes are produced/stocked but my guess is that the DNRs reasons has little relevance to your pond. If it were me, I'd go with walleye over saugeye since they can grow bigger and are readily available feed trained. I think if saugeye were really better, food fish farms would grow saugeye instead of walleye...like they do wipers.

I will try to work up something based on your size and what I think would work to start with bigger fish...just to think about, not a recommendation necessarily but more for theoretical budgeting, timing and consideration, I'm no pro but it may help.

I failed to mention that some of my previous post was taking into consideration 1) what your priorities were and making some assumptions from photos etc. 2) What could be undone/redirected more easily if your priorities change.

For example, If you want to try smallmouth, best do it before you have largemouth established. If eye's are a priority, then you'd want to try them before other predators become dominant because in a pond, they don't always compete well enough for good growth.

The bottom diffuser isn't required most ponds do fine without aeration. Planning for a bottom draw overflow is good but will only be affecting things when water is flowing through. If your primary supply is a spring, a bottom draw would not be as effective as it would in a pond relying on surface drainage. The bottom draw is typically used to draw low 02 nutriet rich water off the bottom allowing the higher O2 fresh water to replace it. Spring water doesn't have much DO and the cooler water produced will settle to the bottom with the other cool low DO water and then flow out the bottom draw lessening the importance of such a feature. A bottom diffuser will constantly circulate the water top to bottom increasing carrying capacity and O2 on the bottom which can help reduce muck build up. I'm not saying the bottom draw isn't good because it is and free to operate and far easier to install now rather than later. There's quite a bit more to this and really won't make a difference in the first couple years of a new pond anyway.


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Saugeyes are a great fish designed for inland waters of warm turbid lakes they take those characterics from the sauger parent of the warm Ohio River but their growth is equal to that of the cooler water loving walleye plus their colors are really cool. Not sure why only the state reproduce them maybe someone knows I also believe they are better fighters. My rock piles are all set on two plastic pallets to improve there ability not to sink in or silt over. Your experience in the pond building is really impressive I have really began to realize its all the little things that take a pond from avg to a really impressive fishery. Update this rain is killing me all has come to a stand still I figure the next 3 weeks will be critical to a fall completion.


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Thought I'd share this video of me cleaning some gils out of the pond before the draining this thing had not been fished in a decade and had some killer 'gils


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

I've been reading up on saugeyes vs. walleyes and I now believe they could be just as good if not better than walleye in a pond.

Early research from OSU
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/1548-8675(1988)008<0292:HPSGFA>2.3.CO;2#preview

The primary reason for stocking Saugeyes is because this is what you want. That's the best part of having your own fishing hole.

Differences in survival would be minimal in a new pond with no predators, but some data suggests higher survival rate of saugeye fingerlings when stocked into lakes with existing predator populations. Saugeyes seemed to outgrow walleye in the above article as well but we have more control in our own ponds but I do not think walleye have a significant advantage. The better survival and growth from the research answer the questions of why Ohio stocks them.

Saugeye seem to prefer bottom or intermediate level fish so I would lean heavily toward increasing shiners and fatheads and reducing typical bluegill stocking numbers. 

You may want to hold off on adding any wipers or bass until you get a feel for how the saugeye are doing. You can always add them later, removing them isn't so easy. I think if saugeye were my main focus, and to somewhat meet your goal of starting with larger fish I would do something like this.

Assuming pond construction is complete:
April 2012: add as many adult shiners and fatheads as you can afford. Add about 75 adult bluegill. Begin feeding when temps reach the mid 50s once per day.

May 2012: Add spawning structure for fatheads like cedar shakes stapled to a floating rope.

June 2012: Increase feeding to twice per day when temps reach the low 70s.

September 2012: decrease feeding to once per day.

Early October: assess forage production.

End of October 2012: Stop feeding.

April/May 2013: Stock adult saugeye at a rate proportional to the forage density with consideration for amount that will be removed over the season and whether size or numbers of eating size fish is your goal.


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Really cool stuff that is awesome the pond building has slowed alot its just so wet down there not sure of the fall completation. A pond in which saugeye are the main preditors is very tempting One problem I see would be their moodiness of biting in certain situtions there are probably more picky then bass. I have seen stubies of rainbows added in the winter for ice fishing then gobbled in the spring when they slow down bet they would make a preditor grow quickly. Truly I have alot to think about. Thanks for all your imput it appreciated. Hitting Erie tomorrow night for the night bite I will report back


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

They are still digging with improved weather they finished my point in the deeper end I think it will attract fish after I place the structure. I like the shadow produced by the point. They found a bunch of Quartz style rocks about 2-3ft around I think they will go on the end of the point. http://honeyruncreekpond.blogspot.com/


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Looking good Ranger.

I had another thought. What about redears instead of bluegill? You could stock more with much less chance of them overpopulating, a bit of a concern with bluegill given saugeye's smaller gape. They can potentially grow larger than bluegill. State Record bluegill: 12-3/4", 3.28lb, Salt Fork. Redear: 15", 3.58lb, Licking Co. farm pond. Redears can be tougher to catch than bluegills but are more structure oriented. Since you be placing ample structure and recording the locations, catch rates may be less significant.


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## Ranger620 (Apr 3, 2007)

Placed the rocks at the end of the point in about 5.5ft at the top of the point to about 8ft at the bottom. Does anyone know if a person can get lillies that stay in control for cover and looks? Thoght I'd drop the vid from last wednesday night on erie


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## [email protected] (Dec 22, 2006)

Hybrid hardy lilies are usually a good start. Avoid ones that grow deep. I think I selected "Attraction" and "James Brydon"

My experience is limited as my grass carp kept uprooting them.


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## JSykes3 (Oct 14, 2010)

Looking really good. Have been checking the blog ever since you posted it. The pond looks like it will be an awesome place to fish.


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## JSykes3 (Oct 14, 2010)

Any updates?


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