I finally started my pond

[rtdiggr]

That would be perfect if you have a spring feeding you pond.
Are you planning to put any large stones in the area? I am just living vicariously through you until i do my own

Shane

 

[bindian]

That would be perfect if you have a spring feeding you pond.
Are you planning to put any large stones in the area? I am just living vicariously through you until i do my own

Shane

Rtdiggr,
A stone or two might do well. I love cautus and that would all go together well. I just need some TBNers to send me some large stones.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Rob and all,
Here are some photos taken today at sunset.
hugs, Brandi

 

[rtdiggr]

Rtdiggr,
A stone or two might do well. I love cautus and that would all go together well. I just need some TBNers to send me some large stones.
hugs, Brandi

That sounds like a free offer if someone can come up with the large stones hummmm, road trip

Shane

Brandi as i think you know you don't need alot of boulders just a couple of nice ones in the right place.

 

[3RRL]

OMG Brandi,
Those photos are SWEET!
Perfect time of day for some perfect photos. I love that time of day, it's definitely my favorite. Your pond is going to be awesome once it's all filled up. Water looks really good too. I read you mentioned putting some fish in there, right?
Thanks for posting them Brandi.

 

[bindian]

That sounds like a free offer if someone can come up with the large stones hummmm, road trip

Shane

Brandi as i think you know you don't need alot of boulders just a couple of nice ones in the right place.

Shane,
Yeah, just a couple of stones for landscaping. I can buy some of them around here if no one does a road trip. What I really need is about a 36 inch concrete culvert about 4 foot long to splash in the deep end. I am thinking of a bale of alfalfa hay on the island when it goes under.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

OMG Brandi,
Those photos are SWEET!
Perfect time of day for some perfect photos. I love that time of day, it's definitely my favorite. Your pond is going to be awesome once it's all filled up. Water looks really good too. I read you mentioned putting some fish in there, right?
Thanks for posting them Brandi.

Rob,
Thanks! I wasn't even trying to capture the sunset. I can do better later on . I will be stocking with channel catfish. I have read bass and small ponds don't go together. But I learned to fish with a cane pole, drowning minnows in a stock tank catching bass. I just need to take out forage fish each time a bass comes out and stays. It is all balance, you know......and good record keeping.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

The water level is slowly creeping up to the 12 inch mark. 12 inches on the yard stick will put the deep end in over 4 feet of water. All this water with a dry spell going on. We have had just enough rain to get the rye grass growing good. The 1st photo was taken on the 5th of Feb. The 2nd photo was taken on the 8th, the 3rd photo on the 9th and the 4th photo was taken just this morning. The last photo was taken this morning also and the left end of the island is over 4 feet deep.
The water has came up so fast, I plan on meeting the fish hatchery truck tomorrow in Conroe and buying 25 channel cats. Either 4-6 inch or 6-8 inch. I would think the 4-6 inch would stand a better chance since the pond is only 4 feet deep right now. I will buy some catfish food when I pick up the cats. Am I forgetting anything, or jumping the gun on stocking a few fingerlings?
hugs, Brandi

 

[jinman]

The water has came up so fast, I plan on meeting the fish hatchery truck tomorrow in Conroe and buying 25 channel cats. Either 4-6 inch or 6-8 inch. I would think the 4-6 inch would stand a better chance since the pond is only 4 feet deep right now. I will buy some catfish food when I pick up the cats. Am I forgetting anything, or jumping the gun on stocking a few fingerlings?
hugs, Brandi

Brandi, there is a chance you might be moving a little fast on stocking your pond. With your very vertical sides, there is a chance you will have some cave-ins when you get your normal spring soaking rains. You also don't know how much silt is likely to run into your pond before your grass is established to help filter silt in the runoff. If you had to clean out around the edge of the pond with your backhoe, doing that with fingerlings in the pond might be detrimental to their survival. Also, if the water is shallow, don't be surprised if you have some big gray or white herons show up to dine on your fish.

When you do get around to stocking fish, I'd get several pounds of minnows to go along with the larger catfish. The minnows will promote a healthy pond and also be food for the catfish.

I could be wrong, but I think you will be happier if you wait on the first good rain to fill your pond and see how everything stays together. There's no need to have to restock fish because the first one's didn't survive.

 

[bindian]

Brandi, there is a chance you might be moving a little fast on stocking your pond. With your very vertical sides, there is a chance you will have some cave-ins when you get your normal spring soaking rains. You also don't know how much silt is likely to run into your pond before your grass is established to help filter silt in the runoff. If you had to clean out around the edge of the pond with your backhoe, doing that with fingerlings in the pond might be detrimental to their survival. Also, if the water is shallow, don't be surprised if you have some big gray or white herons show up to dine on your fish.

When you do get around to stocking fish, I'd get several pounds of minnows to go along with the larger catfish. The minnows will promote a healthy pond and also be food for the catfish.

I could be wrong, but I think you will be happier if you wait on the first good rain to fill your pond and see how everything stays together. There's no need to have to restock fish because the first one's didn't survive.

Jim,
I am praying I won't need to rework the steep sides. Eventually it will cave in a little, but it would hopefully be down the road awhile. I have about 5 square feet that is only a few inches deep. I realize a crane or heron might park there and snag a couple of them, but Booger would probably be on them and chase them away. After all, he needs to earn his keep.
The closest hatchery is an hour and one/half away. I was thinking if I just bought the minimum of 25 fingerlings @ 38 cents each, it would not be bad if I lost most of them. I was just thinking of the delivery opportunity tomorrow just 10 miles down the road. I would get some fathead minnows also. That way I won't have to feed so much and the cats will go for fatheads on hooks.
hugs, Brandi

 

[EddieWalker]

Hey Brandi,

That water looks amazing!!!! Reminds me of some of the ponds in Yellowstone witht the color that you have. Very cool!!!!

We only got .35 of an inch of rain in that last storm, but the one tonight is getting allot of attention in the news. They are all over the place with their pridictions, so I guess anything is possible. Winds from 30 to 100 mph, rains from half an inch to 2 inches and the possibility of Severe Thunder and a Tornado. Name it, we might get it tonight.

Hopefully you're ready for it and the pond fills up all at once.

Eddie

 

[bindian]

Hey Brandi,

That water looks amazing!!!! Reminds me of some of the ponds in Yellowstone witht the color that you have. Very cool!!!!

We only got .35 of an inch of rain in that last storm, but the one tonight is getting allot of attention in the news. They are all over the place with their pridictions, so I guess anything is possible. Winds from 30 to 100 mph, rains from half an inch to 2 inches and the possibility of Severe Thunder and a Tornado. Name it, we might get it tonight.

Hopefully you're ready for it and the pond fills up all at once.

Eddie

Eddie,
Thanks. I am loving the water color.
We had it rough here and at Hobby Airport last night. The pond took on 4 more inches of water.
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

I don't know how much rain we had last night, but it pushed the water level up to around 15 inches. About 4 more inches than yesterday afternoon. I won't be buying any catfish today. I will be waiting to buy Blue Catfish from Danbury Fish Farm just south of Houston on the 3rd Saturday of any month. My supervisor talked be into Blue cats when he told me Channel cats stir up the mud more. They won't get too large in my pond he also stated.
hugs, Brandi

 

[dirtworksequip]

Brandi, before yu know it you will need this. Catfish grow really fast if you feed them commercial pellets everyday.

1-cup cornmeal

1-teaspoon salt

ｼ teaspoon black pepper

ｽ teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 catfish fillets (1/2 pound each)

ｽ cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil, enough to cover 12-inch skillet at ｽ inch deep

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.

2. Combine cornmeal, salt and peppers. Dredge catfish in flour and then dip in egg mixture. Coat the fish with cornmeal mixture.

3. Fry 2 fish at a time until golden, about 6 minutes on each side. Keep catfish warm in a 275-degree oven.

Serves 4

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[RobJ]

Rob,
It's seeded. Now I can rest. There is over 3 feet of clear water that has seeped in and I was thinking today........maybe it isn't too late to order a few catfish for spring delivery.
hugs, Brandi

Ok I'm not trying to be a pond buster here...but...I thought ponds should be water tight...both ways only getting surface water. If water seeps in then water could seep out. Up at Elkhart we have places that run water in the fall/winter but are dry in the spring/summer.

If you have a spring up the way feeding the pond then you have gold!

That rye grass might hold up for a couple months until we get the heat back. Toss out some Bermuda in late June when the weather stays warm.

I hope it works out...Willis just north of us, I'm at I-45 and Cypresswood.

Rob

 

[bindian]

Brandi, before yu know it you will need this. Catfish grow really fast if you feed them commercial pellets everyday.

1-cup cornmeal

1-teaspoon salt

ｼ teaspoon black pepper

ｽ teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 catfish fillets (1/2 pound each)

ｽ cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil, enough to cover 12-inch skillet at ｽ inch deep

1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.

2. Combine cornmeal, salt and peppers. Dredge catfish in flour and then dip in egg mixture. Coat the fish with cornmeal mixture.

3. Fry 2 fish at a time until golden, about 6 minutes on each side. Keep catfish warm in a 275-degree oven.

Serves 4

Sincerely, Dirt

Dirt,
I am so glad someone here has volunteered to cook the fish I catch. I am told the blue cats should double their weight each year. Is that true?
hugs, Brandi

 

[bindian]

Ok I'm not trying to be a pond buster here...but...I thought ponds should be water tight...both ways only getting surface water. If water seeps in then water could seep out. Up at Elkhart we have places that run water in the fall/winter but are dry in the spring/summer.

If you have a spring up the way feeding the pond then you have gold!

That rye grass might hold up for a couple months until we get the heat back. Toss out some Bermuda in late June when the weather stays warm.

I hope it works out...Willis just north of us, I'm at I-45 and Cypresswood.

Rob

Rob,
Ponds should be water tight, you are right. But I had over 3 feet of water seep in while we were not getting rain. We were in a dry spell, before the rains last night, with the fire ban in effect still I think. So my pond is filling without rain while in a dry spell. That makes me feel real good that I have a spring feeding it. The rye grass was only planted because the soil is too cold to plant bermuda. Bermuda grass seed will be planted in March. I-45 and Cypresswood? Where exatly? I went to Klein all my school days. Mom and Dad had property on Cypress Creek. I used to catch catfish in our driveway!
hugs, Brandi

 

[dirtworksequip]

Brandi,I would say that would depend on how much and how often you feed them. I have two different ponds that had Channel Cats in them. The one pond I feed every day and the other was sort of hit and miss. You could definately tell the difference size wise. They went for about 3 years before they got big enough to start to make it muddy. Thats when I started taking them out. Once they get to the 18-20 inch size they start eating everything else in the pond.

One tip: Go with the smallest available fish. That way you can enjoy them longer. Unless you want to start eating them soon. They grow fast.

I'm always up for a fish fry. I'll clean them if you cook them.

Sincerely, Dirt

 

[dirtworksequip]

Sorry for the small pic. This one shows the fish a little better.

Sincerely,Dirt

 

[bindian]

Brandi,I would say that would depend on how much and how often you feed them. I have two different ponds that had Channel Cats in them. The one pond I feed every day and the other was sort of hit and miss. You could definately tell the difference size wise. They went for about 3 years before they got big enough to start to make it muddy. Thats when I started taking them out. Once they get to the 18-20 inch size they start eating everything else in the pond.

One tip: Go with the smallest available fish. That way you can enjoy them longer. Unless you want to start eating them soon. They grow fast.

I'm always up for a fish fry. I'll clean them if you cook them.

Sincerely, Dirt

Dirt,
Yes, I agree. You need to feed them regularly to get them growing. I plan on the smallest fingerlings I can buy. Cleaning is nothing. I just don't like the cleanup after cooking. I know I will enjoy them if I eat them or not.
hugs, Brandi