Total Fish Die Off

[EddieWalker]

I have two ponds. Both of them are down about 4 feet or so from the lack of rains in the past year. We are also experiencing high temps of 100 degrees or more for almost a month straight. This week, we've been hitting the 110's!!!!

Lake Marabou is down, it's not pretty, but it's still got close to 8 feet of water in about a quarter of it. My small pond is only 6 feet deep when full. It's just 2 feet deep right now and with the high temps, my fish all died today. I lost count, and I'm sure I didn't see all of them, but think there is close to 60 or so dead catfish all around my shoreline. The buzzards are all over the place and cleaning them up very quickly.

This sucks, but it is what it is.

Eddie

 

[Rustyiron]

Is that trop. storm going to help you guys out? Sure sucks about your pond and fish, hang in there. I sure would like to be able to wish you some rain and cooler weather!!

 

[dave1949]

Sorry to hear that Eddie. I know you put a lot of effort into your lake and ponds. I've been following the Texas Heat thread, I sure hope you get some relief soon. Maybe a TS or Hurricane will blow that parked high off you guys.
Dave.

 

[Bird]

Eddie, that really is a shame; terrible loss.

 

[20 20]

NOW do you believe in global warming :laughing: {sorry could not help myself}

Hope things can turn around for you folks down there.

 

[MossRoad]

Sorry for your loss. I wonder if aeration of the pond would help or if the poor things just plain boiled to death?

 

[slowzuki]

High temp = less oxygen the water can hold too. Bad combo.

 

[EddieWalker]

NOW do you believe in global warming :laughing: {sorry could not help myself}

Hope things can turn around for you folks down there.

I've never doubted that the planet warms. Or that it will cool again in the winter. :thumbsup:

Eddie

 

[Western]

Sorry for your loss. I wonder if aeration of the pond would help or if the poor things just plain boiled to death?

X's 2, catfish usually are the last to go.

 

[groundcover]

Sorry to hear that Eddie. Wonder if would help if you took your pump and pumped a " fountain" back into the water to aerate the lake . Is there any water in your creek that you pumped out of after you finished the lake ? Probably not but would be nice if you could add a little water. Good luck ! Take Oscar out and do a rain dance !:thumbsup:

 

[arsenix2001]

Poor guys, with only 2 feet of water the only real aeration you could do is tractor mounted or an outboard. I guess you could cut a boilermakers intake tube down but they like atleast 36" of water. All kinda pointless i guess when theres no relief in sight.. We had a pretty bad fish kill in out 1/3 acre pond last year after a massive hydrilla die off. We aerate 24/7 with a boiler right now and finally had the brains to use sonar for a slow more permenant kill of hydrilla. Expensive but good stuff.

 

[jimmyj]

Sorry to hear about this Eddie. I sure hope you get the rain you need soon.

 

[jinman]

Eddie, I'm sorry about your little pond. Of course, I have one deep pond and one muddy silted pond too, but after the silted pond dried up completely a few years ago, I never restocked it. My deep pond still has about 9 feet of water in it and the fish seem okay. I did see one dead one up on the bank about two weeks ago. A buzzard was having it for breakfast. I need an aerator and will probably spend the money to get one and electricity down to the pond area by next year.

 

[dmccarty]

The large lake near us had a small fish kill recently. Seems like every summer there are fish kills due to the heat. This year we have managed to get enough rain to keep the lakes at normal pool levels but over the last few weeks there has not been as much rain and the lakes are finally dropping. Usually the lake level will start dropping much earlier and it has gotten pretty bad over the last couple of years. Nothing like Texas though.

Sorry to see the fish kill in your ponds.

Later,
Dan

 

[weldingisfun]

Sorry you lost your fish, Eddie. Been there, done that twice now. Just waiting for number three. We have decided to not restock, if/when we get rain again.

 

[radioman]

oh man ! that really gotta hurt if you really loved having those fish.

whats your game plan now? digging it deeper to hold more water? add lines in ground to have ability to pump water from smaller pond to bigger to save at least one pond? dig another pond from your keyway to hold the water for replenishing the pond with proirity?

or are you giving up and hope for the best next time?

 

[jonyyuma]

Eddie, I feel your pain too. Ever since I stocked our small ozark pond, we get less rain? This year,the winter storms knocked down a lot of trees, so now there is less shade to help cool the water. I have been following the drought in Texas...I am afraid to drive up and see what is left of our lake or fish.?

 

[EddieWalker]

My original plan for the pond was for a tank that some longhorns that I want to buy will have to drink from, and also to look pretty. It was my ex who wanted me to stock it, but I didn't think the catfish would survive because it wasn't very deep. A friend said they would do great in there, and he was right. They did better then I ever thought possible, and it's proven to be a very fun thing to have.

Right now, I'm thinking of just putting in some minnows and bluegill to eat mosquitoe larve, but not to have it as a catfish pond. I have Lake Marabou for that if I want to fish, or friends come over to fish.

I am thinking of putting a pump in there now and draining it all the way, then cleaning out the silt and even going deeper. I worry about my ducks, but if I do half the pond at a time, they should be fine. I would really like to have a few more feet of depth in there, or at least a few really good holes that go down a dozen feet just to catch future silt if nothing else.

Funny how my plans change.

Eddie

 

[blueriver]

That simply sucks ... one day last week on Dallas CL a guy was giving his fish away because he was afraid of this happening.

A friend of mine aeriates by backing the brush hog in and lowering in the water some ... I guess just stirring it up. He says it works.

 

[jinman]

This morning I went to check on my pond and found it down about 2' or a little more. What caught my eye was a cup floating in the water. It was a night crawler cup. Somebody has been sneakin' in and fishin' my pond. I think it's time for some stealth camera photos.