Adding Fish Habitat and Cover | 8 Acre Pond Renovation Project

[@mr.smoker2710]

BamaBass and TLCperfectpond are my new netflix😁😁😁

[@TLCPerfectPond]

We appreciate ya!

[@ricklovall6430]

We are planning to build a 17 acre pond in the next couple years. Your videos are giving me great ideas. Thanks!

[@TLCPerfectPond]

That is awesome!

[@TripleTAcres]

I can’t wait to see the finished product.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Thanks for joining us for the update!

[@DH-fo9dx]

Awesome! TLC Ponds knows how to get it done correctly. I've been blessed to build a 6 acre and renovate a 10 acre lake over the years using the tried and true methods they have applied work! Starting over sometimes sounds little crazy but by doing this type of renovation to an old unproductive lake/pond, with proper restocking, adding structure, spawning habit, and fertilization the forage fish and eventually Bass growth rates will usually explode ( use"Tiger Bass") although every lake/pond is little different, if you work with a good pond/lake management company like TLC follow their plan and add supplemental feeding for bluegill using fish feeders, you could see 3-6lb Bass in 2 years! TLC Ponds, please don't be afraid to make your videos longer the content is killer and so informative. Keep up the good work!

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Thanks D H! Good to hear your pond renovation project is going well!

[@Tide12NC]

Me personally as a fisherman would have had some giant stumps added, as well as a couple of shallow points pushed out with p gravel placed on them. The some p gravel in the shallow areas to help my pan fish spawn that contributes to happy fat largemouth. But, I don’t have that kind of money or an 8 acre pond. So I guess it’s all fantasy, lol. But last would have been about 10 palette’s of river rock layered near the waters main run in. I’ve designed this lake in my head for 25 plus years, lol. Congrats on your lake, hope you get some double digit bass soon.

[@jasonmartin9985]

Agree with Mike looking forward to seeing the finished product and all the episodes

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Awesome! Hopefully we can get some water and fish in there soon.

[@mblakey4736]

Thanks for the awesome update on this pond project... great job! Please keep em coming!

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Will do! Thanks for watching.

[@Davivd2]

I'm glad that I found your channel. I learned about what kind of structure to look for when I'm fishing. Also, your man on the excavator is pretty good.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Welcome to the channel! And yes, he's one of the best operators I've ever seen.

[@stylesmajor3143]

Awesome channel.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@frontlinedolla1815]

Thanks for the update

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Thanks for watching!

[@Happyhandcannon]

Great information on this channel 👍 I would sink those rootballs - panfish and newly hatched fry love those.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Great idea

[@Happyhandcannon]

@@TLCPerfectPond Up here, we catch adult gills & crappie around them all summer.

[@huntera123]

Interesting.

[@michaelmosley254]

Wow travis didnt even know you had this channel

[@danielbarger9749]

I am digging a 5 acre pond in south Louisiana. I left a shelf about 20ft out from the bank, about 4-5 ft deep. and 12 to 15 in the center. How deep should my pond be, and how deep should the edges be? We're 2 years into this project, and a little over half way. But I can still make the changes while they're digging..

[@j.walker3498]

Gravel beds sure would help that bluegill spawn.

[@FC-cz6zd]

Curious, if adding holes and humps at various depths throughout the pond helps? Maybe adds to the eventual fishing challenge and experience? Thanks for the update and I still am getting used to seeing you not in your garden :)

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Probably would. There's plenty of excavator ruts out there that should help with that. lol

[@FC-cz6zd]

@@TLCPerfectPond Noticed that as well. Nice little channels for fish to navigate.

[@victorycigarettes]

So rad.

[@Allforthelaughs]

Interesting that you took trees down on the same side the angle of the sun was most intense. How is shade a benefit or detriment to the fish populations you create? Does it help/hinder phytoplankton pop or speed up eutrophocation and turnover? Etc.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Shade isn't a necessity for us. Many of the ponds we manage sit in the middle of hundreds of acres of farmland, so they're in the open and it doesn't really seem to matter.

[@victorxavier9977]

Do you plan on planting some lily pads for additional habitat and cover?

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Not planning on adding any pads. I'm sure we might get a few volunteers though once the pond gets re-established.

[@glenna3434]

Depth changes (structure) are just as important as cover. Cut some trenches, random 2-3' deep holes, humps, ledges.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Agreed. We've got our fair share of heavy equipment ruts out there, and there's also some contour where dug the trench to drain the pond.

[@jeremygourde9880]

Definitely needs to be some deep channels or holes for fish to get down into. I would think down south high water temperature in a shallow pond would cause die offs

[@1FanaticViewer]

I don’t own any land with water but I was just curious, how long would you think it would take till you needed to add more trees in the water? As the trees in the water decay and break down the available structure for the fish will slowly disappear. So I was just wondering do you add more trees to replace the old broken down ones after time or add something else? Just curious.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

That's a great question. We'll also be adding some artificial structure soon that will hopefully supplement the trees in case they do decay.

[@jenson1569]

If I was the pond owner id ask them to use the soil they’ve dug out around the banks and build a small island in the middle, could add a little cabin on it as a summer house.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

That would definitely be a nice addition.

[@bishop6584]

I live in Washington state and just bought 52 acres and would like too put a 10 Acre pond on it !! Do you guys travel ?

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Washington State is a long, long way from south Georgia. Hopefully you can find someone up there that provides similar services.

[@Opiemus]

Not to be too picky but you keep saying that you're adding structure when you're really adding cover. Structure is the contours of the bottom of the pond cover is something that's added to it such as lay down's, brush piles, Rock piles etc. 👍

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Good point. I do tend to use those terms interchangeably, whereas a distinction should be made. Thanks for keeping us straight!

[@jowens1126]

Too bad you couldn't have dropped 5-10 dump truck loads of pea gravel. Sunfish love to build nests in that. If it were my pond I would have done alot more dirt work. Make creek beds, next to road beds. Several deep holes with a deep creek channel linking them together. I'd also plant a couple of hundred button willows in strategic spots. But I'm sure there's a budget, and all of that is expensive work.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

That would have been very ideal. Unfortunately, the heavy equipment guys had other work to complete. If we would have them there for longer, we would have done that.

[@dakota5805]

Who is this singing ?

[@TLCPerfectPond]

The song is called "Kerosene Creek" and the artist is Badlands.

[@patrickwilkinson6445]

Are you controlling this project? when you say" i thought he was doing this" it seems like your not involved and just showed up with a camera.

[@repairdrive]

Had the same question 🤔

[@jordangarneau3022]

Only problem is there's now no area or structure for bait fish to thrive ! Bait population explodes when you have atleast one shallow area where predators cant clean out the bait species . Essentially a bait breeding factory .

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Our main goal was to provide cover for the sunfish. We're not planning on adding any threadfin shad or shiners to this pond. A healthy, well-balanced bluegill population is the #1 key for growing big bass in these farm ponds. Shad and shiners aren't a bad thing, but they're not absolutely necessary.

[@TheAcenightcreeper]

I make half a million dollars per year, own my cars, have a modest mortgage for where i live…no other debt…and i have a home on 20 acres with a 1 acre pond….i always find it amazing theres enough people that have enough cash to be able to do these projects…the quotes i have gotten just to do work on my 1 acre pond is ridiculous….so i can only imagine the cost for 8 acre… My only way to wrap my head around it is these people have had these properties in their family, owe nothing on them and are just recreational, not large homes….so they can take the $150k it would cost for a project like this and do it… I guess im the poorest of the 2%…

[@irellobo]

What a waste!!

[@jadonmercado]

You guys could’ve at least relocated the bigger bass. Lazy.

[@TLCPerfectPond]

Right. Do you have any freshwater holding tanks for bass that size? We don't.