Stocking Our Bass Pond and Working To Remove Unwanted Guests

[@jeb3415]

Got to say pretty good pond management, our farm catch water pond is over an acre but I recall seeing our first spawn how exciting it was. One thing we did do was create a ‘sanctuary’ just took a narrower end of the pond and fenced it off to allow fry to escape from the bigger predators and to encourage bull frog growth. This in turn eventually fed the bass (and the grey heron). We also put in pea gravel for the blue gill and bass to bed in. Fortunately we got our snapper when he crawled out on land lol. They are mean old cusses. We never mechanically aerated but had plenty of wind and a bigger surface. Consider lily pads and don’t remove ‘all the crap’ those logs etc are hiding places for the fry you will also find underwater vegetation growing around them eventually. This feeds the fish also.

[@TriStarHomestead]

Thanks. That is a good idea about the fenced area and gravel. Think I'll add that when I expand it a bit. By crap I mean all the little sticks and branches and willow trees. There is still longs and other structures that will stay, most just want to work on removing the trash and yard debris that has made its way in there over the last who knows how many years.

[@jeb3415]

@@TriStarHomestead That makes sense and will sure make fishing a lot easier not so many snags! Our channel cat grow to be some of the best eating fish in the pond.

[@gungi4764]

Nice vid

[@bobconnor7392]

Can’t wait until you expand the pond!

[@TriStarHomestead]

Same here. Need some dang rain though.

[@damdekmyhomeដំដែកផ្ទះខ្ញុំ]

WOW! amazing video sharing

[@glhatcher]

You may need to put a tree top or two in the pond so the fish have a place to bed, hide and give the smaller babies a place to sheild from the bigger fish and turtles if you can't get them gone. Bream loves to bed in tree limbs and tops.

[@CatheyJenkins]

Hi on Amazon there is pond solar fountain that float that might work x❤❤❤

[@TriStarHomestead]

I'll give it a look, thanks!

[@Gypsygurl2024]

Look forward to future fishing vids 🙌🎣😁💜

[@WilliamLighthall]

You could call the turtle man, he would Wade right to the middle bare foot and catch your snapper.

[@TriStarHomestead]

Need to find him!

[@susbee312]

The pond is coming along nicely!

[@jamesm875]

Yayyyyyyyy your back. Gonna look forward to watching this one. As I always do.

[@MikeShenanigans]

Glad to see you are investing in your pond. If you are going to want to fish it it then you should. My sister has a quarry and does. Fishing is pretty good. Something she added that helps with the algae is Grass Carp. Add a couple of those.!

[@TriStarHomestead]

I debated those. Getting a couple won’t hurt since they can’t reproduce but I wasn’t sure. Maybe I’ll get a couple this fall when I get crappie.

[@kng3rd]

Awesome stocking! Not being an expert but I keep fish, add the minnows first next time so that the larger fish are full by the time you stock your game fish to give them a better success rate of not becoming food right away. Awesome video!

[@TriStarHomestead]

Great idea! Probably would have been tough to do this time because of the heat but hopefully in the fall I can do something like that. The other issue is I get my fish from a hatchery in Alabama and they deliver to my area once a month so I have to buy them all at once. But hopefully every stocking I do from here on out is less and less “good” fish and just bait fish.

[@ronmillis8143]

What ya need is a pallet mate, 4 20Litre drums with lids an old rope and bingo ya got a pontoon to mount the pump and solar panel on bro

[@geoffshore4783]

Or on a poly sheet or truck tube.

[@ronmillis8143]

@@geoffshore4783 that'd work too

[@TriStarHomestead]

That’s actually a good idea. With how small that little aerator is, probably don’t need more than a couple milk jugs and then a rock to keep it centered. Good idea, thanks!

[@ronmillis8143]

@@TriStarHomestead no problem bro. There's no weight in the aerator and solar panel, even like a truck tube would work I reckon

[@ronmillis8143]

@@TriStarHomestead if you do the drums bro, use some bathroom silicon to seal the lids, trust me I had a float on a pump that I had a leaky container on and then I had to go for a swim to recover the pump, on a cold winter day, not fun...

[@normanschillerstrom1226]

The Pond Guy has a lot of stuff for ponds. Give him a look. A good friend of mine trapped snappers he used square boxes made of the same mesh you used, he let them sink to the bottom with a buoy so you knew where it was. The size limit for snappers here is 10” across the back.

[@TriStarHomestead]

He sure does but I have to limit myself in watching his stuff. I would be broke. lol

[@normanschillerstrom1226]

@@TriStarHomestead I only bought one item for controlling cattails and it worked but then you get a catalog each month now.😆

[@marikajohn6522]

Put hay square in water that helps clear water. 😊😊

[@TriStarHomestead]

Like just a regular bale of hay?

[@marikajohn6522]

@@TriStarHomestead yes.

[@johnaustin6649]

@@TriStarHomestead No. Barley straw.

[@TriStarHomestead]

Interesting. I’ll look that up. Thanks!

[@TriStarHomestead]

I saw that in my quick research just now too. Thanks!

[@MarkHyatt-hd9xx]

Put the fish in the pond bro!!

[@mickshy]

You might need a few more around the pond

[@TriStarHomestead]

Probably. Hopefully this does a little something until I can get a bigger one made up.

[@davidwolf2478]

I am wondering why you decided not to add aquatic plant life first to the pond? You should also test the pH level of the pond. You should also make sure that you have a large area of the pond that is deep enough for the winter months so they don't run out of oxygen or get Frozen in the ice.

[@TriStarHomestead]

All solid points. The plants will get added but I need to clean all the crap out first. It’s a slow process when I have a bunch of other stuff to do. I know there are thriving fish in there so stocking bait fish will only help. As for oxygen, that is not a one en in winter. The pond doesn’t freeze over for more than a few hours at a time and maybe only a couple days a year. We get plenty of rain in the winter as well to add oxygen back into the pond. Summer is the concerning time.

[@jameslavery6216]

God bless. Research aerating the pond or another way to generate oxygen.

[@johnrosellerignacio2717]

Tell me the turtle survive?

[@TriStarHomestead]

All the painted, box and red ears have survived. The snappers have not and will not.

[@willg202]

I watched the guy from Country View Acres he put in aerators and it stirred up all the silt in his pond and killed all of his fish so just watch out for those doing that

[@TriStarHomestead]

Yikes, that doesn't sound good. So far so good with this little aerator .

[@willg202]

@@TriStarHomestead I enjoy your videos it's nice to see you and the family working on your future house keep up the good work my brother

[@TriStarHomestead]

Thanks!

[@MarkHyatt-hd9xx]

You shouldn't handle the fish if you don't have too it takes there protective slime off the body especially when there young...

[@cletusmoistmuffin]

He had wet hands which reduces harm to the fish. Also how do you think catch and release works? Do you just whip the rod around until the fish flies off or do you physically grab it? Maybe just watch the video next time. Have a blessed day.

[@bigseejohnson6804]

When stocking the pond, you're not supposed to handle the fish. WTF! 🤷🏾‍♂️😩

[@TriStarHomestead]

What do you do when you catch a fish with a hook? I’ve caught fish this same size before. Am I not supposed to handle them?

[@jackiebinns6205]

Nasty pond 😮 its nit that hard to get professional advice for a pond 😮

[@TriStarHomestead]

Have you never seen a non spring/creek fed pond before? They all look the same when there is no rain.