Our first plan was to get some neat fish cover in the newly built pond before it built. And if there had been even a single day between ‘dam built’ and ‘pond full’ that might have happened. But nope, the rain that filled the pond started as the guy was driving his bulldozer out of the basin. Plan B: Get some fish growing and add cover for them before breeding time.
Step 1: We did the erosion control work, while we gave the sediment time to settle and the base of the food chain to establish. This step was dead easy, as frogs from the old, tiny ‘herp pond’ migrated to the new pond within the first week. Meanwhile, we talked to the Conservation Department about appropriate stocking species and density for this kind of pond in our area. We learned we had a great local supplier of fish, right on the way to The Place.
Fish being added to the pond
Step 2: The next spring, the hint of green indicated we had single-celled algae nicely established, so we put in the fish that will have something to eat. Blackhead minnows (algae eaters) bluegill (mostly insect/larvae eaters), and catfish (everything that doesn’t swim too fast eaters) go in now. Fortunately the guys who grow the fish give good advice on how to acclimate them and manage the release.
Minnow, just released
Step 3: The next chance to place the fish cover is during the winter freeze. Earlier in the winter, we cut down a couple of Christmas-tree sized cedars that were not in good spots for our plans for The Place anyway). Once the deep freeze hit and the pond is frozen Very solidly, I (as the less ice-challenging member of the team) dragged the trees onto the selected spot in the pond. The selected spot would leave the tops of the trees a couple of feet below the pond surface. Concrete blocks were attached to the trees with rope so once the ice melted the blocks would drag the trees under.
Prepping the tree for it’s diving lessons
Dragging trees on the ice is FUN. OK, not really. That was a lie.
ProTip 1: Don’t use nylon rope with sharp-edged concrete blocks; the blocks cut through the rope and free the tree.
Nope nope nop nope nope nope nope
ProTip 2: Shore ice thaws first, letting the block supporting the tree float to an Unselected spot before dropping the tree.
Not exactly going as planned…
Step 4: The second spring is time to stock the top predator: bass in our case.
Step 5: Fix Step 3. Once the water is warm enough to tolerate, it was time to re-position the fish cover. Both trees were partially above water and too shallow to be useful to some of the fish we wanted to protect. By now they were waterlogged enough that the blocks were no longer necessary. Turns out learning to pull an ‘unconscious swimmer’ is great training for moving a waterlogged tree.
Addendum: The bass have been in for a year, the other fish for two. A ‘trial by fishing’ caught a bass on the first cast of a lure they liked; a blue-gill on the first cast with a worm. Both were still below eating size but significantly larger than put in, but both were Hungry and rather slim. As the plant life in the pond is picking up, we have hopes the food supply in the pond will be increasing.
Ready for more “Food on the Fin” fun? Stay tuned for Monday’s “fintastic” podcast, an aural companion piece to this series!