Scott Hammer TOXIC
Well-Known Member
A little background:
About 7 years ago a lady at our church asked me if I knew anything about ponds. She said she had a small one on her property and her overflow tube was rotting out way below the surface. I came out and looked at it. It is about 2 acres, barren shore (cat tails), spring fed, and about 10 feet deep in the deepest part. I asked her if I could fish it and she said anytime. Well, this little pond was overpopulated with bluegill (threw hundreds in the field)but there were some average bass, mainly 2lbers but you could tell they were also stunted. I fished it on a regular basis for 2 years and the best I could get was a 4lber. Finally the drain tube let loose and she called me to tell me the pond was almost empty. She got a company to come out and fix the tube but they had to drain the pond the rest of the way. She let them have all of the fish out of the pond. It took a year for the spring/rain to re-fill it. The pond was void of fish and I asked her if she wanted me to re-stock it, she agreed. Now mind you I am no biologist but I have read enough to know that you don't want to put very many panfish in, because they will overpopulate it in no time. I took different genetic strains of bass from the local area as well as some shellcrackers, crappie, white perch and pumpkinseeds.
This summer:
My daughter was bugging me to go fishing so I took her out to the pond. I had not fished it in 4 years (I'm pretty sure nobody else had either). First cast I caight a good sized slab crappie on a senko. She caught a couple of small bass which told me there was at least a few that took and reproduced. I didn't catch anything else so I was a little scared that my efforts were in vain.
Today:
I had some time before Lauren's soccer game so I decided to go back out to the pond and give it a try. All I can say is OOOOOOOOOOO.....MMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!
I am ruined for the rest of the season.
5 or 6- 2lbers
4-3lbers
3-4lbers
1-6lber
and 1 that I could not turn and it eventually broke me off (8lb test).
When I re-stocked, I put a couple of 3 pounders in if I remember correctly but I caught 2 and 3 year old fish today also. Obviously, this pond is back!! Clean, clear, healthy weeds and I cant wait to take my daughter back out there and let her battle with some good size largemouths!!
TOXIC
About 7 years ago a lady at our church asked me if I knew anything about ponds. She said she had a small one on her property and her overflow tube was rotting out way below the surface. I came out and looked at it. It is about 2 acres, barren shore (cat tails), spring fed, and about 10 feet deep in the deepest part. I asked her if I could fish it and she said anytime. Well, this little pond was overpopulated with bluegill (threw hundreds in the field)but there were some average bass, mainly 2lbers but you could tell they were also stunted. I fished it on a regular basis for 2 years and the best I could get was a 4lber. Finally the drain tube let loose and she called me to tell me the pond was almost empty. She got a company to come out and fix the tube but they had to drain the pond the rest of the way. She let them have all of the fish out of the pond. It took a year for the spring/rain to re-fill it. The pond was void of fish and I asked her if she wanted me to re-stock it, she agreed. Now mind you I am no biologist but I have read enough to know that you don't want to put very many panfish in, because they will overpopulate it in no time. I took different genetic strains of bass from the local area as well as some shellcrackers, crappie, white perch and pumpkinseeds.
This summer:
My daughter was bugging me to go fishing so I took her out to the pond. I had not fished it in 4 years (I'm pretty sure nobody else had either). First cast I caight a good sized slab crappie on a senko. She caught a couple of small bass which told me there was at least a few that took and reproduced. I didn't catch anything else so I was a little scared that my efforts were in vain.
Today:
I had some time before Lauren's soccer game so I decided to go back out to the pond and give it a try. All I can say is OOOOOOOOOOO.....MMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!
I am ruined for the rest of the season.
5 or 6- 2lbers
4-3lbers
3-4lbers
1-6lber
and 1 that I could not turn and it eventually broke me off (8lb test).
When I re-stocked, I put a couple of 3 pounders in if I remember correctly but I caught 2 and 3 year old fish today also. Obviously, this pond is back!! Clean, clear, healthy weeds and I cant wait to take my daughter back out there and let her battle with some good size largemouths!!
TOXIC
LOL!!!
