FrogTastic Posted March 23, 2015 Posted March 23, 2015 Well guys, it's time for the final thread in this series. I'm sure every angler has designed their dream body of water, stocked, of course, with their favorite species of fish to catch. Well, today we're going to design one for bullgills. So without further ado, here we go- PERMISSION: The first step is to get permission to build. This is very important! Without permission, you are subject to heavy fines, and possibly worse. You'll also need a nice chunk of land to build on. I'd suggest building right in the center of the land, as wildlife will congregate there. Be sure you have a healthy insect population, and a nice population of frogs is good too. I would, if I had the choice, have it so that a small stream runs into the pond. That way, anything in the stream gets rolled into the pond. SIZE: Any size pond can hold big bluegill. I've caught 1-pounders out of water no bigger than 1/8 an acre. I've also caught them on 680-acre bodies of water. I'd suggest a 5 acre pond. It's a nice size - you can use your boat, fill it with fish, and have plenty of open spots. If you must go smaller, get as close to that size as you can. I'd probably make the pond in a figure-8 shape. DIGGING: The next step is to either rent a backhoe and dig out the land yourself, or pay someone to do it. Neither is that cheap. Unless you can properly operate a backhoe, I'd have someone do it for you. When digging, keep the pond an average of 2-5 feet deep - big bluegill can and will come into extremely shallow water to catch some of their favorite prey items. Plus, they're easier to catch in shallow water. The deepest spot in your pond will probably be around 15-20 feet deep. I'd recommend having peninsulas, as big bluegill like to surround smaller fish against cover (in this case, land) and just pick them off one by one. When building the peninsulas, have it so that they drop off to deeper spots, that can be utilized as spawning beds. Make the beds approximately 10-12 feet deep. In the middle of the pond, have the bottom gradually slope down to a point 15 to 20 feet deep. A useful thing for anglers is a channel dug straight from the deepest points up to a shallow points, as it can be a choke-hold for fish. PLANTING AND DECORATING: By now, the entire pond should've been dug out, and for the most part, the construction trucks are done. There are a few things that you can do to make your pond better, rather than just having open water. That's so boring, and you probably won't catch nearly as many fish (mostly because they'll die off). The first thing to do is create a little bridge going from one side of the pond to the other. Use large rocks for this purpose, as it provide nooks and crannies for small critters, which provides space for the big gills to root around in. When building the bridge, make it so that it is completely out of the water when the water is lowest, but is usually deep enough for a small boat to pass over, with or without a motor. In any area that has a pretty flat bottom, put pea gravel over it, and plant it with grasses. It can hold small insects, which bluegill will greedily eat. Also, tiny gills will congregate near it. Finally, plant any coves pretty heavily, with hydrilla and pads. Plant the middle areas more sparsely with stalky plants and pondweed. Plant the shoreline of the pond with tall grasses in some spots, plus willow trees. If you can get some, plant some cypress trees. Plant the rest of the shoreline with stringy plants. By the time that is done, you can start submerging some trees. I'd recommend chopping down a tree or two and just throwing it into the deeper parts of the pond. Afterwards, you can build a dock. I like the "T"-shaped ones best, but any style will work fine. Make sure you can fish from it, as well as board a boat from it. STOCKING: Before any gills go in the water, you'll need bait in it. Introduce bait species like fatheads, tiny goldfish, golden shiners, mosquitofish, baby bass (not a lot - only about 100 of these), baby bluegill, crawfish, and tadpoles. Let this ecosystem thrive for at least 6 months, but a year is best. By that time, you can introduce big gills. INTRODUCING THE BIG GILLS: By the time all your bait species have flourished, and various other small species have taken up residence in and around the pond, you can introduce the big gills. To introduce big bluegills, first make a list of bodies of water that are filled with big ones. Then, go to a different lake every trip. Catch your limit of big bluegill, and live-transport them to your pond back home. Only go to a single body of water once, so that you don't take all the fish out of a single body of water. That means that you can't fish for big gills there anymore. To live-transport them, you'll need 2 or 3 pickups, a bunch of those gym totes, and a bunch of aerators. Once you catch a fish, simply fill a gym tote with water and hook the aerator up to it. One gym tote can hold about 3 big gills. Once you feel that your pond is well stocked (about 400 big gills, plus a few other fish), stop transporting fish to your pond. Live-transporting is much easier than stocking, and I'd love to see a place that stocks 1 pound plus bluegill. OTHER FISH SPECIES: Depending on where you live, you can introduce tons of other fish species to your pond. There isn't much that will eat a monster bluegill, so your trophies should be safe. If you have a 5 or 6 acre pond, you have a wide variety of options. Maybe you want some more panfish? If so, go for fish like crappie, tilapia, yellow perch, rock bass, oscars, mayan cichlids, pumpkinseed, warmouth, big shiners, or redear. Maybe you're going for some kind of bass? Go right ahead and stock largemouths, peacock bass, hybrid stripers, or even a striper or two. Maybe you would like something with teeth? In that case, cool fish include northern pike, walleye, chain pickerel, bowfin, longnose gar, or even an alligator gar (be careful with this one- he'd have no trouble eating a big bluegill). Maybe you just want something different? Try going with carp, American eels, channel catfish, blue catfish (will also eat your bluegill), or rainbow and/or lake trout. I have only ever heard of one person with a pond with lake trout, it was a 5-acre my friend in Canada has. If you stock a little more than 400, say 500-600, you should have no trouble keeping populations high, even with big gar or catfish. FINAL WORDS: Well guys, I really enjoyed writing this series, and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it. More importantly, I hope everyone has learned something out of this. It is really helpful information, and can help turn a day full of 4 inchers into a day with a 4 pounder. So, remember these skills, and you may set the new world record! Thanks to everyone who read this far... Drew 1 Quote
FrogTastic Posted March 25, 2015 Author Posted March 25, 2015 How did you get this knowledge? I keep a logbook of every lake I fish. I use a GoPro to checkout the bottom, and thoroughly explore the entire lake. I've just compiled all the conditions of lakes that have caught me huge bluegill, into one lake. Quote
OntarioFishingGuy Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Sounds hard, but i'm sure it wold pay off. One thing though. American Eel, at least in Canada, are extremely rare and listed as 'endagered'. If you do catch one, I would recommend against stocking it in a pond. Quote
Dylcook91 Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 I like your dedication to this, that being said Step one.. for me would have to be winning the mega millions hahaha Quote
Penguino Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Sounds hard, but i'm sure it wold pay off. One thing though. American Eel, at least in Canada, are extremely rare and listed as 'endagered'. If you do catch one, I would recommend against stocking it in a pond. It sure does sound like it will pay off. But one thing. Stocking walleye in a pond won't be pretty, as they like deeper waters. But other than that, I like the idea of stocking hybrid stripers. Sounds like fun! Quote
FrogTastic Posted March 25, 2015 Author Posted March 25, 2015 Sounds hard, but i'm sure it wold pay off. One thing though. American Eel, at least in Canada, are extremely rare and listed as 'endagered'. If you do catch one, I would recommend against stocking it in a pond. Hmm, they're really common here. Sorry about one of the threads getting locked. Some guy went on talking crap, and I asked why he had to do that, and not just pass it on or take the advice. I'm still pretty ticked. Quote
OntarioFishingGuy Posted March 25, 2015 Posted March 25, 2015 Lucky you! I would love to catch an American Eel one day. Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted March 25, 2015 Super User Posted March 25, 2015 Lucky you! I would love to catch an American Eel one day. We have them all over the place in VA. Pretty remarkable creatures, the migrating they do is amazing, they put salmon and trout to shame. They probably wouldn't stick around very long if stocked in a pond. Quote
FrogTastic Posted March 26, 2015 Author Posted March 26, 2015 We have them all over the place in VA. Pretty remarkable creatures, the migrating they do is amazing, they put salmon and trout to shame. They probably wouldn't stick around very long if stocked in a pond. Me and my friend actually have a pond near his farm with about a dozen 3'-ish eels, plus bowfin, huge crappie, big bluegill, bass, and we've even been told there's a stingray in there, which I find hard to believe. But considering the things we've found in there... Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted March 26, 2015 Super User Posted March 26, 2015 Me and my friend actually have a pond near his farm with about a dozen 3'-ish eels, plus bowfin, huge crappie, big bluegill, bass, and we've even been told there's a stingray in there, which I find hard to believe. But considering the things we've found in there... Do they stay there year-round? I know that eels have to go to the saltwater to spawn and then return to fresh for everything else. They very well could leave and come back to the pond, they can navigate around dams! Crazy but once one of them gets around the dam, the rest follow the scent of its "slime trail" (they do this on rainy nights). Anyone who has handled an eel can understand how they are able to make a slime trail. Quote
heyitskirby Posted March 27, 2015 Posted March 27, 2015 Lucky you! I would love to catch an American Eel one day. The one I caught wasn't very interesting. Swallowed the line past the weight and made for an interesting attempt at taking the hook out. As my fellow Virginian mentioned we have them in abundance here. You can actually buy them in bait shops as they are used as bait for rockfish (stripers in the Chesapeake Bay) and as cut bait for catfish. Quote
Rented Mule Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 I applaud your effort at writing this article, You seem to have a flair for writing & I enjoyed it. But, at the same time I have found it to be oversimplified and misleading. I'm not intentionally picking apart your article, but when you write something on a public forum, you can expect some differing points of view and perhaps some constructive criticism, so please take it as such. As far as "permission" it's not like getting a permission slip for a class field trip. It starts with plans being drawn by a civil engineer, many hoops with agencies such as the DCNR, EPA, Bureau of Dams and Waterways as well as local zoning boards/ commissions. Unless of course you happen to be in Hooterville or somewhere and can get an agricultural exemption. As far as digging, you don't dig ponds with a backhoe. You use a bulldozer, a track loader or a combination of hydraulic excavators and off road trucks, and then of course there is compaction equipment for the earthen dam. A 5 acre lake like the one you're describing is a major undertaking. It doesn't go in the "center" of your land, ponds are usually sited in the lowest area of elevation on your land. Wildlife will be attracted to it no matter where it is sited. And, as far as having a stream diverted or utilized to fill your pond, that's the worse thing you can do, especially if the stream drains any agricultural properties. A stream can be a point source of silt, nitrates/ phosphates and insecticides. Also, it's against the law to alter the course of a natural waterway , no matter how small it is. If you divert a stream to fill a pond, the local Fish & Game dept. will charge you with murdering aquatic life downstream from the diversion point where the stream used to run. As far as "planting and decorating", " Plant the coves pretty heavily with Hydrilla" ? With the depths you indicated, an average of 2-5', the pond will be totally unfishable in a very short time. Introducing fish by catching them from one water and transporting them to another body of water? More than a few states have laws regarding that very subject. Our state plainly shows in the regs that is illegal to do that. Probably never enforced, but still a very gray area. Not only is it borderline illegal to transport species, it demonstrates poor aquatic / environmental stewardship. Think Snakeheads, Asian Carp, Gobies, predatory non native crayfish and so forth. The list is long. As far as introduction of other species, were there any species you left out? If I was going to all the expense of creating a dream lake, I'd pay a qualified fisheries biologist to give me a recommended species and stocking rate. Not some of these and some of those. Like I said, nice article, but not very realistic. You left out water supply, aeration and weed control too. And, I am qualified to give an opinion here. I've dug hundreds of ponds, lagoons, levees, reservoirs, been involved with port structures and beach replenishment projects. I was sitting on a bulldozer when I was in the first grade ,more than 50 years ago. My family owned the largest excavating & utility company in the county, and that's a county of a half a million people. So, keep writing, but next time a little homework will go a long way. Quote
FrogTastic Posted March 28, 2015 Author Posted March 28, 2015 I applaud your effort at writing this article, You seem to have a flair for writing & I enjoyed it. But, at the same time I have found it to be oversimplified and misleading. I'm not intentionally picking apart your article, but when you write something on a public forum, you can expect some differing points of view and perhaps some constructive criticism, so please take it as such. As far as "permission" it's not like getting a permission slip for a class field trip. It starts with plans being drawn by a civil engineer, many hoops with agencies such as the DCNR, EPA, Bureau of Dams and Waterways as well as local zoning boards/ commissions. Unless of course you happen to be in Hooterville or somewhere and can get an agricultural exemption. As far as digging, you don't dig ponds with a backhoe. You use a bulldozer, a track loader or a combination of hydraulic excavators and off road trucks, and then of course there is compaction equipment for the earthen dam. A 5 acre lake like the one you're describing is a major undertaking. It doesn't go in the "center" of your land, ponds are usually sited in the lowest area of elevation on your land. Wildlife will be attracted to it no matter where it is sited. And, as far as having a stream diverted or utilized to fill your pond, that's the worse thing you can do, especially if the stream drains any agricultural properties. A stream can be a point source of silt, nitrates/ phosphates and insecticides. Also, it's against the law to alter the course of a natural waterway , no matter how small it is. If you divert a stream to fill a pond, the local Fish & Game dept. will charge you with murdering aquatic life downstream from the diversion point where the stream used to run. As far as "planting and decorating", " Plant the coves pretty heavily with Hydrilla" ? With the depths you indicated, an average of 2-5', the pond will be totally unfishable in a very short time. Introducing fish by catching them from one water and transporting them to another body of water? More than a few states have laws regarding that very subject. Our state plainly shows in the regs that is illegal to do that. Probably never enforced, but still a very gray area. Not only is it borderline illegal to transport species, it demonstrates poor aquatic / environmental stewardship. Think Snakeheads, Asian Carp, Gobies, predatory non native crayfish and so forth. The list is long. As far as introduction of other species, were there any species you left out? If I was going to all the expense of creating a dream lake, I'd pay a qualified fisheries biologist to give me a recommended species and stocking rate. Not some of these and some of those. Like I said, nice article, but not very realistic. You left out water supply, aeration and weed control too. And, I am qualified to give an opinion here. I've dug hundreds of ponds, lagoons, levees, reservoirs, been involved with port structures and beach replenishment projects. I was sitting on a bulldozer when I was in the first grade ,more than 50 years ago. My family owned the largest excavating & utility company in the county, and that's a county of a half a million people. So, keep writing, but next time a little homework will go a long way. I appreciate your feedback! Thanks! This is the thread I have the least experience in. About the hydrilla, the big bluegills need a spot where they can be totally safe from being caught. The hydrilla is designed to do that. I would probably not do tons of that, it can get out of hand though. Thanks again! 1 Quote
FrogTastic Posted March 28, 2015 Author Posted March 28, 2015 Do they stay there year-round? I know that eels have to go to the saltwater to spawn and then return to fresh for everything else. They very well could leave and come back to the pond, they can navigate around dams! Crazy but once one of them gets around the dam, the rest follow the scent of its "slime trail" (they do this on rainy nights). Anyone who has handled an eel can understand how they are able to make a slime trail. The lake is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles from the ocean. So yeah, they stay in there. I'll throw some tortillas and see if I can catch one Quote
FrogTastic Posted March 28, 2015 Author Posted March 28, 2015 The lake is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles from the ocean. So yeah, they stay in there. I'll throw some tortillas and see if I can catch one Trotlines. Sorry, I'm using my friend's macbook and it has stupid autocorrect Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted March 28, 2015 Super User Posted March 28, 2015 The lake is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles from the ocean. So yeah, they stay in there. I'll throw some tortillas and see if I can catch one I'm located a solid 3 hour drive from any salt water and we have sea lampreys and eels migrate up into trout streams in the mountains here. They travel farther than you would think. Quote
heyitskirby Posted March 28, 2015 Posted March 28, 2015 As far as digging, you don't dig ponds with a backhoe. You use a bulldozer, a track loader or a combination of hydraulic excavators and off road trucks, and then of course there is compaction equipment for the earthen dam. A 5 acre lake like the one you're describing is a major undertaking. Simply semantics, but you don't "dig" anything with a dozer or a track loader. Shaping a pond and working a dam of course would take a dozer. Removing spoils would take a loader. A backhoe is obviously too small for any real excavation work. I think what you meant to say is that an excavator is needed for this situation. You have made me think about a couple of things to suggest.... When attempting to build a pond you should look into local requirements for BMPs as they will give guidance in how to build a dam and a pond. Examples would be how you want to build your bed and build your dam. Do you want an impenetrable bottom? Are you building with an overflow? How are you going to build your dam? Specific types of clay soil are needed for all of these and specific types of structures are needed for overflows. And of course...permitting. I do, however, like the OP's enthusiasm and suggest that he read into the rules and laws of such undertakings as he has surely done his due diligence concerning what is needed from a fisherman's standpoint. Quote
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