Blue Raider Bob

She may have laid eggs but there are no other crappie. The eggs aren't self fertile. Also, the creek can't overflow the pond, at least it hasn't and we've had some serious flooding since I started this. I guess maybe I had a senior moment and thought I'd only brought one home. Not likely, but I've done stupid before! 🤨

Thank you Functional for getting me back to this! I needed this. Before this weekends Polar Vortex, the pond temps had gotten to the upper 50's and the fish have come alive. Last years young'ns hold tight to the dormant Lotus while the LM ease through. The water lilies have already begun their growth and provide lots of nursery cover. The Spring Peepers are out of control and singing their little cold butts off, and the Bluebirds are checking out the nesting boxes. It is on the way!

Yep. I got that. do not want Crappie in the pond but how the heck did the smaller one get in? No way someone is going to volunteer one. My daughters dog is 118 lbs and growing, and does not smile at strangers! Here is her other pup laying on the pond ice a few weeks back. She may look fearsome, but she is a loveable clown who will break ice to get to swim. We have to close the pond gate to keep her out until the water warms.

Strange phenomenon that I can't explain. I thin about thirty LM per year in late spring to reduce population because the LM have successfully spawned each year and overcrowding is evident. The profundity that I battle is this......with gin clear water, I can see everything that happens for a distance, and I can watch the LM chase the lures. Here is the issue, the LM will spot the lure, give chase, and hit the brakes inches from lure. As soon as the lure is determined to be non-food the LM will ease away, never to be tempted again. It is not a case where the Bass see me and scatter. They practically eat out of my hand when I toss Shad or insects. They follow me around the bank. The bass act aggressively until they don't. Obviously, this is not always the case because I caught seven, but I saw at least forty attack and then change their minds. Witnessing this begs so many questions. What is the trigger, and what can we do different? How many fish get really close to our offerings while we are on the water and do not commit? Changing lures may have helped because two were caught on small swimbait and five were caught on Mepps spinner but so many more just got close and backed off. What are your experience with scents? Would that cause the commitment? I have never used scents but then, I have seldom witnessed what I witnessed Saturday of mass refusal. One other profound profundity, several year ago I caught a nice pound size or better Crappie and took it home for the pond. Year before last I partially drained pond to repair multiple muskrat holes and caught the crappie again. It had grown and was at least 14 inches or better, Saturday I caught a 9 inch Crappie on the swimbait. I did NOT put more than one crappie in my pond! What the heck! I got into my Rodin's thinking man pose and pondered that one!

It seems that is has been a crazy kind of winter this year. My pond temps went from 39 to 55 in one week. I went from fishless viewing to crowded water. I'm hoping you have a different kind of luck next trip and send us some hog pictures!

My thoughts on Channel Cats........I put in twenty fingerlings when i first began pond stocking. They readily came to the feeder and they were enjoyable and grew fast. Unfortunately, that winter we had a family of otters move up the wet weather creek from the Stones River, move in under my dock, and wipe out ALL of the Channel Cats, as well as BG and Bass. I pulled up dock boards and blocked entrances to discourage. Later I would add the occasional Channel Cat I would catch while bass fishing but every winter I would have otter issues and the cats were the first to go. Where I'm going with this is, Channel cats compete with other predators for limited feed in a small pond. For that reason I am hesitant to restock (besides the otter problem), 2nd is I do not eat fish so the cats would be purely aesthetic for me. Just my take.

Bluebasser, we were all teens at one time and yes, we all made some questionable life choices in our day. Just glad we survived them! Wish some of mine were as harmless as a cold plunge. What's tough is watching YOUR teens make questionable choices! You want to tell them, "DON'T, that didn't work out for me!" But they have to live and learn as we did. That picture gives me the giggles every time I look. 😆

Durned if I didn't get skunked AGAIN! This time on the Tennessee River below Nickajack Dam. Water temp. 45 deg. Drifted for four hours and zero bass bites. Did catch a 15lb drum and a 10lb Smallmouth Buffalo! That's a 2-fish twentyfive pound bag! I really stink at this but just got to keep going. My wife used to always ask me when I got home, "Did you have any fun this time?" Well, no I didn't. Then she would ask, "Well, why do you keep going?" My answer was always "Cause I HAVE TO!"

Team9nine, that is serious backbone! NW wind gusting to 20 and cold water and you still got out there! Sometimes I wonder about our sanity, but never about our resolve!

Glenn, your reply has brought tears to my eyes.......grateful tears......thank you so much for the kind words and the years of friendship!

Back by popular demand! Pond Observations..... Well, as the seasons turn, and we hopefully approach warmer water, I will update the activity on Lake Lucy, (named after my daughters dog), Hey! If Katie can call a 160 acre lake a pond, I can call a 3/4 acre pond a lake! Well, anyway, the recent warm spell has the surface temps just above 50 Deg. On sunny afternoons, the BG and Bass move up to the surface and are easily visible in the clear water. Surprising thing to me is the water lily's continue to grow all winter. Not much leaf penetration of the surface, but the growing leaves are everywhere below surface just waiting on some warmer days. The immature fish of all species use the plants and there are gobs of little BG everywhere. The larger bass become more visible in the afternoons after spending the majority of their time in the deepest areas possible. They will see me, approach, then follow me around the pond. Whenever I stop walking, they with gather and stare. They are MUCH more active in cold water than the BG's. The larger BG's must stay put in the deepest areas because they go unseen, but the little one's surround the pond, holding close to cover. As the water warms, the larger BG's will start to show an interest in hand tossed feed pellets. Around the middle of March, I will connect the solar powered auto-feeder on the dock, and the larger BG's will go back to daily feeding. I will occasionally see a shellcracker in the clear water, but they do not use the pelleted feed, much to my regret. Also, when the water warms, it will trigger the phytoplankton blooms that will diminish visibility. More later as we get closer to Spring!

Thank you all for the kind words and support. We all experience grief, I just never realized that "Happily Ever After", doesn't last forever. Yes I am blessed and I know it. Just wish it wasn't over. She really deserved better. Thanks again for the love!

I have been hesitant about sharing this information because this is a forum of like-minded friends who enjoy sharing their fishing experiences. However, this is also a forum of friends that care deeply for each other, and this is evident by the constant well wishes to whomever in need. Therefore I feel this information will be accepted and appreciated. I lost my angel of 36 years to a ten year battle with various cancers. She passed Sept 29, and life has been an enormous struggle since then. She gave me the most wonderful life and saved me from a life of mediocrity. She gave me four terrific children, and selflessly lived her life for those around her. Her daily ritual was up at 4:00 run six miles, coffee in bed, volunteering at school, scouts, cross country, track, you name it. Her generosity was off the charts. Wounded Warriors, Tunnels to Towers, were just a couple of her constant efforts. Her entire life was one of constant giving, never taking. I lost the most wonderful person, and life will never be the same. I am OK but I'll never be alright. If I can stay busy, I can keep going, it's the idle times that are spent swirling in an eddy of sorrow. Fishing has been difficult but I am hoping that someday, life becomes worthwhile again. I have my four kids to keep me focused. They need a strong dad, and that's what I project when I'm near. Not so much when I'm alone. Please let me finish by relating something I hope is of interest. My son ran track and cross country in high school. One day at a meet, I noticed a high school age student with the following tattoos on the back of his arms. "Tomorrow is Never Promised". I thought to myself, what tragedy could have happened in this young mans life to warrant such a statement. I came away from that meet thinking about those words. At this time please let me implore all of you to remember that Tomorrow is Not Promised. Please let all your loved ones know now how you feel about them and don't miss an opportunity to reinforce that love every moment for the rest of your time. Some day, you will not get a second chance. Thank you my BR brethren for your friendship over these past many years and may your families and lives be blessed!

I'm sorry Functional, it has been a very difficult year for us. I'll explain in a new thread. I have tried to spend a little time at the pond this year but it brings painful memories. I am hoping that life becomes worthwhile again someday.

Went to Cumberland River in Nashville Sunday to grab a little of the beginnings of the latest warming trend. Water was high from recent rains and the spillway upriver at Old Hickory Dam was spilling. That is not always a bad thing. When the water is up, and the current is strong, the fish tend to stage behind rock walls and boulders in gentler water. As the current sweeps me by at 2 mph. I have time for one good placement behind features and in warmer water, almost a guaranteed bite. This time, however, with 39 deg. water temps, there was nothing in the eddies but cold water. Four hours of humble pie without the first nibble. This same stretch of river in the summer has resulted in a 70 fish day. I was clueless on the river Sunday. The water was so cold that the Shad were struggling at the surface and nothing was eating them, that is no fish were eating them. I was treated to the incredible sight of an eagle making repeated strikes in the water near me. Each time the eagle would spot one of the larger shad in distress, it would leave its perch, gather the shad, and return to its branch. I witnessed this several times. It was fairly tolerant of me. Obviously I was no competition! At least the trip got me out of the house and encouraged me to keep trying.

I think I'm going to barf at that visual. Some readers might not know the severity of what you are describing, but I do! Sorry to hear about that but I think I would join your Buddy in a great big belly laugh!

That's awesome! I just don't like the Cormorant rookeries. Not only do they smell terrible, but you have to be really careful when passing under the trees! 🤮 Couple miles below Nickajack dam, there is a huge rookery at the head of Burns Island. It gathers hundreds every year. The fishing is great but the stench will drive you away no matter how good they are biting. There are always a few Blue Herons that nest among them. Have to troll well away from the bank or else!

Yikes! I'm used to warm mud between my toes! Might have to rethink this.....☹️ Maybe shoes are a good idea. Most Tennesseans actually wear them, even the mountain folk to the east TNRiver46. Actually the only difference between the West Tennessee swampers, and the East Tennessee hill folk is we boil and eat our corn. They drink it from a jar!

Good question.....that's pretty awesome! What a catch! You rock Chef!

I can't wait either! Walking through the bogs at night will take me back to my youth, walking the Cypress Swamps at night! The dimension of darkness lends such a renewal of the senses. Even familiar places gather new importance and interest when darkness fall. The Cypress swamps were exciting during the day, but downright spooky at night. I have lived on the same cedar glade wooded land for thirty years, but If I travel the same woods at night, I'm looking over my shoulder! 👀 Poking around Bogs may be anathematic to most people, but to the readers of this forum, it's the cherry on the cheesecake! I have just as much fun catching crawfish and minnows in creeks as I have fishing. Can't wait to get my feet wet in Maine!

I will be retiring this fall and next spring I hope to make a big loop from middle TN into either Missouri and Iowa, Minnesota, into Ontario, then east to the coast, then down the coast into the Carolina's, then west towards home. May choose north through Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan route but that's the general plan. See as much of this beautiful land as I can and fish with as many of my BR brethren as possible. Would also like to head south to Florida with Captain Phil and stop by to fish for Suwannees with Alex. All options on the table at this point. At some point I'm sure Lottabass will need a net man!

Great point I had forgotten about. I use a air pump from a 110V source in my barn in addition to a solar powered well pump to maintain water level and to oxygenate.

Just a couple more pics. Since I finished the pond, I have had several types of ducks visit, Mallards and Geese raise broods, Otters, Beavers, and Muskrats wear out their welcome, various Herons, Kingfishers, frogs, turtles, and aquatic snakes make their homes, as well as many types of Dragon, and Damsel flies. This past summer found MAYFLIES!!!! boy was I glad of that. One other thing that was mentioned that I have lots of experience with are Fathead Minnows. My thoughts are as follows..... Very expensive forage because if you already have LM in pond, they will not survive to breeding age. They are slow/weak swimmers that stand no chance. I have bought thousands of them in natural, and the Rosy Red variety. I love the Rosy's because they are so easy to see........but you only see them, a few weeks and then they are calories! Same with Shiners. I enjoy catching my own fodder from area creeks in homemade fish traps. I also seek shad when I'm out on the area lakes. If new pond does not yet have LM, then by all means, stock it with Fatheads, but only after an algae bloom so they will not starve.

If you do not want to stock with hatchery fingerlings, then I would do as I did, allow pond to fill the first year so it can produce the phytoplankton that all growth will build upon. Second year, release a few breeding size BG and Shellcrakers. With slight predation, they will give future predators a solid base. I enjoyed catching BG and various minnow types with cast nets and traps. Third year I introduced LM to a young pond teeming with BG fry and algae blooms. The LM spawned the first year and of this writing, the pond is 9 years old with successful BG and LM spawns every year. I also introduced hundreds of Crayfish from my trap setting adventures. My pond is only 2/3 acre so a pond several acres would need more of a base than I provided. As far as plants and cover.....I have 45 half barrels with aquatic vegetation and have transplanted Lotus to coves with soil depth. The water plants provide cover for all the aquatic insects needed to complete the ecosystem. You will also need designated "Loafin'" Spot to enjoy your efforts. I used a solar powered feeder to feed the BG everyday in warmer weather, and the BG always cooperate. Sometimes the frenzies will include a green explosion!

Katie, you catch 1500 bass a year, I catch 15. Don't think I have to catch bass to enjoy myself, your company, and the beautiful state of Maine. I am overly joyful just for the opportunity. 😊