Thread: My pond absolutely shocked me today!!!

Surprising was the 2.5' weed-eating carp that slowly left a weedy cove they were feeding in, followed to deeper water by small bass and sunnies like in a school. I stocked a carp years ago, but assumed it died so I added 3 more - all four were only 1' long.

So true about yearning to be near or on the water. The most peace and calm for me is being in a boat on a calm, partly cloudy day, casting, in anticipation of something biting my choice of lures. It's like nature saying, 'your choice was right - congratulations' - when I connect. Even if I don't get too many bites, I can enjoy a type of diversion TV can't give me that, in fact, is much of the time more annoying than most other activities.

Amazing how the pads spread. I only put a doz. in years ago and wasn't sure if they'd take. The bull rushes must have been spread by heron and geese that visit - and man did they spread! Had to cut a bunch last year.

I thought for sure all the fish would die when I saw the bottom less than 3.5' from the surface and then frozen over for a short time Nov. of last last year. It happened once before six years ago, which prompted me to dig two ditches connecting a wooded, forest/bog behind the pond, to two long, underground pvc pipes in order to direct as much water as possible to it. It filled like a motha with all the rain we had from Nov. until now! Better 8' than 3.

Stranger still is that the bass, sunfish and carp don't fear me when I'm near the shoreline so as long as I stay still or move slowly and don't make any sudden moves. Even casting to open water doesn't spook them.
Nature is a mystery to me, still, after all these years.