1/3 Acre Pond with breeding ditches

[thebiggerthebetter]

Thank you for elaborating. That is one close to perfectly if not perfectly designed system in terms of water management.

I presumed that the stormwater ditches are filled with water only seasonally and when they go dry, the predators in the pond would have a blast and a feast. Looks like you say the ditches never go dry.

What do you mean when you say "feeds me"? Do you consume the fish from the pond?

 

[johnnymax]

Thank you for elaborating. That is one close to perfectly if not perfectly designed system in terms of water management.
I presumed that the stormwater ditches are filled with water only seasonally and when they go dry, the predators in the pond would have a blast and a feast. Looks like you say the ditches never go dry.
What do you mean when you say "feeds me"? Do you consume the fish from the pond?

I have caught some of the big catfish and fried them up. I am part of the food chain in this pond. I keep the big cats from dominating the pond too much.
As far as the ditches going dry, it has only happened twice since 2011. I live in the southern end of the "Big Thicket" in the Texas county that gets the highest annual rainfall (Newton County.) The ditches always have water in them, because if we have any rain that produces any run off, it goes into the pond. Also the last about 80' of the ditch that connects to the pond if deeper. It has never gone dry.
But I have a lot of shelter for the fish all along the banks. There is grass and one small section of cat tails. The cat tails have not spread in the last two years, if they do, I will take them out. I have also pushed trees that have come up along the bank and pushed them over and into the water with my tractor. That is more shelter. But away from the shelter in the shallows there are go-zillions of fry. I am sure many are food for bigger fish, but they multiply so fast. I have caught bluegill fry the size of my fingernail in mid winter. That makes me wonder if the are spawning in the winter also? It sure does seem that way. Also the visibility in the water is only about 10 or 12 inches. I need to measure visibility, because it has improved a lot over time. I originally wanted crystal clear water, but no more.