Adam, Thanks for the shout out at 9:55. One of these days I have to get you some pics of my pond and the progress of the grass carp. I have a slew of pics/videos/drone shots from the summer of 2022 which is when I was really getting disgusted at how neglected it was getting. That was when I got to work manually pulling cattails, raking the banks and getting in there with my waders cleaning out the overflow. (I don't have any heavy machinery currently). It was the spring of 2023 that the carp went in. That summer, all the stuff I couldn't reach from the banks was back growing. Not quite as bad as the prior year, but it was there. If I took my bass boat in there with my electric trolling motor, the weeds would just get caught on the propeller. I never saw a single carp. I was convinced none of them survived. So I just continued to tend to the banks and what I could reach from the edge.... Fast forward to spring of 2024. This is when the pond always looks it's best with all the new winter run off coming in (I have a tremendous watershed coming into my pond). By late May/early June I saw the Floating Leaf and Curly Leaf Pondweeds starting to emerge. I was like, "Well this grass carp is a fail". Then, out of the blue it just started to disappear. My mid July into the dogs day of August (which is when the pond usually looks it's worst and typically 85% covered with pondweed), it was virtually weed free. Just a few pockets around the banks, which is nice cover for the bass anyway. Not only was it clear, it was at this time in the mid summer that I started to see the carp on a daily basis. If you look from afar, you can see them making tremendous water circles on the surface. (almost looks like a turtle sunning itself). If I walk slowly by the bank or ride the ATV, I will catch a glimpse of one scurrying away. They are extremely skittish. Oh and the were 6" when the went in, they are 18 - 24" now.
That's great info and it gives me hope that mine are still out there! They certainly have some work to do. I just saw your email. I'll read it and reply shortly! Thanks for sticking around as I keep working on my pond!
You could dig a keyway around that berm several feet back from the waters edge. You'll find where it's coming from. Refill the keyway with clay and compact each lift.
Dig a trench through the damn and refill it with clay pack it in with compactor (jumping jack) and that should cut off the leak I’m guessing a small vein of topsoil got buried under the damn and is leaking through the topsoil.
I did see one of my grass carps - it was dead on the side of the pond with a buzzard eating it. I need to get two more, but that's a spring thing. Let's hope your leak is not as bad as Adams.
That's my fear! We have a heron that cleans up along the shoreline. Am afraid maybe he got them. If I don't see them by spring time I may do the same and get a few more.
I just had some grass carp delivered too, no turning back now no more copper sulfate 😂 I would say let the leak go, the leafs and such this fall may take care of it.
Nice! I'm waiting for mine to get busy! They have work to do and I still haven't seen them. ha. The few rains we have had are already making the surrounding area soft, at this point, I kind of have to wait until spring/summer to do anything. It'll be too wet. That's fine by me! :)
Hey Adam! Good to see your pond almost full, that took some time! As for the leak it has to be near the top. Some say that having geese and ducks will help seal around the edges. I stocked 30 grass carp and rarely saw them until about a year later. They were 6-8 inches when stocked and have grown to be about 2.5ft in 1.5 years! Eventually you will see their fins as they graze on the grass around your pond, just give it time. One day they will scare the bejesus out of you and make huge splashes! Btw: I'm about to build a floating dock similar to yours... just covered. Planning on running 6x6's up on the corners instead of cutting them off flush and I'm hoping the outside frame doesn't bow with the weight of a roof on it. If you were closer I would try to enlist your help! lol We'll see how it goes. -Brian
Thanks for the info! I haven't seen mine once (over 2 years) so hopefully I will soon! The bass already scare me quite a bit. I can't imagine if one was 2.5ft long. Good luck with the floating dock. You will love it. Tractor time with Tim just did one with a roof over it. Would love to help if I could!
@@IndyFarmLife2 years, wow! Throw out some dogfood to see if they come up, mine can't resist it. Going over to Tims channel now to see that build. Thanks for the inspiration to build one.
@BrushCommando Yea it's been a while. I suppose some of the "bass" I see along the shoreline could be them, but they are usually sitting idle and never snacking on the grass ha. Good luck with your build!
@tonivince589 Thank you! Yea, it's not great news, but it's hard to be mad about where we are now vs. 3 months ago. I don't think it will slow our filling...unless it bursts ha
Ohh interesting. I hadn't ever thought of that. What does rice look like when it grows. I don't want it to take over/be unsightly. We have a handful of ducks on the pond, but they aren't there all the time.
How disappointing. I thought I'd see the water overtopping the drain, maybe in another couple of weeks once the rain comes (if it ever does). How about taking core samples to find out where the ground is getting wet. Use a core sampling drill like those used by agronomists to sample farm fields. They don't make much of a hole and you can use your drill to power them. As you find the wet areas mark them to get an idea of where the water is coming from. With all the clay you have around, you could refill the holes and tamp the clay in with a tamping rod. I'll be working around our 1/4 acre pond this week. Took the week off and rented a mini excavator. We've got plenty of projects for the mini this week so we'll keep it busy. Cleaning up ditches, clearing fence lines where we want to put in fencing, putting in a dry well to run the iron and water softener regenerations into (taking stress off the septic system). As for the grass carp, you might put a camera into the water and see if you capture them swimming by 🙂
Sounds like a solid way to find the leak! I may have to give that a try. Will probably just wait until spring time and see what happens. Have fun with the mini this week! Hopefully it stays dry for you. It's amazing how much you can get done when you have dedicated time for projects. I rarely get that these days ha.
It could be a old rotted root or a crayfish hole, It could be anything. If it keeps leaking you could dig a core trench. Then refill with compacted clay.
@TheCritterWindow Definitely could be a crayfish hole! I have seen quite a few of those. My buddy Chris and I already discussed digging a core trench. Hope it doesn't come to that, but we will see!
Thanks for confirming about the dry soil. That was my thinking. The water came up really fast and that "dam" has never seen water in its 5 years of existence.
@@IndyFarmLife I see way too many trench it comments, that's scary! It's shallow leak, just driving the heavy backhoe parallel to pond edge will tell you where it's at and "pack it"
Get yourself some bentonite and coat the so-called dam. My pond was leaking and I used two bags at a total cost of $80. Canadian. It's a cheap way before you start digging a core trench. Oh ya, I did that 8 years ago and still not leaking. Good luck!!
Did you layer it in on top of the water, or did you have to drain the pond before putting it in? I'm all about getting this fixed as easy as possible ha
Adam, Thanks for the shout out at 9:55. One of these days I have to get you some pics of my pond and the progress of the grass carp. I have a slew of pics/videos/drone shots from the summer of 2022 which is when I was really getting disgusted at how neglected it was getting. That was when I got to work manually pulling cattails, raking the banks and getting in there with my waders cleaning out the overflow. (I don't have any heavy machinery currently). It was the spring of 2023 that the carp went in. That summer, all the stuff I couldn't reach from the banks was back growing. Not quite as bad as the prior year, but it was there. If I took my bass boat in there with my electric trolling motor, the weeds would just get caught on the propeller. I never saw a single carp. I was convinced none of them survived. So I just continued to tend to the banks and what I could reach from the edge....
Fast forward to spring of 2024. This is when the pond always looks it's best with all the new winter run off coming in (I have a tremendous watershed coming into my pond). By late May/early June I saw the Floating Leaf and Curly Leaf Pondweeds starting to emerge. I was like, "Well this grass carp is a fail". Then, out of the blue it just started to disappear. My mid July into the dogs day of August (which is when the pond usually looks it's worst and typically 85% covered with pondweed), it was virtually weed free. Just a few pockets around the banks, which is nice cover for the bass anyway. Not only was it clear, it was at this time in the mid summer that I started to see the carp on a daily basis. If you look from afar, you can see them making tremendous water circles on the surface. (almost looks like a turtle sunning itself). If I walk slowly by the bank or ride the ATV, I will catch a glimpse of one scurrying away. They are extremely skittish. Oh and the were 6" when the went in, they are 18 - 24" now.
That's great info and it gives me hope that mine are still out there! They certainly have some work to do. I just saw your email. I'll read it and reply shortly! Thanks for sticking around as I keep working on my pond!
I like the wait and see if it fixes itself plan 😂
Great video btw!
It's the easiest solution...if it works! haha
You could dig a keyway around that berm several feet back from the waters edge. You'll find where it's coming from. Refill the keyway with clay and compact each lift.
If it's still leaking come next spring, I think that is going to be my plan. Hope it doesn't come to that!
Dig a trench through the damn and refill it with clay pack it in with compactor (jumping jack) and that should cut off the leak I’m guessing a small vein of topsoil got buried under the damn and is leaking through the topsoil.
That seems very plausible! I'm going to wait until next spring/summer until I do anything. Going to get too soggy here shortly.
I did see one of my grass carps - it was dead on the side of the pond with a buzzard eating it. I need to get two more, but that's a spring thing. Let's hope your leak is not as bad as Adams.
That's my fear! We have a heron that cleans up along the shoreline. Am afraid maybe he got them. If I don't see them by spring time I may do the same and get a few more.
I just had some grass carp delivered too, no turning back now no more copper sulfate 😂 I would say let the leak go, the leafs and such this fall may take care of it.
Nice! I'm waiting for mine to get busy! They have work to do and I still haven't seen them. ha. The few rains we have had are already making the surrounding area soft, at this point, I kind of have to wait until spring/summer to do anything. It'll be too wet. That's fine by me! :)
@@IndyFarmLife Same here, they dropped them in and never seen them again 🤣
Hey Adam! Good to see your pond almost full, that took some time! As for the leak it has to be near the top. Some say that having geese and ducks will help seal around the edges. I stocked 30 grass carp and rarely saw them until about a year later. They were 6-8 inches when stocked and have grown to be about 2.5ft in 1.5 years! Eventually you will see their fins as they graze on the grass around your pond, just give it time. One day they will scare the bejesus out of you and make huge splashes! Btw: I'm about to build a floating dock similar to yours... just covered. Planning on running 6x6's up on the corners instead of cutting them off flush and I'm hoping the outside frame doesn't bow with the weight of a roof on it. If you were closer I would try to enlist your help! lol We'll see how it goes. -Brian
Thanks for the info! I haven't seen mine once (over 2 years) so hopefully I will soon! The bass already scare me quite a bit. I can't imagine if one was 2.5ft long. Good luck with the floating dock. You will love it. Tractor time with Tim just did one with a roof over it. Would love to help if I could!
@@IndyFarmLife2 years, wow! Throw out some dogfood to see if they come up, mine can't resist it. Going over to Tims channel now to see that build. Thanks for the inspiration to build one.
@BrushCommando Yea it's been a while. I suppose some of the "bass" I see along the shoreline could be them, but they are usually sitting idle and never snacking on the grass ha. Good luck with your build!
fancy meeting you here
@ 😆 well now you know what project is coming up lol
Is it coming up through the sand on the beach? Isnt that sand layed pretty thick?
@SpicerDesignsLLC No, I don't think so. All that sand is on top of the clay. Plus it isn't wet on that side towards the sand. A real head scratcher.
Well that’s a kick in the nuts!
@OneEyeCustoms Right!?! I'm just going to let it ride for now. See what happens.
Hopefully, in the grand scheme of things this leak is a minor setback. Your pond is looking stunning. 😊
@tonivince589 Thank you! Yea, it's not great news, but it's hard to be mad about where we are now vs. 3 months ago. I don't think it will slow our filling...unless it bursts ha
Seems like its localized stock some bass to eat the crawdads and put some bentonite in that spot and carry on.
Yes, very focal! Hopefully it's nothing too much to worry about. We do have a ton of bass, they must be slacking! Ha
Awesome video. Have you seen invitation of Electric Pole Saws via email today?
I will check it out
Plant some rice. It will attract waterfowl. Waterfowl will help plug up any leaks.
Ohh interesting. I hadn't ever thought of that. What does rice look like when it grows. I don't want it to take over/be unsightly. We have a handful of ducks on the pond, but they aren't there all the time.
How disappointing. I thought I'd see the water overtopping the drain, maybe in another couple of weeks once the rain comes (if it ever does). How about taking core samples to find out where the ground is getting wet. Use a core sampling drill like those used by agronomists to sample farm fields. They don't make much of a hole and you can use your drill to power them. As you find the wet areas mark them to get an idea of where the water is coming from. With all the clay you have around, you could refill the holes and tamp the clay in with a tamping rod.
I'll be working around our 1/4 acre pond this week. Took the week off and rented a mini excavator. We've got plenty of projects for the mini this week so we'll keep it busy. Cleaning up ditches, clearing fence lines where we want to put in fencing, putting in a dry well to run the iron and water softener regenerations into (taking stress off the septic system).
As for the grass carp, you might put a camera into the water and see if you capture them swimming by 🙂
Sounds like a solid way to find the leak! I may have to give that a try. Will probably just wait until spring time and see what happens. Have fun with the mini this week! Hopefully it stays dry for you. It's amazing how much you can get done when you have dedicated time for projects. I rarely get that these days ha.
It could be a old rotted root or a crayfish hole, It could be anything. If it keeps leaking you could dig a core trench. Then refill with compacted clay.
@TheCritterWindow Definitely could be a crayfish hole! I have seen quite a few of those. My buddy Chris and I already discussed digging a core trench. Hope it doesn't come to that, but we will see!
@@IndyFarmLife Have you ever thought about using your Grasshopper Power Pump for your pond
@LeonardoMigot Not sure how I would accomplish that, but I'm down! Ha
@@IndyFarmLife I mean if you use the driveshaft from your grasshopper to the pump that pulls up the water for your pond
Thermal camera on a hot day would show a leak I bet
Hadn't thought of that, but I bet you are right!
I'm no dam expert so I have no clue, I have a leak on my above ground pool that I can't find. Water is crazy.
Water always finds a way to make things difficult!
3,000lbs of bentonite for $1700.
papaw blinker
dry soil will crack, I would let it soak for awhile, or you could pack waterline with backhoe bucket.
Thanks for confirming about the dry soil. That was my thinking. The water came up really fast and that "dam" has never seen water in its 5 years of existence.
And yes, that blinker! 🤣
@@IndyFarmLife You can tie into the harness and install a "dash light" if the blinker is a problem.
It's not a problem, it just makes me look ridiculous as I ride around haha. That's a good idea though!
@@IndyFarmLife I see way too many trench it comments, that's scary! It's shallow leak, just driving the heavy backhoe parallel to pond edge will tell you where it's at and "pack it"
Get yourself some bentonite and coat the so-called dam. My pond was leaking and I used two bags at a total cost of $80. Canadian. It's a cheap way before you start digging a core trench. Oh ya, I did that 8 years ago and still not leaking. Good luck!!
Did you layer it in on top of the water, or did you have to drain the pond before putting it in? I'm all about getting this fixed as easy as possible ha
Dig a trench .. see where the water is getting in and pack it
Out with clay
That seems to be the general consensus and I agree with that solution. I just don't want to have to do it. Ha
I agree with 👇dig a core trench.