Building Lake Corona

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Same for crappie, but crappie sure taste good.

 

[jk96]

Same for crappie, but crappie sure taste good.

I've read crappie can be hard to manage because they populate so fast.

 

[EddieWalker]

Crappie will take over a pond. Good if you want to fish crappie. Bad if you want to fish bass.

 

[jk96]

Well Eddy has been telling my from the start of this long saga to build a dock and I just didnt want to mess with it or rebuild it in 10 years when it rots. This week I finally came around to the idea in a somewhat limited fashion. Just got back home from the limestone quarry a couple hours from us. Picked up this roughly 7ft x 10ft piece of limestone. Going to pour some concrete posts before my water comes up any higher to place it on and cantilever this slab out over the water. It's not much but won't rot and will give me a space for a couple of chairs off the dirt and out of the weeds. Fixing some lunch then going out to see if my CTL will lift it. Scaled at 5,100 lbs so hoping the width is not too much weight away from the machine to move it.

 

[jk96]

No issues getting it off the trailer. This machine continues to amaze me. Weather looks fantastic here at the moment so hoping to get as soon as it dries out a bit more. We are calling for 67 at the moment on Christmas.

 

[EddieWalker]

That's a nice looking rock. I like the idea of it never being able to rot or need replacing. The biggest reason for a dock is when the plant life gets going along the shoreline and you can't pull in the fishing line without catching a bunch of seaweed.

The other issue here are the snakes that like to float around in the reeds and other stuff that grows in the water. My worse experience was when weed eating right at the edge of the water and a water moccasin swam right past my leg and touched me as it went by!!!! I was convinced that the weed eater would scare them away, but this one must of not know what direction to flee and I was in the wrong spot. No harm, it just scared me really good.

I'm leaning towards a floating dock right now. But I've gone back and forth on what to do for years now and still haven't gotten around to it.

 

[dieselscout80]

That looks great!!

Is one side smoother?

If not are you going to smooth the top surface and if so how?

 

[jk96]

That looks great!!

Is one side smoother?

If not are you going to smooth the top surface and if so how?

Opposite side from the pics is a little smoother but still rough. Not real concerned about it. If it's an issue for chairs will probably just make some type of permanent bench for it. A little cement mud under the contact points to level.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

That's a nice looking rock. I like the idea of it never being able to rot or need replacing. The biggest reason for a dock is when the plant life gets going along the shoreline and you can't pull in the fishing line without catching a bunch of seaweed.

The other issue here are the snakes that like to float around in the reeds and other stuff that grows in the water. My worse experience was when weed eating right at the edge of the water and a water moccasin swam right past my leg and touched me as it went by!!!! I was convinced that the weed eater would scare them away, but this one must of not know what direction to flee and I was in the wrong spot. No harm, it just scared me really good.

I'm leaning towards a floating dock right now. But I've gone back and forth on what to do for years now and still haven't gotten around to it.

Heavy duty rubber boots! And they will bite you underwater while you are swimming. A friend of mine got bit on the ankle.

 

[jk96]

Weather has been great here until today, was 63 on Christmas, but the soil was just too muddy to do anything Teens overnight last night and 25 today to the ground froze up and I was able to get the tractor to the pond and get the holes in for my concrete. Will use sonotubes and pour 5 column to set the stone slab on. Looks like warming back up to 53 on Wed. I'll get the generator and mixer moved in early morning while frozen and try to get it poured before the ground gets too sloppy.

 

[jk96]

I was able to pour the concrete columns for the limestone slab today. What a mucky mess. I really wanted to wait for it to dry out but we have rain coming Thursday. No freeze tonight, 53 tomorrow then down to 29 tomorrow night so this gave me at least 36 hours above freezing. Going to have to wait for the freeze to get back down there and haul my generator, mixer, and water tote out.

 

[EddieWalker]

Good progress!!!

How far up the columns will the water be when the pond is full?

 

[jk96]

Good progress!!!

How far up the columns will the water be when the pond is full?

Shortest/closest column in the pic is the slab height. I did not cut the others to height. Just shot a laser and drilled a hole to fill to. Slab will set about 6" above water line when full.

 

[EddieWalker]

That gives you two options. One will be great for sitting at the edge with your feet in the water. Or the one I think of, a great place for snakes to hide!!! LOL

 

[Eagle1]

That gives you two options. One will be great for sitting at the edge with your feet in the water. Or the one I think of, a great place for snakes to hide!!! LOL

Good news Eddie we have very few Rattlesnakes in MO, and him being in northern MO no worries about Cottonmouths. That leaves Copperheads as the only real threat and you really really have to try to get one of them to bite.

However my wife your tell you it is perfect spot for big Wolf spiders to call home, not dangerous but scare the mess out of her.

 

[jk96]

Good news Eddie we have very few Rattlesnakes in MO, and him being in northern MO no worries about Cottonmouths. That leaves Copperheads as the only real threat and you really really have to try to get one of them to bite.

However my wife your tell you it is perfect spot for big Wolf spiders to call home, not dangerous but scare the mess out of her.

Yeah snakes don't bother me. I was always into snakes and reptiles as pets when a kid. Spiders don't bother me much but when it comes to some of those wolf spiders pushing the size of my palm I tend to agree with your wife

 

[Eagle1]

I have a little "dog house" at the water tower for plumbing. We get some giants in there, my wife adores turning water on in there

 

[jk96]

I have a little "dog house" at the water tower for plumbing. We get some giants in there, my adores turning water on in there

I have a concrete bunker for my firework business to store the higher class salute shells. Very dark in there. This fall heard what I thought was a mouse scampering up the walls. Hit the wall with a light. Nope, big mama wolf spider. Large enough I could here her scampering up the wall.

 

[Eagle1]

About then wife would have triggered a big boom in that bunker