It's been a terrible spring so far

[Chris Roberts]

So up to today I have had to have unexpected surgery on my wrist which will prevent me from fishing until fall.  The good news here, I have health insurance.

Last week or so, we had all the rain and it turned a little creek (2" deep) into a 5' river.  This in turn flooded my house.   Good news, kids safe and I have minimal damage.  Mold is the only looming concern.

This river though, it filled my pond up.  Thats great since I had drained it and killed off the fish.  PH is back to normal so I can start stocking for my Male only Bluegill pond.

Shrimp come in today, go down to the pond and what do I see?  Three turtles and a school of fish.  To me, this is the worst news yet.  I have no clue what kind of fish they were cause they weren't close enough.  But if they're gills then my whole plan is ruined.  

isn't it funny how the smallest things in life can upset you the most.  As I sit here and type this with one hand, I can only wonder what type of fish they are and how im going to get rid of turtles from a damn flood

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Ive been under a dark cloud myself, from time to time. When it comes to sage advice... I got nuttin'

Keeping you in my thoughts, though.

[Chris Roberts]

im just trying to enjoy the family time and wait for some fall fishin with a good wrist.

a trap is a good idea.  ill have to go buy one.  Im thinking I may end up going with the BG only approach anyway and if I end up getting spawning pairs i'll throw in a few female bass down the road.

the creek that overflowed started only 1/4 north of my house as a drainage ditch for a field.  im not sure how anything other than a minnow could live in that stream so I still have hope

[Leo Nguyen]

Life is truly a strange bag of good and bad. Just take care of yourself and your family buddy.

By the way, who say you can't fish with an injured wrist? There are many ways to enjoy capturing nature's beauty using a bit of ingenuity. A winch system, a reel, and a bit of patience in putting them all together with a bit of help.

[Tony Livingston]

Sorry to hear about your woes, Chris. Take heart in knowing that what really matters, your family, came through it all safe and sound. Injuries heal, and houses can be cleaned......

Pond wise, I don't know how you could ever keep turtles out. They are amphibious after all, and will readily travel from one BOW to the next. As far as the unwelcome fish are concerned, I would set some traps and see what shows up....unfortunately, when the creek flooded your pond and filled it up, you inherited whatever species normally swam in it, somewhere upstream.