About Us

Welcome to Pond Boss... and a family of folks who are as passionate about ponds and lakes as you.  We invite you to discover a whole new world of information, entertainment, and good old-fashioned know-how... in the pages of Pond Boss magazine and 24/7 on pondboss.com. 

Our Mission - Pond Boss serves as the bridge between the scientific community and the public.  Pond Boss magazine and pondboss.com are direct pipelines to land owning conservationists who want to maximize the wildlife recreation opportunities afforded by their property.

From Texas Roots to Global Reach...The History of Pond BossPond Boss Magazine first issue
Back in November of 1991, founding editor, Mark McDonald attended a pond management seminar in Dallas.  More than 170 people attended. Afterwards, more than 90 of those people cornered one of the speakers, peppering him with questions about ponds.  McDonald, recently laid off from his job as outdoor editor at the now closed Dallas Times-Herald, said, "Being a middle-age, white guy with male pattern baldness in those days of affirmative action, I had no chance at finding another job." So, he created one.  He called a number of people, asking if they thought there was a need for a pond management journal.  Most of them said, "Call Bob Lusk."  He did.  At that time, Lusk's pond management business had grown to the point he couldn't effectively communicate with his flock of clientele.  Lusk came up with the money to front McDonalds venture and even lassoed Pond Boss's first 92 subscribers... his clients.  McDonald asked, "You really think people will write a check for a journal which doesn't exist?" Lusk was sure.  So, letters were sent, checks came in and Pond Boss was born.  For the first three years, McDonald did everything himself because, as he remembered, "Pond Boss was growing at the rate of a runaway glacier.  Lusk had helped provide quite a bit of content at that point, so he and two others joined up with McDonald and formed Pond Boss, Inc. and they were off to the glacier races.

What started then as a simple 12-page newsletter has grown to be the nation's leading resource for private fisheries management and stewardship today.  From those simple, humble beginnings, Pond Boss now offers its print magazine, chock full of practical, usable information, as well as a variety of media content on this website, including audio podcasts, video vignettes and free articles from the storied history of the magazine.  As the magazine grew from a grassroots black and white newletter to a full color, glossy 72+ page journal, the website expanded as well.  Since 1998, our ASK THE BOSS discussion forum has become the world's leading family-friendly source of pond management information-sharing on the entire Internet.

About the Editor, Bob Lusk
Editor, Bob Lusk has 30+ years of practical field experience in the art of lake and pond management.  Lusk is a fisheries biologist with a bachelor's degree from Texas A & M University in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, fisheries management.  His talented writing skills, combined with many, many years of hands-on experience, makes him one of the best known lake management consultants in the world.  Ray Scott, founder of B.A.S.S., says, "Bob Lusk is the best fisheries biologist I have ever met. He has a magical way of taking the most technical fisheries management ideas and communicating them in ways we can all understand."  Lusk's favorite thing to do is help design fabulous private recerational lakes and ponds for landowners.  To his credit, Lusk has worked for the rich and famous, from TV celebrities to NASCAR owners and drivers to John Q. Public... helping each design, build, stock and manage their lakes and ponds.  Along the way, Lusk has not only learned how to grow giant fish in a peaceful, healthy body of water, he's learned how to satisfy even the most discerning of clients. His network of contacts is the most extensive in the business, as well.  Not only does Bob Lusk "do it", he is a talented and gifted writer and editor, steering the wheels of the best resource of information on the subject, Pond Boss magazine.

About the Pond Boss Writers
The Pond Boss team of writers is much, much more than a group of wordsmiths. They actually go out and do what they write about.  Editor Bob Lusk made it a point to hunt down some of the nation's leading authorities in different disciplines of pondology... and cajoled, bribed, and convinced them to share valuable field experiences, ideas, concepts and thoughts.  The resulting chemistry provides subscribers with a variety of topics practically applied and informative, written in a down-home way... not the boring science-journal white papers so often found during valuable search time.  Real world, meaty information written in a fun way... but loaded with stuff a pondmeister can actually use.

Free Sample of Pond Boss Magazine

We can send out a free sample of Pond Boss Magazine at your request.  Please email us at info@pondboss.com.  Let us know you would like a sample copy and provide us with your current mailing address.  Once you read it, let us know what you think!  Then join us and the rest of the Pond Boss family as we work together to be better stewards of our land and water!  Subscribe to Pond Boss magazine

 

 

Pond Boss Headquarters
Phone: (800) 687-6075
Fax: (903) 564-5173
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