Pond Boss Magazine: July/August 2025

Can you believe we are in the midst of Summer, 2025? Man, lots of things have changed, just in the last year. Politics are the same, but with a shift in power, policies and perceptions have changed.

Have your pond perceptions changed? They should. The more we see, the better we can understand. Tuck some knowledge under your belt and then look at the next level of your pond. Trust me, there are lots of levels to raise the hood and learn how the engine of your pond works.

This issue of our favorite little pond rag takes you on several deeper dips to boost your learning curve, and your confidence.

Especially dig into the feature about the genetic study. That’s some good stuff, to understand things must come together—genetics and environment—to get where some people want to go.

Read Dr. Boyd’s article. Not only does he understand water chemistry and is able to teach us, he’s digging into our Creator and how this stuff came to pass, and how faith influences how we understand a bunch of these well-researched and understood scientific concepts and principles.

There are several references to stratification, pond turnover, and what causes it. Today, through the end of September is the biggest window for fish kills to happen. Learn what causes fish to die and then manage your pond against it. You know, preventive maintenance. Don’t be like that guy who called me in mid-June, telling me he bought an aeration system online, installed it himself and then turned it on for three hours…and his fish died. He called, wanting to know why the fish died. After I explained the aeration system wasn’t started properly, he wanted to start a friendly debate. Then, I told him a little bit more plainly. “You caused your pond to vomit all the junk under the thermocline and suffocate your fish.” All he could say was, “Oh”.

Then he decided to turn it back on, leave it on, and kill the rest of his fish so he could start over. He needs to read Pond Boss…said a neighbor just gave him a copy.

Want to build a boat ramp? Read Wes Neal’s take on it. Nutria, the other white meat…or is it? Dan Van Schaik takes us on that journey. Like most issues of Pond Boss, this one is again chock full of all kinds of facts, factoids, opinions, and nuggets of advice.

We’re thrilled that you are on this ride with us.

So, let’s all grab a cold beverage, kick back, and turn the page.

It’s summer!

A series dedicated to Bob Lusk's general musings about land, water and life.