Louise Riotte - Catfish Ponds & Lily Pads: Creating and Enjoying a Family Pond

Creating and Enjoying a Family Pond

Louise Riotte

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Burns

Cover design by Meredith Maker

Cover illustration by Paul Hoffman

Text design by Susan Bernier

Text production by Jeff Potter, Potter Studio

Line drawings by the author, except on , by Brigita Fuhrmann

Indexed by Northwind Editorial Services

1997 by Louise Riotte

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Printed in the United States by Lightning Source
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Riotte, Louise.

Catfish ponds and lily pads : creating and enjoying a family pond / Louise Riotte.

p. cm.

A Storey Publishing Book

ISBN 978-0-88266-949-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Fish ponds Design and construction. 2. Water gardens Design and construction.

3. Fish ponds Oklahoma Design and construction Anecdotes. 4. Water gardens Oklahoma Design and construction Anecdotes. 5. Riotte, Louise. I. Title.

SH157.85.F52R46
639.8dc20

96-41127
CIP

JUST THINK OF the advantages of having a pond of your very own providing so much tranquility and fishing pleasure. On holidays you dont need to drive 50 or 100 miles and then compete with others at an overcrowded lake. You can just saunter down to your own favorite spot. Catch enough fish for a family lunch, dress them out, prepare them for the table, and have a feast of fresh fish that a king would envy. Forgive me for waxing eloquent. I am just so full of enthusiasm that I get carried away. I cant help myself! Building a pond, watching it fill, and dreaming of the day you will be fishing in it this is an exciting adventure.

This is an idea book, a sort of wake up and see the possibilities of all these things that you might like to see, or do, or profit by. Because regulations and conditions vary all over the country, it is essential that you contact your local and state authorities for guidance before building your own pond. Your local and state laws and soil and water conditions may be very different from ours in Oklahoma.

When our land was young and untouched, there was so much abundance to be had simply for the taking. Unlike now, there were few laws to protect certain species and the environment as a whole. And so sometimes we are apt to think, Theres nothing left for me. But there is! Its just that now things are a little more complicated. You have to know the rules and obey the laws necessary because certain species would vanish from the earth if they were not protected.

There is still an abundance of fish, streams and manmade lakes are regularly stocked, and the fishing environment is wonderful. All you need are your license and a copy of the rules giving limits on each species and you are on your way. You can still catch fish just as people did a hundred or so years ago and have all the fun of reeling them in just as they did.

If you are fortunate enough to have a private pond you can raise the fish of your choice and catch them for a feast whenever you want to. You have stocked your pond with fish, fed them, cared for them, and they are as much yours as a flock of chickens! Only common sense rules apply. This is also true of the bullfrogs, turtles, crayfish, and snails that may arrive spontaneously.

Life is full of other pleasures and possibilities as well. Pearl-bearing mussels still exist in the waters of the Mississippi and in unpolluted lakes and streams. You just have to search a little harder to find them. Gemstones and semiprecious stones are still to be found, free as in Rockhound State Park in New Mexico, or hunted for a small fee, as are diamonds in Arkansas. Dont forget about fossil hunting, when youre excavating for your pond or if you vacation in a likely spot.

Enjoy barbecued or smoked fish in the Southwest, a clambake in New England, or fresh pan-fried rainbow trout in the North. Catch grunion with your hands on a Southern California beach and cook them right there for some of the most delicious eating you have ever enjoyed. Kids under sixteen can catch them free; adults need a state license.

All through most of my eighty-eight years I have enjoyed all these wonderful things, and my wish for you is that you may also live a long and happy life and enjoy them as well.

OUR LOVE AFFAIR with pond building began when we fell into our first pond literally! And, at the time, it was completely dry!

I had accompanied my son, Eugene, and his family to church on a Sunday morning. We had planned to look over a small acreage afterward that he was considering for purchase as a possible building site for a new and larger home. The area had not been mowed, and was covered with beautiful wildflowers indigenous to southern Oklahoma violet-blue lupines, Indian paintbrush, spring beauties, white daisies, and purple coneflowers. There was also a nice variety of native pecan, red cedar, and several species of large native oak.

Birds were singing, butterflies were flitting about, and I guess we were just carried away by all that natural beauty, along with the invigorating freshness of the springtime air and the perfect clarity of the blue, cloudless sky. We were so excited we just didnt watch where we were going. And johnsongrass and wild sunflowers, which obscured the ravine, grow very tall in southern Oklahoma.

The snowy egret enjoys our pond almost as much as we do.

Suddenly we found ourselves tumbling down a gentle incline. Our fall was broken by clumps of grass. Luckily none of us was injured. Laughing, we picked ourselves up and found that we were in a deep area that had been obscured by the tall grasses. We were already in love with the beautiful acreage but now realized there was a serious problem. Filling in that big, deep ravine would be very expensive.