Wes Neal
United States
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Articles by Wes Neal
Know your pond goal and objectives
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A serious pond manager will know their pond goal and have specific objectives to achieve it. A goal can be defined as a long-term statement of what you want the pond to become, while objectives are more specific and can be measured to determine if you are making progress towards the goal. Being measurable is key; this tells you if what you’re doing is working or if you need to change course. Your goal must be realistic.
Crappie can cause major problems for ponds
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Many landowners would like the opportunity to fish for crappie in their ponds and small lakes, but crappie can cause major problems in smaller bodies of water because the diet of crappie species is very similar to diets of other pond species, such as bass and bream. When crappie numbers are low, diet overlap with other species is not a problem, but crappie tend to produce inconsistent but sometimes extremely large numbers of young.
Consider aeration for summer pond health - L'Observateur
By Wes Neal MSU Extension Service STARKVILLE, Miss. — Summer has arrived, and your pond is heating up! The surface water of local ponds feels like freshly run bath water, but it gets cold deeper in the pond. In the peak of summer, surface water temperatures in a deep pond can be in the low to mid 90s, while the deepest areas might still be in the lower 70s. Fish cannot just go deeper to escape the heat because there may not be enough oxygen in deeper water.
Pond plants are not always weeds - L'Observateur
Pond plants are not always weeds Published 9:00 am Sunday, February 13, 2022 By Wes Neal MSU Extension Service Some plant species found in ponds can multiply and interfere with pond use and fish management, but not all water plants are bad. Water plants fulfill many natural functions and are vital in aquatic and wetland environments.
Pond plants are not always weeds - The Panolian
Pond plants are not always weeds Published 11:29 am Thursday, January 27, 2022 Pickerelweed: Pond plants provide food, shelter, and reproductive habitat for fish and other aquatic species. Pickerelweed spreads slowly and rarely causes problems in ponds. (Photo by MSU Extension Service) Alt text: A tall, purple weed in the foreground with green grass in the back.
Consider a bass-crowded pond for young anglers - The Panolian
Consider a bass-crowded pond for young anglers By Wes Neal MSU Extension Service Grandpa cast the jig and cork to the center of the pond and handed it to Lucy. “Now, start reeling in slowly,” he said. She did as Grandpa instructed. On the third crank of the reel, the float disappeared several inches below the water surface, and Grandpa shouted, “She’s got it; reel it in!” That day, Lucy perfected her casting technique and caught nearly a dozen small bass and several large bluegill.
Climate Change: Political Trigger and Real Fact - Commentary
Mississippi Delta flood waters, 2019. Photo: Kevin Hudson, MSU Extension Service Climate change is a political trigger. Simply mentioning the topic leads to arguments between colleagues, families and friends. Many arguments are reasonable discussions on which actions or inactions are best for the economy, society or the environment. That is how politics works.
Mississippi Outdoors: Floating Islands Help Pond Habitat
Manmade floating islands can improve the water quality and fish habitats in Mississippi ponds. Photo: Mississippi State University Floating islands are increasingly popular as a way to provide attractive centerpieces in ponds while improving water quality. From the shore, floating islands look like normal earthen islands covered in plants, but they are much more than that.
Simple tests improve pond management
If you own one of the 160,000 ponds in Mississippi, chances are you have invested tremendous amounts of cash and time in this resource. Building a pond can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and fish stocking, liming, fertilization and weed control are not cheap either. However, there are inexpensive but invaluable management tools that pond owners often overlook. Two tools that can greatly improve your pond management are a Secchi disk and an alkalinity test kit.
Mississippi Outdoors: Ponds - Simple Tests Improve Management
If you own one of the 160,000 ponds in Mississippi, chances are you have invested tremendous amounts of cash and time in this resource. Building a pond can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and fish stocking, liming, fertilization and weed control are not cheap either. However, there are inexpensive but invaluable management tools that pond owners often overlook. Two tools that can greatly improve your pond management are a Secchi disk and an alkalinity test kit.
Pond Management: New Tool Helps Reduce Oxygen Problems
As summer waters heat up, shallow water may appeal to fish (and anglers) because deeper water is denser and lacks oxygen. Photo: Linda Breazeale, Mississippi State University Oxygen-related fish kills can completely wipe out otherwise healthy ponds, but there is a strategy pond owners can use to control this problem. Anoxia — the lack of oxygen — can form in deeper water layers of a pond during warmer months.
Weather patterns impact pond levels
Terms like climate change or global warming may elicit different responses depending on your political viewpoints, but one thing is certain: Our weather is changing. Storms and flooding seem more frequent and violent, droughts seem more intense, fires seem more out of control, and sea levels are encroaching our coastal cities. Regardless of the causes or solutions, this is the new reality. These factors will certainly affect Mississippi’s estimated 160,000 ponds.
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