All we have to do is walk outside and get that rush of air that defines summer. Heat. Doesn’t seem to matter where we are in most of this great nation, July signifies our independence and summer.

I get to reflect on 43 summers in the pond business, from managing ponds to overseeing design, growing big fish…and writing about it. I’ve seen, and learned, a lot in those summers. While I suspect there is more to see and learn in my headlights, the rearview mirror deserves attention.

This is the time of year where pondmeisters need to be on alert. It’s when the most fish kills occur around the nation. It’s when blue-green algae blooms can do the most damage. Harmful algal blooms typically reach their nationwide peak in July and August.

If you don’t do anything else during these hottest months, monitor temperature and visibility depth. Watch water color. Rich, bold green tints with visibility less than two feet can spell trouble in the hottest months.

Cull some fish. Drink good drinks. Savor your pond.

Took grandson Sawyer, 5 years old, fishing in June. You’ll see some photos of him scattered around this issue. He probably caught 20 fish in two hours in the perfect place for a kid to be successful. Purina wanted to shoot a few videos for their social media, and we had several of our little darlings at the house. Sawyer is the kid who loves the outdoors, loves bugs, reptiles, animals…and fish. We took a short road trip, met up with the Purina big dogs and video crew and shot videos while Sawyer caught fish.

Got to watch him learn to set the hook when the bobber went down and then reel in about ten bluegills in a row, one of which was at least a pound and a quarter. He caught several bass, a huge hybrid striper (with great assistance from our host), and a nice channel catfish.

Our main goal here at Pond Boss is to help you become better stewards of your land and water. One of those stewardship tenets is to enjoy our waters and get those kids involved.

Happy Summer!