Long story short, a private lake we have been hunting for years is just not producing like it use to. Hunted it Saturday morning, 3/4 of the lake was frozen so I thought we were going to have a great hunt as the rest of the ponds were completely frozen around us. Not the case as we saw hundreds of ducks flying over not giving us a single look. Only had a couple of divers come in. So my question is, what can I do this off-season to improve the lake for next season? Located just outside Abilene, probably 2 acres when full, and the lake is in a rocky bowl. The banks get pretty darn steep the closer you get to the dam also. I know I can't really plant anything as I think it's too rocky, but what else can I do? The only thing I can think of that differentiates from our good years was there was no vegetation/moss in the lake this year, just a mud hole. In that case, how can I bring back the vegetation? Appreciate the input!

Lots of lakes & ponds up that way didn't have vegetation in them. The drought & low water or no water killed it. My ponds are the same way. If conditions get back to whatever is normal again ,the veggies will be back and so will the ducks.

But wouldn't you think that even if the pond is half full there still would be some vegetation? We had seasons in years past where the lake was this low but we still had vegetation.

Is there any way at all to increase moss growth? We don't fish the lake so we couldn't care less if it's overgrown.

Lots of variables. The rice, corn, millet and peanut crops have significantly decreased across the state. They have been replaced with cotton. Which is great for the cranes but not good for the ducks and geese. That could be the primary reason your duck numbers have decreased.

You will need a water sample from your tank and talk to this place and they can help you with what might work best.

https://www.kestersnursery.com/Wetland%20Plant's.htm

Pond fertilizer.

I appreciate it fellas! Just want to try to get ahead for next season. I have a feeling the wigeon are going to winter wheat as I know it’s planted around the area. There’s a 10 acre field we could try to plant, but I have no knowledge whatsoever when it comes to winter wheat. The land owner doesn’t care if we try. Anyone have any pointers if we ended up doing that? We have the equipment but it would take awhile.

Wheat will pretty much grow anywhere you throw it.