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Wouldn't it be nice to take off and go fishing at a nice, quiet, out of the way recreation area when you feel like it? I have seen such an area that is what most folks like you probably imagine as the perfect weekend getaway. The place I remember is secluded and quiet. There are three main fishing ponds, a nice cabin, canoes, and most importantly large bass, crappie, bluegill, and catfish, as well as abundant wildlife. Generally, most of us usually expect to invest in time and travel to find such a change of scenery. Galen Nichols has solved the problem of time and travel for himself and his friends.
We traveled a short distance south of Greensburg through a normal pasture. As we topped the ridge, it was as if we had entered another world. Below us were three large ponds nestled together, surrounded by trees, with a cabin perched on one side, and cattle drinking on the other. When Galen's father, Franklin Nichols, bought the property in the early sixties, only one pond existed. Water was supplied by groundwater from the hillside. In the mid-seventies, Franklin and his son decided that since the pond was always full, the flow would support a second pond. It was constructed against the dam of the original pond. The second pond filled from a crossover pipe and soon it was supporting a fish population of its own. The second pond always stayed full, so Galen built a third pond against the second one in the early eighties.
In the mid-eighties, Mr. Nichols dug another pond on the ranch where he noticed that there appeared to be water seepage. This pond is approximately 1-1/2 acres in size. It is now surrounded by trees and also supports excellent fishing. In the fall of 1998, after we cleaned the silt from the existing ponds, Galen had us dig three more ponds on the property where he knew the grass had stayed green in dry years. These ponds are about 1/4 of an acre in size and were intended to supply additional water for the cattle. These filled with clear blue water in a few days and already contain "catch" size bluegill. Additionally a plastic pipe was laid from one of the new ponds to the 1-1/2 acre pond. The seepage from the new pond has increased the drainage area and supplies additional water to the older pond. Galen and his son Scott, who returned to Kansas to raise his family last year, plan to install a perforated pipe above one of the smaller ponds to act as a horizontal well,
Although Mr. Nichols has chosen to keep his ponds private, ranchers should take note. Hunting and fishing for hire is increasing by leaps and bounds. Properly constructed and maintained areas such as this increase the value of the pasture as well as drastically increasing the possible income from the property without interfering with its primary use as a pasture. All it takes is planning, perseverance, and creativity. |
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