Hello all this is my first post to ask questions, and would love for someone to chime in with some advice or just steer me in the right direction.

background:
southeast texas (beaumont area)
2.25 surface acre (estimate for now)
Pond will be a watershed pond....my property drains the surrounding 50 acres or so strait threw my 3.5 acre field....the water backs up into my neighbors behind me and drains strait threw to the ditch and then another 350' to a large drainage canal.

Goals:
first and formost is drainage control.
swimming and recreation.
fishing (id put fishing ahead of swimming but i have a huge family and we love the water so maybe these are both #2 lol
im starting a biology career soon and would like to think i can start managing and possibly do some selective breeding and whatnot.

So drainage control is the easy one.....dig hole! Lower my dam height so it wont flood my neighbor

Swimming will b accomplished with a huge sand bar on the close side maxing at 6' deep and an island connected to and surounded by swimming area

So fishing.....hmmm...yes to the fishes! My digger is swapping my dirt for the diesel ( free pond) but he wants to dig as deep as his pumps allow him 30'ish to get the maximum amount of dirt and profit (makes sense to me). But he is very willing to work with me(since there is no money changing hands he assures me we should both walk away happy!)

Sso from water line there should b 10' of slope to 4 or 5', then a shelf at 8-10' wide and 5-10' depth. Then another shelf at 10' -15'wide and 12-16' depth and everthing else at max depth with varying depth, not flat

I plan to put aeration in there somewhere...somehow....

i plan on feeding floating food so i can see my fish

for fish i want the basics cc,bg,and lmb (i like bass to eat but cats and bluegill will b my dinner fare...the bass are just for fun lol)

i would like to put koi in there too for visual impact durring feeding..but wanted yalls opinion....no more than 5-10 individuals.....

Id like all but the koi to b self sustaining (breeding populations.)

what am i missing? I have a good picture iv drawn and i uploaded it to the gallery (couldnt figure out how to attach it to the post

First and foremost make sure your "digger" knows how to build a pond or your gonna have a monster 30' crater. .

BGK is right. If you just dig a hole it may not hold water.
where I live guys use compacted clay to make sure it doesn't leak.

While its empty would also be a good time to add ag lime also.

Hes been in buisness 30ish years and iv seen and talked to a couple of owners he has built for.......i seriously hope i dont end up with a crater.....

im sure everything will work out as planned =)

Fingers crossed

Ok cool how much? And just spread it out on the bottom?

I got the pic put up in the gallery??? I hope thats ok?!? Its the one thats titled pond design lol

James my ground water is 6 feet below my lowest point...iv done the geosurvey and had a sample core done to determine my composition. I have sand from 0-22 ft. With clay at 24' to 42' and shist?? From 42' -45' we stopped at 45'

BB, welcome to PB. You might want to make a small investment before making a big one. The Pond Boss store sells a book by Lusk and Otto called "Perfect Pond..Want One?". I have it and consider it better than anything on the web.

Oh i love books! Do they sell it on amazon (i have an account there)?

Ha!!!! I must have fish on the brain.

Anybody else see the mischievious cartoon fish face in that pic of the pond design? Big eye, teeth, .......

I just checked and Amazon says it is currently unavailable. Click on Pond Boss above. Go to the store and click on books. It's there.

Im must subscribe! And get the book!

Does PB offer Military discount?

I don't think so. Essentially, the web site is a money losing venture for Bob and Mike. They make a couple of bucks off the books and the magazine but certainly not much.

LOL i see it too.... Cool drawing too

I have a question, can I post fb link for yall to see updates?

You'd need an open Facebook account to view the link.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1409632345991644/


well if anyone has one and wants to see the progress

BB, I put six Koi in my 1/4 ac pond and it took 7yrs to catch/spear em out. They muck up the water, hog feed and are sneakier than Bruce C

Roger that! Iv decided Im gonna skip koi. Still gonna do sunfish and cats =)