We have a small pond (approx 100' in diameter and about 6-8 feet deep) here in Michigan. The pond has run off from part of our yard and one drain from the road. So controlling the amounts of nutrients entering the pond is almost impossible. We've done extensive landscaping this year and have hydroseeded and fertilized the yard so our algae bloom has happened much sooner and is larger than in prior years. Now that the wife's landscaping is finished I can begin to turn my attention to the pond. I realize that with all of the runoff flowing into the pond it will never be pristene but I would like to make it so that the pond is at least not an eye sore. I've removed all of the algae that I can reach with a 15' skimmer and sprayed the stuff I couldn't reach with Cutrine Plus. Now for my questions:

-after reading here for a bit I'd like to try barley straw in an attempt control some of the algae. How much should I place in the pond?

-aeration, would aeration help in my case? The pond is close enough that I can easily run a hose down to the pond with no problem.

-are there any other suggestions you can make in my attempt?

Barley straw may help but from what I've read is best used as a preventative measure earlier in the spring. I would probably still use it, just don't expect it to fully control the algae at this late application.
Here's a thread explaining the aplication: http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000037

I'm not informed enough to comment on the effects of aeration on the algae but would certainly do it just for the general health of the pond.

More info of your pond would help the guys on here offer solutions.
What are your goals for the pond?
Is it stocked? With what?
How old is the pond?

Yeah I realize that the barley straw takes 4-6 weeks to really begin working.

Our pond is about 5 years old. 100' in diameter and about 6-8 feet deep in the center. We had a fishkill two winters ago but the pond was naturally restocked later that spring. Our pond is in a low lying area just east of a small lake, due to heavy rains the lake overflowed the road and flooded our low lying area. There are quite a few small (2-4") bluegills & perch in the pond now. There is very little vegetation in the pond other than algae at this moment. As I said there is a drainage pipe from a nearby road that leads into teh pond along with runoff from our yard so controlling the amount of nutrients entering the pond is quite difficult.