Hey ya'll I just signed up and I may or may not be sticking around. I am looking to buy some property with a 2 acre pond on it already. Even if I don't buy that bit of property I am looking to buy some property with a few acres so I can build a pond. So I will be lurking around reading posts and trying to suck the brains here dry.


NickyB

Alright because I am interested in the place and have talked to the realtor recently I am posting a video she sent me of the pond as well as copying an email that has some of the information she has on the pond as well.




Also here is an overview of the property
Google Maps of the property

The pond is about 2 acres in size so that strikes me as just about perfect for my purposes.

NickyB

If you get serious about the above property, be sure to verify the maximun depth with a weighted line from a boat or 'floaty thing' and swim suit. Don't buy a pond that is 4-6 ft deep without getting a discount for deepening and fixing the pond. A little angling with permission from the realtor or owner would also be a good idea.

I second what Bill said about the depth. Been there, and hadn't done that. $$ ouch!!

Hey thanks for the replies. Now I have a couple of questions.

So how deep is deep enough? Is six foot not deep enough? Or are you both just refering to the purchase of the pond? I am looking at not just the pond but the land and house around it as well.

I must say that I guess I can "sacrifice" some time to go check the water out with a rod and reel and see what is in the pond.

One of the other good things is the some or all of the kids live in the local area so most likely if I have some questions they will be willing to answer them if they can.

Keep some of the tips flying though as I want to know what to ask the realtor or what to look at with the pond so I know if it is a good deal or not.

Nick

6' not deep enough. I'd say 50% of the pond should be 8' deep, 10' would be even better.

Shallower pond = potential more plant growth over more of the pond area, less water for fish to weather rapid temp changes, and less water volume = less available O2 for the fish during times of low O2.

Is that a threat? c'mon stick around you'll like it!

Ps Nicky you're living in a beautiful part of the world and a fishermans dream! Bass pond in your backyard with Perdido Bay, a Driver and 8-iron away!

In northern ponds with a higher probability for winter kill, the deeper the pond the better. With you being in FL where winter kill isn't an issue, I would say as long as you have a good area of water around 6', you are good. Much of the year in FL, your pond will be stratified and the deeper areas of the pond will be of no value anyways. Now if you use an aerator, that can change. Even then I don't think deeper pond in the far south are necessary for most goals. Particularly for a LMB/BG pond.

As far as the aquatic vegetation infestation, walk the edge of the pond and try to determine the slope of it as it goes into the pond. A fairly steep slope would be ideal limiting the amount of shallow water and reducing the growth of shoreline aquatics like cattails as well as submerged aquatic vegetation. A 2:1 slope is ideal.

I have a couple of possible concerns.

One is homeowners/liability insurance in a semi urban area. You mention local kids so that may be a concern as an attractive nuisance.

Another is the no draining covenant. If you need to work on it, it might have to be drained and that could be a hurdle to overcome. It "may" have started out as 8 to 10 ft but, over time, all ponds fill in from natural runoff. Look at the lay of the land to ascertain the natural runoff area. Just why was the pond built at governmental expense? What problem had to be overcome and what did it solve for other people?

As stated, check the depths yourself to assure that it is really 6 ft deep. In other words, trust but verify.

Welcome to PondBoss. If you purchase this property I advise
you get a subscription to PondBoss Magazine. The magazine is
full of great info for pond owners. If you decide you want
this property be sure and make a "ridiculous" offer. It is
a buyers market like we've never seen before. I just bought
a new house in Dallas after making a ridiculous offer and
to my surprise they accepted the offer.

You might want to determine if the pond is considered public waters. The fact that the county worked on the drainage disturbs me.

Also, with an eight to ten foot depth in a southern pond, you will have a problem with grass growing from the bottom. You can control that to a degree by fertilizing the pond in late winter in an attempt to get an early bloom that would inhibit sunlight penetration. A depth closer to twenty feet would be far better.

LOL I plan to stick around but I still need to be able to buy the land and see what happens. I have been fighting the urge to try and build a pond in my back yard for a few months now so I am feeling pretty serious.

And I do admit this is a beautiful place though the summer heat is pretty intense. I do miss living Northern NY in the foothills of the Adirondacks.




I will walk the property and check it out. I will see how it goes for that. I was also thinking the same on being in the Southern part though we do have a couple pretty chilly months here every winter.




I have always imaged myself being an old man yelling "Get off my LAWN!" But you are correct I am curious into what the insurance company says about this sort of thing.

I wonder if being zoned Rural Residential has any impact on that as well.



I don't think the lake was built by the government but the pipes were put into place I am guessing to prevent flooding.

As for draining for maintenance I think it might be possible. I believe she is referring to draining it permanently. I will have to have this looked into because it has been something I was wondering about. I didn't think dredging would be all that much fun. Also sadly does she not know that I have been looking at expanding it not draining it.



Already looking at buying the subscription. Just don't think the wife will care for it if I buy it and don't have a pond. :-D

As for the ridiculous offer I have been considering that. The owner's passed away and now the kids have it. By this point in time an mortgage I would think is paid off and all they owe is the yearly taxes and the maintenance for the house and lawn. It has been on the market for almost two years and as such I think they are getting sick of it. I know the realtor has been talking to me a lot since I have shown interest which strikes me as a sign that she might be looking to get rid of it soon.



As I stated before, though I haven't looked into it, I believe this might have been a flood prevention measure. But it is something that needs to be looked into none-the-less and since two people have mentioned it is a red flag item.



I have seen mention of GC as something of a boon but also a bane. Would one or two work if I have the issue of grass growth? Would it be to much?


One thing I have noticed as well though is that the neighbor has two ponds and it looks like he has some feeders in the water. So I am guessing other than possibly directing him to pond boss he might also be able to give me a lot of information about these questions you have all admirable raised.

I definitely appreciate the amount of information you have offered for me to look over and formulate some questions from. By the time I am ready to go meet these people I think they are going to feel slightly overwhelmed with the amount of information I want to know from them.

NickyB

Hey Nicky...you'll get used to the heat....no ice or snow on the road...genuine southern hospitality...too many wonderful things to list!Theres a couple of things you must do right away #1 Buy every Roy D Mercer cd and listen to them over and over!!! #2 Cultivate a taste for grits yes I said it GRITS!!!! AND FRESH SWEET TEA!!!

Vegetation can be managed a number of ways. Grass carp are an option, number depend on the situation. To say 1 or 2 or 10 is premature until full details can be provided.

Well I know of this grits thing you speak of and with a little maple syrup or brown sugar it is comparable to the oatmeal of childhood. I have also come to appreciate sweet tea, especially fresh sweet tea. It took me a while because in NY when you get sweet tea it is in a bottle with the label Brisk :-( I have learned that is not sweet tea.

But I will have to pass on the Roy D Mercer.

I have actually been living on the Emerald Coast since Nov 07 and I can tell you I do love the area. Still not a fan of the heat but that is what God made AC for. Also I am married to a Texan and she has helped me adapt.




As for the grass management I definitely know I am going to have to evaluate and see what needs to be done. My goal with any kind of pond of this nature is going to be to make it self sustaining / managing. Granted that will take time and effort on my part but my goal is to avoid any herbicides as well as possibly putting in fertilizers. If I can do something through a more natural process I want to take that route.


Nick

Purina AquaMax is a good fertilizer. (after it's passed thru the fish that is!)

Prior to 1950 the south was uninhabitable.

Runny grits with maple syrup or brown sugar is blasphemous. Cook them a little longer and top with butter, salt and pepper.

Now smile and practice saying "Ya'll".

Cheese grits are good too. Shrimp and grits are common fare and if in deepest south (includes all of the gulf coast) Grits and grillades.

Yep, cheesy grits can be considered "down home".

Yeah I have to agree that putting sweet stuff like syrup and sugar in grits runs contrary to Gods obvious will...IMHO he is pleased when I crumble fresh fried pork sausage in them!

Kens Helpful Hint#16..cold leftover grits make excellent brim chum.

Interesting Side Note#5 Brim Chum Lee is the guys name where I take my dress shirts to get starched. But he dont fish and when I pointed out the connection he didnt see the humor in it.

Final Note #Last...This could be the last hijacked thread of the old format.

Put leftover grits in a square or rectangular container, chill, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices then fry until browned.

Oh the power of grits. I might have to try cooking them down a little more because most grits I end up having are a little to running. I do like grits with some butter, salt, and pepper as well and I have had a little bit of cheesy grits.

Grits are good I like them. Though they don't stick to your ribs like a good bowl of oatmeal will keeping you warm for hours.

NickyB

only time I get grits is the Sunrise Sampler....then it's butter and sugar
(city boy tourist food)

Do yall ever come inside, take your hat off but it feels like its still on your head?? Or is it just me?

Only if I hid the grits in my hat so I wouldn't have to eat the %^*# and forgot before putting it back on.

So coming back to the real topic, if there is one, I am going to see the property tomorrow evening. So if you have something you want me to look for or check out that hasn't been mentioned go ahead and put it out here.

NickyB

Nicky...we're sorry for the hijack...The main points to consider were covered. There are bound to be other things to look for, but of far less concern and normally easier to handle if needing any attention.

Haha I was just joking. I wasn't really seeing it as a hijack. It was much amusing. And as said the main points are covered. What else should happen in an intro thread?

Nicky, we're not really sorry for the hijack. We do it all the time to each other.

Besides, a lot of this stuff is educational and grits are an important consideration down South.

LOL I don't care about the hijacking as long as questions get answered in the mix. Don't want the place to be boring and all.

Now Friday I went out to the property location and learned somethings.

Originally it looks like the pond was about two feet higher than it is now. One of the pipes put in by the county feeds into the marshlands / watershed to help with those levels. The other pipe actually feeds the other two ponds that the neighbor owns. I guess the neighbor asked the original owners for help and they obliged.

In addition one thing I noticed was along the road and going around the side of the pond to the neighbors two ponds was a trench. When I asked about this they told me that the previous owners dug this to keep rain water from the road from polluting their pond and instead feed it into the neighbor's pond.

I also saw some hatchling fish around the edges of the pond and they told me that there is some LMB, Bream, CC, and they weren't sure but for weed control they said they think there is some Grass Carp in the pond as well.

Now the nice thing is that the fingerling area has a gate in front of it so there is a chance for the fingerlings to grow before releasing them out to the rest of the lake.

If you want to find out how big your pond is, and it's on the map, go here:

http://www.acme.com/planimeter/

That is a neat little tool. I had also found this tool for mapping it out. Both say about the same as the images that it is 1.8 acres almost 1.9. So I definitely like the size of the piece of lake and total for the house is almost 6 acres of property as well. So it is a good bit of land.