I would'nt build a bass pond less than 5 acres. I would say 3 acres would have to be a minimum for long term enjoyment. You could have a balanced and productive bass pond that was smaller. However, you can only grow so many big bass/acre year in and year out. You can bass fish a one acre pond 3 times over in a short amount of time. You can save money by adding the dirt you remove to build your dams higher. This will eliminate watershed which would help keep your pond full of water. If you remove 3 feet of dirt and add it to the dam you can quickly have a 6 foot deep pond. If you build the dam higher you will have to have a way to pump water in it. There are lots of choices. Do as much research as you can. There are tons of free info available. Government agencies, universities, and last but not least all of us. Learn all you can and decide for yourself. It's your pond. By the way we can dig a pond for about $2,500/acre. But, we already live in a swamp.