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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 21
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OP
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hello pond boss! ive been following this site for a year or two and will FINALLY start my own pond soon. i purchased 2.25 acres in louisiana back in '09 and have been saving to build a custom home. the wife and i house shopped for about 6 months and couldnt find what we wanted. one of the prerequisites was that it had to be on the water. after alot of searching, we finally decided to build our own place. she is an engineer and im a construction manager so we figured we could put our skills together and build our dream home.
there is approximately 10' of drop from the front of the property to the back. roughly in the middle is a slope that accounts for about 6' of drop. i plan on building my house on the top of the hill overlooking the pond. the pond will be approximately .6 - .75 of an acre, will be 6-7' deep, and will house LMB and BG. i finished the clearing about two weeks ago and have been waiting for a weekend with calm winds to lite the burn piles. my tigers are playing a cupcake in football saturday so this weekend would be as good a time as ever.
i have access to equipment at work but, most of it is tied up on jobs. therefore, i have looked at getting a contractor to dig the pond for me. a friend of mine has recommended a couple of guys that are pond builders that sell the dirt and can do it virtually for free. i should be meeting with them within the next couple of weeks.
i will try to keep you guys updated with pictures, as well as ask for help and suggestions. i appreciate all the experience and knowledge that you guys share on here.
Last edited by a-ron; 08/10/13 05:03 PM.
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Joined: May 2011
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aerial photo of my property. roughly drew in the pond. picture i took after clearing. pretty much the view i will have from my back porch
Last edited by a-ron; 11/11/11 06:53 PM.
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Joined: Jan 2006
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Moderator Lunker
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Moderator Lunker
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Make sure that the dirt guys and you are in total agreement on EVERYTHING. Get a contract. Also assure that they know how to actually build a pond including coring, packing with a sheepsfoot roller, etc.
Lots of highway dozer drivers know how to use a Cat but not all of them understand how to build a dam that doesn't leak and make the hole a home for fish.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Joined: Jul 2006
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Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Welcome to Pond Boss a-ron, I look forward to following your thread!
JHAP ~~~~~~~~~~ "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." ...Hedley Lamarr (that's Hedley not Hedy)
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Joined: May 2011
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Joined: May 2011
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well ive been burning trees the last few weeks. they didnt want to burn without a fight. 400 gallons of diesel later im just about finished. here is a pic of the site with the piles just about gone i contacted the NRCS earlier this week. they will be out to do soil bores in about 2 weeks. im pretty positive i have enough clay to hold water but, im gonna take advantage of their services and make sure. im still looking for a contractor to build the pond and do my house pad and site work. im hoping by about march ill be moving some dirt. ill update with pictures once the work gets started.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,533 Likes: 839
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Wow, that's a lotta diesel just to burn trees.
What you are saying about NRCS is one thing that gets to me about them. They vary so much from office to office it's silly. My county office doesn't even have a coring tool, while the office 2 counties over does. They (at least around here) are not very willing to help each other out. i.e. I couldn't get my agent to use a coring tool if I paid him. "We don't have one because we don't need it." I'm glad that you have a good office.
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I do have a question about what kind and how much fish I need to reach my goals. Though it would be nice, I don't plan on raising any trophy bass. I don't think my goals would allow me to. Given that my pond will be at the most .75 acres, I'm worried about overfishing and the fish becoming conditioned. I would like to fish 10-15 times a year for both LMB and BG and would like to fry fish a few times a year. I would be happy with bass between 1-2 lbs. I'm more content with quantity than quality. What fish and how many do I need to stock in order to reach my goals? Do you think I'll have a hard time with a pond that small?
Last edited by a-ron; 01/23/12 10:40 AM.
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,533 Likes: 839
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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I think your goals are well within reach if you manage the pond for large BG (CNBG if your climate allows for them to overwinter).
Especially if you will be feeding and aerating.
700 CNBG 150 RES 100 LMB
I'd stock 10#-20# of FHM in the pond as soon as it was 1/3 to 1/2 full, let them spawn and multiply for 6 months before adding the CNBG/RES. Wait another 6 months and add LMB.
But, that's not etched in stone, there are many different ways to stock the pond to achieve your goals.
If you don't mind restocking periodically, (i.e. every other year or so) look into a HSB/HBG mix if you will be feeding and aerating.
You don't "have to" feed and aerate, but it sure will make the fish grow faster, and easier to catch (I think) if you use imitation pellets or Stubby Steve's.
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Joined: May 2011
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Thanks for the input. What's the advantage of putting RES with the CNBG?
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Joined: Jan 2009
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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RES like to eat snails, which are part of the lifecycle in white,black and yellow grubs, and swimmers itch.
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Joined: May 2011
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Well I'm about 3/4's finished with the pond. I sold a little over half the dirt that came out and am using the rest for my house pad. Here's some photos of the progress. I've got a couple of small oaks that I'm going to lay in there and will be building a couple of PVC trees this weekend. I'm dressing up around the pond and the slopes of my watershed with topsoil and will seed and fertilize once done. It should turn out pretty nice. Ready to get some fish growing! View from pad Half way dug After some heavy rains
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Here's a couple more of the pad
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Wow, steep banks. Oaks are notorious for leaching tannins into the water. As I understand it, the tannic acid can push the pH to levels that will stress or kill fish. Many avoid putting oaks in their ponds because of this. It's starting to look good though. Those puddles need FHM!
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The guy talked me in to stepping the slope down a couple of feet and then doing a 3:1 after that to cut down on vegetation growing. . He got a little carried away with it in a couple of spots though. Im going to get him to do a 3:1 all the way up by the house. He still has to get down inside and blade and shape everything so I'm going to get him to fix the spots where he went too deep with the step.. Pond is only 6-7 feet deep.
What do you guys think? I can see how it could be a little dangerous if an animal fell in. It's got a step that's about 2-3 feet deep that a person could stand on though. And its only that deep if the water is to the very top of the bank
Last edited by a-ron; 06/27/12 02:19 PM.
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By the way, the slopes on the right hand side is what it's supposed to look like. The bank on the left is just the center of the pond where he dug straight down. He still has another half of a pond to dig over there so it won't have vertical sides like that. What you see in the pics is the total length but only half the width of the pond
Last edited by a-ron; 06/27/12 02:28 PM.
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After searching the forum, I think I'll take my chances with the oak trees. They are small in diameter and have been sitting in the sun for a while. I'm cutting the limbs off and may or may not use them as brush piles
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Joined: Nov 2011
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Joined: Nov 2011
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Yeah, I would eliminate the steps, but as an idea, could you dump in large river stones or rip-rap which may combine as erosion control, plant preventative and minnow cover? Just a thought...
The sides may be steep, but wont b for long after water has had a chance to chew away it it.
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Joined: May 2011
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Made some PVC trees over the weekend Back half of the pond is done. Put a couple of trees and some PVC trees in
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ive been thinking a lot about my slopes at the bank. i see everyone suggest a 3:1. i came across this and something similar to this at several sources on the internet: link this is kind of what i was going for. please tell me if i am doing it wrong. would it be best to just have a 3:1 all the way to the bottom?
Last edited by a-ron; 07/03/12 04:54 PM.
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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It all depends on the soil type and what your plans are for the pond. 3:1 is pretty steep for walking down and mowing in our sandy soils, I probably will be re-contouring a few ponds so the above water shoreline is more in the 4:1-5:1 range.
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Hall of Fame
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Hall of Fame
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I always thought the 3 to 1 slope started at the water line. 3 ft. straight down could be a safety issue if little ones are around.
"I have not failed, I have only found 10,000 ways that won't work" Thomas Edison
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decided i'd update this thread with a picture I took today. the water is still pretty muddy. I plan on planting some lilies and a few other plants pretty soon. thanks pond boss for all the tips, ideas, and info
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Goofing off is a slang term for engaging in recreation or an idle pastime while obligations of work or society are neglected........... Wikipedia
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