I'm doing the preliminary research for a farm pond and I see all these threads about fish kills, areation, dont do this but make sure you do that, etc. They really seem like its hard to manage a pond.

Then I ride around the county and I see maybe 10 different ponds, only one covered in algae. None have areators and most have some fish.

It seems there are a lot of threads with problems about ponds, of course people usually dont post the good news just the bad. How hard is proper pond planning and management?

J.

How hard is pond management? Interesting question.

Not difficult in my opinion

Guess it depends on what part of the country your pond is located.
Just common sense, and utilization of the abundant information available. Most of my questions have been answered by searching the archives on this board.

My experience is similar to yours. Beautiful ponds scattered around the county – no aeration – no pond scum except on a few shallow stock tanks. And – good fishing when invited to fish. Maybe we are fortunate to be located in an area of adequate rainfall and good soil conditions.

I have followed the questions asked on this board and they are usually serious problems answered by the professionals.

I personally, do not believe it is difficult to plan, construct, and manage a pond for recreation and general fishing. BUT – if your goal is to produce trophy bass, I recommend seeking the best professional help available.

Our goal is bluegill and catfish for the grandkids, and fat and sassy bass along ‘the way.
A trophy bass will be a bonus – not unrealistic to achieve.

(See my post below – “Our Pond”)

I've thought about your question for a couple of days. I think its like a lot of other things. How tough is it to raise kids, ride bulls, throw bowling balls, etc.? Like anything else, there are degrees of success. If all you want is a pond with SOME fish, no problem. This is my third attempt. The first two times were failures because I didn't do it right. Had I studied the situation the first 2 times, it would probably have gone better. I think if you pay attention to this web site, read all you can on the subject, you will be okay. ("Raising Trophy Bass" will answer questions you didn't know you had or would ever have). I have come to the conclusion that having a good pond, pool, or stock tank over time is something you have to stay on top of.