Although I don't post much, I thouroughly enjoy reading the forum daily. Additionally, even though I'm official pond guru, to my runnin' buddies, I feel kind of like a poser giving advice on this learned forum when I don't actually have a pond. I guess that will change next week.

My contractor informed me yesterday that he would start clearing trees today, dam next week, shaping, contouring, sedimentation pond week after next. We dug holes yesterday, in the bottom I've got beautiful black gumbo below 18" of topsoil, on the slopes an 8" layer of shaley topsoil, with yellow/orange clay thereafter. I'm so darn excited I can hardly work.

180 ac watershed, 50 ac land, mostly brome, 4.9 ac of surface area as presently planned. Wife decided yesterday we needed more water, did I tell you how much I love my wife... so contractor reshooting elevations today, raising dam 3'. Contractor thinks will give us approx 7 to 7.5 surface acres.

I pity the first stocking, b/c as soon as I have 2' of water, don't care what the visibility is, some fatheads and bluegill going in.

I'll take pictures of the process and post at a later date. Wish me luck.

Gumboot, you have mine and Burgermeister's utmost support on getting those fatheads in there.

Congratulations.

No way I was going to suffer the same derision both of you heaped on B'ski

Thanks

luck wished......very exciting stuff gumboot....

Great!!! Look forward to the progress/pics.

Joe

...what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger. They laughed at Columbus as he prepared to sail off the edge of the earth. Fatheads cometh.
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Gumboot...wahoo, man! That's a whopper pond; can't wait for the pics. Congrat's to the 7th power.

I can only dream of a pond that big. Congradulations.

Congrats Gumboot,
Hope all goes well. Really helps when you start with a good site. Sounds like you have one.

All six of my ponds put together, times four.

I'm jealous, Gumboot, but I guess I can be happy for you. :p :p :p

Thanks everyone. Same as everyone here, it's been a dream for some time.

Thanks to this site, Lusk's books and mag, I'm able to, semi-intelligently, convey my ideas to contractor and fish supplier.

Wanna' hear the downer, me, my wife, and four kids board a plane today for spring break down in Florida. I'm gone an entire week while they are pushing dirt. I have complete faith in contractor, but I'm missing a great part of the process. Oh well, he assured me that dam wouldn't be finished, and I would have a full week to tell him where to push, mound, cut, and groom.

Solace will be found chasing snook, specks, and reds down on the gulf.

I can't hope to duplicate B'ski, "Treatsie on Pond Development", but I will post some pics when I return.

Again thanks to everyone on this forum. There is a little bit of many of you in this pond.

Great project Gum, I look forward to updates and photos.


I resemble that remark. I read this forum daily (even during tax season when I should be doing other things), and I have read three of Bob's books cover to cover I don't know how many times. Between that and the forum's many experts patiently providing answers I'm dangerously close to becoming card carrying, secret decoder ring wearing pond meister.

Have fun in Florida, it sounds like a great family trip!

I started this thread on March 15. I was worried they would have the pond completed before we returned from spring break. I shouldn't have. We've been fighting rain for the past 30 days, and prior to that we were fighting rock.

Today the standpipe went in. Fought running water all morning. Put in three crude coffer dams, at the end trackhoe had to traverse about 1/2 acre of water 2' deep just to get out of basin. Contractor estimates there's 150 to 200 gallons/min coming thru the creek.

I'm really worried about holding water. My contractor thinks it will be one of the best he's built, but I have 3 springs entering pond on the north (inlet) end of the pond. The basin, where we took material for the dam, is well sealed with clay, core has good clay, but upper end has a ton of rock. I'll post pictures this weekend.

I've been hoping for no rain past 30 days, today I join my dry pond breathren in wishing for a nice gentle 3" rain.

Going to add fish as we fill, 100 RES and 6lbs of FHM go in tomorrow, regardless of no rain forecast.