Well...just took posession of a 1.8 acre, 30+ year old pond and for the life of me, can't put this peg into a hole. It has several issues, the big ones include...

1. 2+ feet of black muck surrounding the edge of the pond. In one place a stepped (hip waders on of course ;)) the water was 6 inches deep and the muck was 2.5 feet. I assume this is the case for the entire pond bottom, but cant say for sure.

2. The previous owner was an aggressive user of copper sulfate, cutrine-d, etc. He claimed, and I have seen personally, that if let go without treatment, pond weeds, bright green hair algae, etc, etc, took over quickly.

3. It is almost impossible to crankbait without dredging the salad.

4. Bottom fishing is impossible without pulling up a ball of green.

5. LMB fishing success has markedly decreased over the past 2 years.

6. The LMB that are caught are almost never over 1-1.5 pounds.

Heres the rub though...the water is gin clear. On a calm day, with fishing glasses on, I can see down to 5-6 feet. This is the other reason I think LMB populations are down...cant see many fish like we used to.

My question (heck, I have a million of them) is this...how would you categorize this pond. All of the research I have done says that a 30 year old pond with a bottom full of black muck should not have clear water.

By the way...the water quality (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, alkalinity, pH) is PERFECT.

Any input, feedback, etc. is immensely appreciated. We would love to restore this pond, greatly reduce the muck, and increase LMB recruitement, growth rate, etc.

Sorry...I know this is alot for one post, and alot of rambling, but my head is swimming (no pun intended).

Thanks in advance for your assistance everyone!

Bucketmouth

The algacide that he was using was also killing the plankton and the algae, which allowed sunlight to reach the bottom of the pond, causing weeds to grow, and the cycle repeated itself.

If you can get the nutrient load balanced, get a good photoplankton bloom going, that will help slow down some of the algae growth.

I don't know if Tilapia are legal to stock in Ohio, if so, I'd look at putting in some next year.

Get the water visibility to 18"-24" during the warmer months.

As for the muck, there are a few options, depending on how fast you want results and how much $$ you want to spend.

Congrats on the new place!

When you stepped in the muck were you in a cove? Some places can be worse than others like near a creek feeding the pond, a shallow cove, or maybe a spot where all the leaves are blown.

Maybe you can first address the cause of the excess muck. Since the water is so clear the bacteria on the bottom might be able to eat it away quickly, depending on the dissolved oxygen down there.

Do you have the budget to drain and have it dug out? Big, heavy, yellow machinery can give you a fresh start.

Not really. This is a second home/weekend property for my family and I just got done vomitting cash to get it . Combine that with the fact that I am a business owner in a soft economy, and well...lets just say I rather not incur that expense quite yet if possible. Plus, for some reason, I just hate to see it get killed off. I have two little girls who LOVE to play there, chase bullfrogs, play with tadpoles, fish, paddle boat, etc. I would rather not have to shut it down if at all possible. I will say though, after talking to a few folks who have done the aeration/bacterial supplementation thing, I am not real convinced that the claims hold water (sorry...not punny).

Montgomery...yes and no. Alot of the areas that are mucked up are areas where leaves gather, cattails grow and die off, etc. But there are some areas that don't make any sense. Granted, those areas have the least depth to them though.

Esshup...I am all for fertilizing in the spring, but it seems counterintuitive for me to add fertilizer to a pond that is so easily overtaken with algae/pond weeds. If it's so infertile, why so green??

I guess infertility would explain the gin clear water though huh?

I'm not sure, but my guess is that the copper treatments killed a lot of the plankton bloom and there might be enough residual left to inhibit the plankton, but not the algae. I've heard that extended usage of copper sulphate will build up in the pond. I don't know how to test for it tho. Anybody know how?

What type of "weeds" do you have? They might be locking up the the availble nutrients in the pond before the water is warm enough to support an algae bloom.

lots to address here. First thought...Got electricity near the pond? Aeration might help with many issues you are having.

I WANT an algae bloom???? I have plenty it seems. I thought I was looking for a plankton bloom. One and the same??

The more I probe, the less I know.

And yes, I can get electricity to the pond. 200' of wire and a bunch of trenching later. It helps that I own a company that provides commercial trades (mechanical, electrical, etc.).

I am finding out quick that this pond endeavor is not a cheap hobby. But, what hobby is I guess. Thinking about just walking down there and throwing cash into the water. Would that help??

Maybe the curreny would provide surface area for beneficial bacteria?

Esshup, I don't know of any field test for copper but you should be able to take a core sample and have it analyzed at a soils lab.

Actually, copper, over time, will bind to the clay in the pond and no longer be present in water samples. There are copper tests that you can perform in the field, they can be found at higher end aquarium stores as copper is used as a medical treatment for aquarium fish and levels need to be monitored.

My pond was was over 60 years old and very similar....about 2-3 feet of muck in the bottom. I pumped out some of the muck into large dewatering bags, that when dried out serve as my elevated garden. I had the best tomatoes and vegitables I ever saw last year. My goal was to remove the muck (black and thick and anaerobic and hopefully remove some potential nutrient load fueling algae problems. However, I have more algae now than before. I will hit it with cutrine plus today and then put in blue dye to minimize light penetration along with barley straw bales. I will probably do more mucking after spawning season....I love the soil that results.

To simplify this muck is underwater compost. In most cases rotting out vegetation and algae. Constant use of algaecides will build it up and feed the cycle, throwing everything out of balance, mainly the beneficial bacteria and plankton blooms. Resulting in crystal clear water and algae blooming with aquatic growth enhanced with unimpeded sunlight and heavy fertilization from the muck.

There are several remedies, but no quick fixes. One is to reintroduce beneficial bacteria, also a muck eater. That will take away much of the algae, naturally over time and slowly eat up the muck. You just want to bring the bottom of the ecosystem back in balance.

And yes that black bottom muck in incredible garden feeder. It does the same thing in the pond it does on the land. Feeds vegetative growth. In the pond the dead and decaying algae feeds new growth, a cycle. On land you compost dead plants and feed them back. Good thing about the muck is it is never hot, does not contain weed seeds. However I did sprout some cattails by accident one time. I use it in a blend for my aquatic plants like marginals and lilies. It is naturally what they would feed on.

Aeration helps, and floating plants and or a dye to knock down some sunlight. The number one call in my business is algae. I am just not a big algaecide fan, and this is why. It's a temp fix with long term potential problems.

Hi DougOhio. Could you give a little more info on how you pumped out the muck? (I.e, what kind of pump? Where do you get the dewatering bags?). I'm thinking of trying that this spring, but it's really hard to find any info on an approach like that.
Thanks!