Hi yall, new member from Thibodaux, LA. We needed fill dirt to raise the level of part of my yard and building a pond was the most cost effective option. And we get the added bonus of the pond! The pond we've dug is approx. 50x100 (1/8 acre) kidney shaped tiered from ~4-5' around the edges to 10' on one end and 15' on the other. It's dug into the ground and will be fed by rain water/high water table, not fed by any streams or bayous. Looking forward to learning here about aeration, vegetation, stocking fish, and all the other things this site has to offer. We have three young sons and are looking forward to many great years ahead!

Thanks...

Welcome. The boys will love it.

Welcome from a neighbor here in Deep East Texas on the Louisiana border!! Don't be afraid to ask any questions. Lot's of people here to help!!

Welcome from Ark. and good luck on your pond. Many years ahead of fun and family enjoyment. You are in the right place for lots of info.

Welcome from a fellow cajun! You're doing exactly what we did to build our house and our pond is now going on 3 years old. I hope y'all have as much fun creating your own private piece of heaven as we have. Ask away and you'll get a lot of good advice and comradery. What are you planning on doing with the pond??

Thanks for the welcome, guys. My plans are to stock it with enough fish for my kids (and me!) to catch a little. Would like perch and bass but am open to whatever. Will eventually build a small deck for relax over the water and be a jumping off point for swimmers. Just looking for it to be a general back yard pond.

Other things I certainly want to figure out are how to keep the water relatively clean (not muddy) and not covered in duck weed or lilies. I do want to plant some vegetation around the edges to frame the pond. Once I figure out how to post photos, I'll post some pics of the current status along with my master plan.

Trying to post pics:

Keep in mind that the prevailing winds will put lots of organic leaves etc into the pond depending on where you plant those trees. Look for trees with minimal leaf fall. Consider lining especially the down wind banks (to 3-4ft deep) with some sort of stone if to want to minimize erosion, sediment, and murky water for aesthetics & swimming.
Shoreline vegetation such a Louisiana iris and short emergent plants also help stabilize banks.

The long narrow pond will almost require two aeration diffusers to keep both basins well mixed. Widening the pond to more roundish will be more beneficial for using one diffuser. In that small of a pond you might not have to run the bottom aerator more than several hours a day providing it is sized accordingly. While the ground is disturbed, consider getting a power source relatively close to the pond or into the area where you plan your shed.

That is one heck-a-va hole...very impressive!

One thing to be mindful of...your sides look really steep. My pond has some similar sides. We have ignored one of the basic rules of pond bottom slope (3:1 or better 4:1 IIRC) which can lead to unexpected sloughing of the bank. This is not too big of a deal unless someone happens to be standing at the bank when it happens. OR, steep muddy sides can be difficult or impossible for someone or animal to get out of in case they fall in.

Just some thoughts to be aware of as I am always leery of standing upon the steep banks of my pond for fear of a miniature mud slide that would at least dampen my day (pun intended).

Thanks for the thoughts on the trees and lining the leeward side to prevent waves mucking up the water and on the aeration tips. All things I’ll add to the queue to consider.

Ok the steep edges, my dirt guy will cut those steep edges down when he comes back with his dozer to spread the dirt but yes, good point on that, don’t want anyone falling in if the side sluffs off.

One can "crawl" out of an established mud bottom pond with 2:1 slopes. Steeper than 2:1 becomes pretty difficult.

Looks like it was dug with an excavator. Dozers make nicer looking pond bottoms.