Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Bricks and miscellaneous structure

As my pond is being dug out in a incredible fashion by Otto and company, I need to place some structure and cover in the pond.

Alot of trees will be placed in the pond from the construction.

The big question is what to do with my junk pile of:

brick pile(no 3 hole, solid)
approximately 6 roles of 50' or 100' feet length of 5'horse fence(2"x2" squares)
3 rolls of 48" coated chain link fence, probably 100' to 150'
2 old aluminum dog crates for pointer sized dogs,may keep these
7 pallets, no brainer will zip tie into pyramids
10-15 varying lengths of 48" hog panel

Does the fencing have any value for structure, seems like it would be a lure magnet?

Would stacking the bricks in a crude small structure provide any benefit?

Any thoughts, suggestions or bids on said junk, I mean supplies, is appreciated.

Use the bricks like rip-rap (shallow) on a south facing bank to attract crawfish and inverts . They will absorb heat in the winter and be a good place to fish.

Use the fencing to create funnels or highways to concentrate fish into brush piles for fishing. I have used plenty of underwater fences like that.

Mike
I thought you said I had grazing rignts.

OTTO

Eric, excellent advice as always. The dam is facing south, so I'll chunk the brick on the edges of it.

A couple of follow-up questions.. What approximate width/length would you make the rolled fence leading into the brush piles? How deep would you place the fencing to avoid hang-ups?

Otto, you fence, you can graze.

With the current price of scrap metal I KNOW what I'd do with the fencing and hog panels!

Plus, even if there is only a few feet of fencing,etc in a THOUSAND acre lake, I'll hook it!

I like to mark snag-inducing structure with a marker float. That way, I always know where it's at and can consistently cast close enough to it to lose lures.

What I do is really just build an underwater fence. For example say you have a ditch that runs out into the pond - then I run the fence on both sides of the ditch at an angle to the shore so that as the ditch reaches about 8 ft deep there are several brush piled in the ditch with the fence funneling the fish there. I will attach a pic . Same for other places fish like to swim.

Fence underwater in 5 to 8 ft.

I wish I would have found PondBoss before I had my pond dug. You guys have some great ideas.

Calvin...
Those 2 sentences say it all. Period.
-
Pithy, eh?

I LEARN SOMETHING HERE ALMOST EVERYDAY, AND I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR THIRTY YEARS.

BE SURE AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!

OTTO

I have used many different things for structure in my 2.5 acre pond,all ideas have blossomed from this site or the mag. Pallets, root balls, brush piles, pvc structures, rock piles, etc. I think they all do a good job of holding fish. Anything that creates irregularities and hiding places for fish seem to work well. In retrospect, I think a HUGE factor that seems to not be emphasized often enough is "snag factor". That can be very frustrating, especially with kids! I would advise placing structure in such a way to limit "hang-ups" or use indicators as Theo suggested. Once a large object is submerged, it is very difficult to move. You really have to try and visualize the water line and how you will fish the pond once it is full. This isn't always easy to do when you are at the dozer stage. So really take the time and try to plan it out, you will be rewarded. If Otto is digging your pond, ask him. He will have a good sense of depth for different areas of your pond.
My $0.02

Eddie

We will meet on Thursday to make the final plans for the structure.

The water level of this pond will cover up an existing pond and dam that has been cut in half. Lots of natural structure already in place.

Not much shallow water, and a lot of shoreline movement.

We should post some pictures but an aerial picture would make it easier to see the whole area.

OTTO

If you have an old dam that has been cut and will be covered with water you have the ultimate structure. Here is why. In one small area you have shallow to deep water which faces all 4 principal directions. This allows the fish to choose water depth , wind direction and sun or shade and easily move from one to the other as changes occur. Plus the top of the old dam is a great spawning location and hunting area. Further the cut in the dam acts as a giant funnel for fish and for water movement due to wind or water inflow. A few pieces of well placed cover in that area can be very productive.

A good idea is to cut the dam in a couple locations

Thanks for the great ideas.

OTTO

You guys act like lure snags are a bad thing. As long as you and your guests have boats or know where to cast, several sections of fence along the edges work great to discourage unauthorized persons from fishing your pond.