Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site round or rectangle pond

Hello All,
I am interested in building a fishing/swimming pond upstate New York. How deep should it be and should it be rectangle or round? The water table is very high due to being in a valley.
Thank you

we will not have to truck dirt away, can lose it over the pasture, a couple of springs can be utilized for maintaining make up water. we have 4 children 7 - 12 who like to swim and fish. we would need to have a dock for diving off. would like to stock with Bass , sunnies and maybe catfish?. how many different depths should be the pond, min and max depth? Is a rectangle pond cheaper to dig compared to a round?

Thank you

Deep enough to prevent winterkill (and over a large area) and a more round pond is more aesthetically pleasing to look at. The more deep water the better but I think in upstate New York 10 feet would be a minimum.

Welcome to Pond Boss, gonefishing! Glad you found us. Many members use their ponds for swimming so you'll get some great feedback for sure. Just sit tight and they'll show up with ideas for you.

If you can give us some more detail about your plans for how you'll use the pond, ages of users, fishing goals, etc., you'll get some more focused feedback.

Again, welcome!

Welcome to the forum Gonefishing, there are alot of variables depending on what you expect or want from your pond in the type of fish you would like.
The biggest factor is the amount of money you can afford to put into a big hole in the ground.
Let us know more about your pond expectations.

Gonefishing, welcome to the forum. Whether your pond be circle or rectangle, it's completely up to you. Since you know exactly what you want to use the pond for, swimming and fishing, keep that in mind when deciding the shape. You'll want an "open" beach, allow for water movement. I nearly made the mistake of putting my beach in a cove. Water gets stagnant when it doesn't move and nobody wants to swim in that. Make sure your dock juts out into deeper water. 10 feet might be a minimum. With your kids getting older, you have the luxury of possibly getting creative as well. Anything from floating trampolines to ziplines, the potential is endless, especially since you're starting from scratch and found Pond Boss at the right time. Personally, I like the more natural look of a pond that has some curves and not a perfectly round or rectangle shape. You can make points and jetties for better fishing. Get creative. Let the kids draw what they think would be fun and go from there.

I have had two ponds. The first was about 2 acres and round. This one we have now is awesome. It is 3 acres, but everybody thinks it is much larger. If you take your right pointer finger and curl the finger, that is the shape of ours. Our home sits on the inside of the curl, which means all 3 acres are close to the house and there is plenty of pond bank for fishing.
Honestly, a pond no matter what shape is fun. The best advise is to be sure to keep most of the pond at least 4 foot deep to help with weed & FA.