Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Where to go from here

Hello.

2 years ago we moved into a place in Western Indiana with an existing 1 1/2 acre pond. The deepest spot is 13' and the average depth 6'. The pond had BG, bass, and catfish until this winter. We had a 2 week period of heavy ice/snow and fish kill. I think it may have got every last fish? Pond is surrounded on 3 sides by trees and gets a very heavy leaf load in the fall, we have no aeration either. Don't notice much alage, at the current time we have thousands of tadpoles. So, in trying to get a fish population back, other than figuring out what the DO and pH is, do we need to do some kind of dredging to remove decaying plant matter (leaves) and if so, how does one do this? Any thoughts would be appreciated as we are new to pond life.
Thanks much.

Welcome to the forum, reelsvillesue! Glad you're hear! This is definitely the place to get answers to your questions from experts who know what's going on - regrettably, though, you're getting an answer from me first and I'm not one of 'em!

Here are some thoughts - we can let the real experts take it from here:

1. On the fish kill, you may not actually have had a total kill. Very often it's the larger fish that die off and small fish may well survive. If you have small/young fish left, you've at least got a base and can build from there. One good thing is that if, in fact, you had a total kill (again, I doubt that), you have a clean slate to rebuild your fishery in any way you'd like. Even with a partial kill, you can definitely reshape the population. Lots of great species combinations to consider.

2. As for the organic matter, do all you can to remove what can be reached easily. It's certainly going to be a small percentage of what's there overall, but every bit helps. If you can limit or eliminate the influx of new leaves, etc, better still. One simple tactic may be to allow a ring of taller grass to grow up around the pond, maybe up to 10 inches or so. Give it a foot or so from the pond edge so it can serve as a natural barrier for leaves blowing along the ground. It can also help filter out some surface sediments before they hit the water and add to the nutrient load (though there are far better ways to control sediments and other nutrients from running in - this is just a quick and easy measure that will bring some level of control).

3. One thought, too, is that if you aren't having trouble with algae, your nutrient load may be at a reasonable level. If you are too nutrient heavy, you'll see unwanted effects such as algae or other undesirable vegetation dominating. It doesn't sound like that's your case, so you may not have much to worry about. Nonetheless, taking some simple preventative steps to minimize organic inflow to the pond will serve you well in the long term.

Post some pics of your place - we love pics here! Now just sit tight and wait for some other input from the experts. And, again, welcome!