Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Hello from Indiana

Hey guys I'm new to the forum and to pond ownership. My pond is 3/4 acre old fertile and shallow. About 18% is like only 6-9 in deep making my pond really only a little over 1/2 acre usable. Max dep of 6 - 51/2 feet...when I got it it was and still is over run tadpoles and frogs ( had many a frog leg dinner ). Only fish in it was bullhead. The pond became choked with weeds coontail and duckweed .i treated with Sonar and things are under control for now. Some alge exists as well but most of it has cleared up. The bottom is muck step in and no telling how deep you will sink in. The pond is natural and surrounded by mature oaks.
In may I stocked it with hybrids , and bluegill 60% hybrid about 600 total, 60 largemouth and 12 grass carp. I also put a bubbler in . My panfish have been doing great and I feed them fish chow. Really see any bass so not sure how they are doing..but I did put 12 pounds of minnows in with them..I never see minnows anymore. I see the grass carp all the time and not sure what they eat now that the weeds have diminished.
Glad to be part of the forum and I am eager for any suggestions or feed back from the members here...thanks

Welcome to the forum! What part of the state are you in?

I'm North Central, Cecil and Bob O are North East, Sprkplug is Central West, and there's a few others there that I'm forgetting about.

I'm in north west Indiana ...not far from Gary...where I work.

Welcome. Working with an old pond is a big challenge. You have an uphill climb improving your existing pond. Your long term plan should be to drain and rebuild the pond back to new and original low nutrient, low muck conditions. It is disappointing to see all of ones efforts reversed with fish kills which are likely in a pond similar to what you describe. Since it is old, it will continue to give you lots of troubles as it continues to collect more nutrients, organic materials, and continues the downhill path toward old age of more swampy conditions. All the plants that you killed with herbicide are not adding to the muck and nutrient load of the pond. Be prepared for annual fights with algae and plants due to the previous years of heavy nutrient enrichment. It is how nature manages ponds. Sometimes you win sometimes 'Nature' wins. Begin now preparing for a pond rebuild by doing homework and getting estimates for good pond builders in your 100 mi radius. Deep muck, heavy plant growths, annual inputs of tree leaves, and abundant shallow water will create strong tendencies for summer and winter fish kills which is why the fishery was in bad shape when you arrived. Installing aeration was a big help for the old pond, it will delay, but it may not be enough for long term and it will not reverse the pond aging process.

Ouch Bill,
That's not was I was hoping to hear but I must deal with the truth. I did talk to I guy about digging it deeper..just getting his equipment in here is a challenge ! And would require downing at least one tree...no big deal but he would only be able to deepen a small area of the pond..however it could be made very deep. I kinda left it at well let me see if I can get it to go the way it is for now. Should I be trying to treat it with the muck pellets I see ..I know it's a very slow process and if I do any suggestions on product if it matters. I should say the pond is 1/2 mine shared with the people on the other side. They are all for me improving it not sure if they will donate to the cause . And they don't care about fishing either ..I'm about to add a second bubbler...as well. We have had some hot weather so far so good.

Bill is correct. Everything you do from this point forward is a bandaid. Think of it as taking aspirin for a broken arm instead of putting it in a cast.

Even if the neighbors don't contribute, if you can get the pond deepened in front of your place, it will make the pond better. But, doing the whole pond is the best route to take as your deep end will fill up faster if the whole pond isn't done, nutrient issues will still be there, etc..

Probably not ready to go that far yet but do you know anyone that could or has the equipment to dig out my pond? I have only been here since February . It's a learning curve. I'm still trying to size up the situation and understand my options in real terms and $. Thanks

Is the pond in Porter County? If so, that counties NRCS office is a great one to deal with in regards to ponds. I'd stop in there if you can and talk to them about their pond diggers list. They won't recommend any specific one, but I'd ask them "If you were having a pond dug or cleaned out at your place, who would you call?" and pay attention to who they mention.

I've got one guy, but I'd have to contact him to see if he'd go that far.

Lake county ..crown point

Figures. Lake County doesn't have their own office. Give the Porter County office a shout and see if they'll help. I tried them when I was renovating my pond, but they said they couldn't help because I had a county office. My county office wasn't much help.........


Porter County
Valparaiso Service Center
3001 LEONARD DR., #104
Valparaiso, IN 46383-2733
Phone: 219-462-7515 Ext. 3
Fax: 219-548-9298

Bill Moran
District Conservationist
bill.moran@in.usda.gov

Pam DeVoss-Shepard Office Assistant pam.devoss@in.usda.gov