Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Quick and dirty specs for small pond

As those of you who have read my previous posts know, I've been dreaming of and planning a 3-5 acre pond on our 25 acre lot for a long time. I'm currently in limbo on my "dream pond" because I want it to be perfect: the right location, the right plan, the right contractors, etc., etc. etc. I'm still trying to either find the right spot on my existing land or work out the purchase of adjacent land with a better spot. One day it will happen, and when it does it will be beautiful.

In the meantime, I need some unrelated dirt work done on my land. I need a pad for a barn and some new gravel roads built. This will require a lot of dirt and it's much cheaper to dig a hole on my land to get it than to buy and haul it in from somewhere else. So, why not have the dirt contractor dig a small pond, right?

My plan is to have them dig a small pond of .25 - .75 acres, depending on how much dirt they need. It will be an excavated pond with either no dam, or a very small dam. It's only purpose is to give me free dirt and to give me a small pond to play around with stocking and fishing until I can get eventually build my dream pond.

I don't think we'll go the whole route of lining it with clay, etc. for this one. There are tons of stock ponds around here that are basically just a hole someone dug in the ground and they seem to always be full or near full. In fact, when I talk to dirt contractors around here about lining with clay and building a dam with a core trench of clay going down x feet below the ground they look at me like I'm crazy. For the big dream pond I'll find someone who understands all of this and will do it right. For this small pond I'm thinking quick, dirty, and cheap.

So, my question is this: What quick and dirty specifications should I give to the dirt guy for finishing out this small pond once he has the dirt he needs? Slope? Depth? Any other special instructions? I'll use the pond for stocking bass, BG, and possibly CC for now. Once I have the big pond I'll use this little one for other projects. Possibly a CC-only pond or maybe even shrimp. I'd also like it to not look too ugly and be reasonably easy for kids to access the banks for fishing.

Thanks for any advice you can give!

Sounds like a great plan, Ack! I love your vision and wish you the best in managing the effort to bring it to reality. I don't know enough about pond construction to offer any suggestions you can use with an excavator, but would certainly share the advice that has been given on this forum by others that if you're going to have kids around the pond, make sure that the bank slopes are shallow enough to allow them to walk out if they fall in - maybe 2:1 or even 1:1 in some areas so there are plenty of safety options around the pond. With shallower slopes, you'll likely see more vegetation growth in the shallows, but that should provide reasonable cover for forage fish and YOY fish to hang out, so it wouldn't be a bad thing if you can manage it effectively.

Just hang tight and someone with real experience will no doubt give you some answers that you can use with the dirt guys. Best of luck and be sure to share your before and after pics with us!

Ack, even a small pond, don't skimp on the necessary steps to make it a success (referring to not lining in clay). If you don't do this one right it could easily become a HUGE headache for you, regardless of size.

Just to brainstorm with you, and I've been dancing this possibility in my head for the future as well, but what about, for the short term anyway, a kid friendly pond like was featured in a recent PB mag? Tons of bass for your kids to nail on nearly every cast.

Thanks for the advice! I like Todd's idea of kid safe, and Omaha's idea of kid friendly. I'll definitely post pics as the project moves along.

Good luck with it, Ack. Doing a pond like that would be a great way to teach kids about water safety and then by the time you get the big dream pond built, they'll be both a little older and, with luck, a lot wiser as to how to behave around the water which should minimize the risks of them enjoying time on and around the water. We'll be waiting for pics!

Ack
You are at the right place and doing the right thing. Plan- plan and plan some more but be able to make some changes as you go.

Generally find out how much dirt you will need for the pads and roads. It easy to store extra dirt on your so add some to the number. This will tell you how big the first pond needs to be and will give the dirt guy something to bid on.

You may have the kind of dirt that will hold water like a cup, and that is why the dirt people act like you are crazy. ut it still would not hurt to dig a few holes to see for sure what you are dealing with.

Will the pond(s) be filled with rain or is there some kind of well planned.

Kids friendly and safty have to be considered.
Todd could not have said it better BEHAVE AROUND THE WATER.