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#314243 12/08/12 05:29 AM
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Been in the planning for 4 years but finally got all our permits and money cleared. Seems a runoff ditch that collected water and pooled is considered wetlands somehow and slowed us down. What a joke. Anyways clearing started today. Not gonna be anything big probably only 8 acres but will be nice to have my own place to fish right behind the house in a few years. They said its gonna take a lot of burning lol. First debris pile is already 18 feet high and they said we would probably have 4-5 of them.






Last edited by thomasmgp; 12/08/12 05:30 AM.
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Welcome to PB. Eight acres should be a neat fishing hole.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

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Congrats on the ground breaking! Are you sure you can get by with only an 8 acre puddle? Haha

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Originally Posted By: thomasmgp
Not gonna be anything big probably only 8 acres


Wow, thats sounds nice. I bet with 8 acres you will be the envy of most. So will the work go straight thru till it's done, or is it to be in stages? Saving any root balls for habitat? Whats your ultimate goal of types of fish? We're drooling for details!!!!!!!!

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Wow 8 acres!!!

Very exciting!

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I figured 8 acres was small. One of my deer stands sits in our smallest field which is 5 acres and is next to our duck impoundment which is 4. I just dont see that being very big. Also theres so many damn stumps in there even if we burned 90% of it I will have a ton left over. We just had the area logged 5 years ago. Some stumps are so big they almost tipped the trackhoe several times. Gonna leave the bigger oaks up on an island with about 5 feet of water depth around each one and maybe toss some stumps or tree tops around those. Probably gonna go overboard on this thing. Got a guy thats gonna build us a fake dock at one end of the pond with 2-3 boat slips to provide some cover. Was also thinking about digging a few really deep holes and maybe throwing in some concrete highway dividers since we know a guy in the paving business. Just wanna use stuff thats gonna last and not rot away. Just hope we dont stock it with water moccasins is all I care about.

Stump City: Still gotta clear all those trees in the background.


Hope they got insurance!

Last edited by thomasmgp; 12/08/12 07:16 PM.
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I don't think I'm the only one wondering what is a fake dock? And why not just build a real one? I'm not sure the hwy dividers will do much for the fish. Here is the link to the artificial structure thread. It has huyndreds of great ideas.

Atrificial habitat

Last edited by roadwarriorsvt; 12/09/12 12:44 PM.
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Originally Posted By: roadwarriorsvt
I don't think I'm the only one wondering what is a fake dock? And why not just build a real one?


I mean fake as in its not going to be used. Just there only for providing cover for fish.

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8 acres! Can't wait to see.


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Originally Posted By: roadwarriorsvt
I don't think I'm the only one wondering what is a fake dock? And why not just build a real one?
Atrificial habitat


I was wondering the same thing too. If you have two boats tied up how could it be considered a fake dock. smirk



Originally Posted By: roadwarriorsvt
I'm not sure the hwy dividers will do much for the fish. Here is the link to the artificial structure thread. It has huyndreds of great ideas.

Atrificial habitat


I agree, fish don't abide by our same driving rules..... grin

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So was looking at getting a bunch of these:
Cabela's Porcupine

Wheres the best place to put them? Also saw some pics of people making triangles out of 3 pallets will probably do that as well and put some cinder blocks on them. Again where would be the best place to put those? Also If I do dig a few deep holes should I put anything in them at all or would some rocks be good? Was thinking of dumping a ton of crayfish into those holes and figured if they were like lobster they like hiding and crawling around on stuff.

Last edited by thomasmgp; 12/09/12 07:40 PM.
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Placement of structure/habitat can get complicated because there are so many different factors that add into it. Such as fish types that you want, types/shapes of structure, summer/ice fishing, etc, etc. You need goals on what you want from the pond. Once you let everyone here know what that might be, they will be able to help you alot more. There is at least one forum member here (name Peepaw?) that deals with it on a regular basis. You might look at some of his past posts because they would very likely be talking about some form of structure.

The link mentioned above "artificial habitat" is one of the best areas to learn more. This Link is within that one and has good fundamental suggestion by Bob Lusk.

With the structure you listed, I believe members here have used them. But where you put it depends on your goals and fish. You mentioned that you want structure that lasts. Pallets will have a life span, but are free and that can become an issue to consider. Rocks are excellent for crayfish. Start of with that link I included to give you an idea of how to place any of it.

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What do you mean by goals I want from the pond? I want big fish isnt that everyone's goal? Id like to provide some nice spawning areas for the fish as well. I want this pond to last forever. It will be stocked with LM Bass, Black Crappie, and probably 3 more species of Panfish (Bluegill, Shellcrackers, and Redbreast) most likely. And some crayfish for the bass to munch on. I keep hearing stuff about flathead minnows. Sounds like they might be good eatin for my crappie so might throw some of those in as well.

Weather here is always usually warm. Right now im outside watching them clear in shorts and a t-shirt. It can get cold but never long enough for it to actually freeze. My uncle has 2 ponds nearby and they have been there for 50 years and I think he said they have had ice maybe once or twice but never thick enough to actually walk out on. Summers on the other hand are brutal. 100+ temps and 200000% humidity. Thats why I want as much shade/cover as possible. Rainfall is iffy. This year it rained literally every day from March through August. Last year we had a drought. How do I prepare if we get hit with another Noah's Ark amount of rain? Im not worried as much about lack of rain because of the natural springs below.

Also back to cover. If I go with plastic pallets will that be better? Since there wont be any overhanging trees will probably have to plant some willows and will search for other things to plant that will hang over the pond and provide cover. Just wish I could have some cypress trees. Also this place sits on top of a natural spring and the water table isnt very far below. I think my dad said maybe 5 feet. So once they start digging it wont be long before we have water. Should I worry about my pond filling up before I can set up my structure? Once they hit water should I halt work until I can get everything in place? Obviously every pond is different but I dont want them to be digging one minute and then 2 hours later the damn thing has filled up with water.

Last edited by thomasmgp; 12/10/12 02:00 PM.
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Originally Posted By: thomasmgp
I want big fish isnt that everyone's goal?

Nope.

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My farmer is gonna get me about 14 more tractor tires I might tie together in groups of 3. Any idea how to punch holes into them so fish can swim in and out? I assume holes about the size of a softball would be best?

Also for spawning areas. I guess I will have to read up on that. I had an old pond where I grew up that me and my friends used to fish where the bass literally spawned right next to the bank cause we used to just drop in live bream as bait and they would inhale them right away. But 90% of the entire edge was ringed with weeds with so maybe thats why they picked those spots. They were easily sight fished as there was usually enough break in the weeds to drop in either a live bait or a jig. Also you could easily walk across the pond at any part so it wasnt very deep. Had a friend nab an 8 pounder doing that when he dropped a bream into a bed next to a fallen tree that went out about 5 feet into the water. Seems she didnt like mr bream swimming around there.

Loved that pond but no one took care of it and eventually algea took over and it became unfishable. Also I dont think anything fed it because when we moved away I swear no part of it was deeper than 1-2 feet. Shame too because there were some monsters in there as no one would keep anything and it was all catch and release.

Almost finished with Day 2. So much for ever using this deer stand again.



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Awesome it seems someone has already sent out a memo to some uninvited guests that a new pond is coming. Found two cottonmouths today.

Last edited by thomasmgp; 12/10/12 06:57 PM.
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Careful about stocking crappie in your pond. I've read on this site numerous times where crappie can over-populate in ponds under 25 acres. Just another thing to consider.

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Originally Posted By: roadwarriorsvt
Careful about stocking crappie in your pond. I've read on this site numerous times where crappie can over-populate in ponds under 25 acres. Just another thing to consider.


I think they are by far the best tasting freshwater fish so if that happens culling will be swift and the fish fry massive. Also my uncle stocked them in his pond and its only 4 acres and hasnt had any problems. They mostly just hang out around a bunch of hay bales he dumped out in some deep water.

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You could consider mounding dirt in a few areas to create "islands" so that pondweed could establish there as well as along the bank. Crawfish and other critters will occupy the weedy areas.

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If this site had a like button, I would hit for this project. Looks good.


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With 8 acres in SC you can really make a trophy bass fishery! Anyone know if threadfin shad would overwinter there? If so they should definitely be stocked. I would also add red eared sunfish, coppernose bluegill, golden shiners, grass shrimp (they are cheap and provide small forwage for your young bluegill and bass, stock once you have some established vegetation), crayfish, and fathead minnows to the forage base.

Listen to the guys on here as far as structure goes, it sounds like you want big largemouth and a crappie population, guys here will tell you exactly how to set up your underwater world.

As soon as your pond is dug and the strucure has been placed you should add a small amount of fathead minnows to any water that is holding. Fatheads can survive in shallow pools, spawn incredibly fast and give all your predators a good forage to gorge themselves on. Your 4-6" stocker Largemouth will be 9-11" by the end of the year eating every slow fathead in the pond. Stocking 1000 fatheads in March will give you millions (so many you can't see the bottom of the pond) in 3 months. Every last one will be eaten within two years, bass and crappie will eat the fatheads into extinction but by then they have served their purpose and your bass will be large enough to prey on bluegill shad and shiners.

Many people here like to get their forage base established before adding predators as bass and crappie can eat every bit of forage in short order. Giving your forage long enough to grow and breed means that the predators can eat the offspring but your brood stock remains to keep the base going. My pond was stocked with numerous varieties of forage fish in March and I don't plan on adding predators (smallmouth and yellow perch) until next fall. If you can use threadfin shad then you won't need to wait as long as I waited but adding fatheads/golden shiners/threadfin/crayfish then waiting 2-3 months before adding the bluegill/largemouth/crappie means you are far less likely to end up with starving bass in two years.

If your goals are for trophy largemouth you need to be careful of how many you stock. Stock too many and you will end up with smaller hungrier fish, stock too few and you will have some monsters that are hard to find (at least until they spawn a few times and their offspring grow to catchable size). The worst thing you can do is just call up the local fish truck guy and go with whatever he tells you, fish sellers will sell you what makes them the most profit and not necessarily what is best for your pond. There are a lot of good reputable fish dealers on this site that can help you. Speak to the experts here and come up with a stocking plan, that way you will establish your ecosystem for long term success and save money in the process.

Do not forget this vital fact: A bass has to eat 10 pounds of forage in order to gain one pound. If you have 1,000 bass in your pond you need 10,000 pounds of forage for all those fish to grow to 1lb.

Last edited by RockvilleMDAngler; 12/11/12 12:33 PM.

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Im cautious about adding shiners. I heard they can take over a pond. Someone threw a few into my uncle's pond when they were done fishing and he had 100s in no time. You couldnt sink a cricket anywhere without shiners stealing them off your hook. I remember one day we caught so many and just kept throwing them up onto the bank so the predators would eat them that we probably had 75 easy. And that wasnt even using a boat just fishing off the bank around the edges with some of the younger relatives. We didnt catch a single bream just shiners.

Originally Posted By: Jwwann
If this site had a like button, I would hit for this project. Looks good.


Thanks. Just started burning our first debris 3 piles today. These guys are going warpspeed and all we have is one dozer and a trackhoe.

Originally Posted By: Dudley Landry
You could consider mounding dirt in a few areas to create "islands" so that pondweed could establish there as well as along the bank. Crawfish and other critters will occupy the weedy areas.


Gonna have probably 3-4 islands with about 4-5 feet of water around the edges. Now that a lot of clearing has been done I can start to see which trees I wanna keep up and where the islands will be going. Gonna have a nice one pretty close to the bank. Might build a little arch bridge going to it because it looks like it will be our largest one.

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If you fish with live crickets then you should not add shiners to your pond. If you use artificials you won't have a problem. Shiners are good forage and help keep bass numbers under control by feeding on bass eggs. Don't worry, your bass will still have succesful spawns but the shiners can help keep their numbers from blowing up. Threadfin shad can fill the shiner role as a easy-to-swallow forage fish, I prefer a varied forage base just for diversity sake but threadfin won't survive my winters so shiners are a necessity for me.

Large bass will have the bluegill as their main forage item. Because bluegill are so tall they are hard for smaller bass to eat and that is where your shiners/shad help out. A 16"+ largemouth will eat bluegill with no problem because it can fit a 4-8" bluegill in its mouth but a 12" bass struggles to do that. Even large bass will eat plenty of shiners and shad as their shape makes them safer and easier to eat.

Are large brim (assuming brim = bluegill) a goal for you? If you would prefer large brim to large bass then increase your bass stocking numbers and you will have larger brim with more small easy-to-catch bass. You have an 8 acre pond so you can still get big brim with big bass but your stocking strategy would need to change to reflect that and your management strategy could be more involved. By stocking coppernose bluegills you will end up with some big bluegills (especially if you add a feeder).


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Personally I dont eat freshwater fish other than crappie. My dad doesnt like Bass fishing and still goes old school with a Browning bream buster and a live cricket. I only fish for bass. So if the bass eat all the bluegill and become lunkers its fine with me. I dont have kids or see any in the forseable future, and I know they love catching some bluegill, so I dont really need tons of bluegills. Also Im sure I can always stock more later if necessary. My dad can get over it if my bass eat every big bluegill since he also prefers eating crappie. So as far as bluegills are concerned they are just there as food.

Also I assume the fish will naturally segregate themselves? Where do I want my Crappie? Like I mentioned my uncle has 2 ponds but only one has Crappie and in my uncle's pond they are all located around some hay bales sunk in deeper water. Only a few have moved from that location and if thats whtat you are after you have to fish the hay bales.

The bass are scattered but 100% of the ones I caught out of his ponds were always under overhanging cover, either some fallen trees that fell into the pond or tree branches, working plastics either a lizard or worm. I actually throw them up onto the bank at an angle and then work it back towards the boat threw deeper water so they go right under any cover. Usually they get inhaled a few seconds after sliding into the water. I have never caught a bass in open water in either of his ponds. I have tried slow rolling a spinner bait, jigs, and crank baits but never caught anything so I assume hes got no structure in the middle of his pond to hold fish other than those crappie.

Oh yea I guess the way I like to fish will probably affect how I want to construct all my fish holding devices. I mainly fish with plastic baits. Love those 6" and 7.5" Culprit worms and Lizards and have used those 90% of the time I have ever freshwater fished going back to when I was in middle school. I also like walking a zera spook or working a rebel pop-r that make a lot of surface ruckus cause seeing a nice bass explode on one those is so much fun. Even had bass follow them all the way up to the boat before striking. Never really bothered much with spinnerbaits or buzzbaits. I have tried tons of them but never caught a single bass off of either EVER. If I do dig some deep holes and fill them with rocks and crayfish I assume working a jig around that spot will be the best way to catch a big bass. I will also live bait every now and then but its so easy it almost feels like cheating.

And we just broke the trackhoe. Guess my stumps were too strong:


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Your largemouth won't eat all the bluegill if you stock the correct amounts, bluegill spawn throughout the spring and summer and provide lots of young-of-year for the bass to eat. If you want big bass you need to limit the number of bass you stock initially and go high on the bluegill stockings. If the bass are overcrowded you end up with some huge bluegills that the bass cannot eat and many stunted 8-10" bass. Those stunted bass eat all the newly hatched bluegill before they have a chance to grow and become a worthwhile meal.

Bottom line: Focus on your forage base first and get it established before adding predators. Patience now means a healthy and balanced pond for years to come. Trying to establish a forage base with predators present is VERY difficult and expensive. Instead of stocking 1000 2-3" bluegill which is affordable but won't make a dent in an 8 acre lake with bass, you have to stock 3000+ 5-8" bluegill that will survive predation but break your wallet. The cost is dramatically more expensive. If you stock your forage and wait several months before stocking predators you can buy less and smaller forage fish but get the same result as stocking three times that amount of full grown forage along with the bass at the same time.

Last edited by RockvilleMDAngler; 12/11/12 03:11 PM.

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