Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help New owner of a neglected pond needs help.

I just purchased some land with a pond on it. The pond is about an acre and seems to be very shallow, 4' or less. It is obvious the prior owner neglected it and it has a lot of vegetation on the bottom along with algae on top. It gets run off from farm fields, crops, and does have a drainage pipe to maintain the level along with a spillway when it gets overrun. Currently it is froze over. It should open up, maybe this weekend, and I want to get started with maintenance so I can hopefully come out in the spring one step ahead of the last owner. I have bought some pond shade tint to add, but that is all I have done. There was aeration, but it has failed due to algae getting over the intake and burning up the pump. Currently I do not have any power on the property. A lot of words looking for a lot of help. Thanks, in advance.

Myself, I would start with finding out just how deep that pond really is....Four feet is not deep enough, and if that really is the max depth, you may need to consider drastic steps. (Renovation).

By the way, Welcome Scott50! What part of Indiana are you from?

Thanks for the welcome. I have only been out once on the pond and prodded around. There is so much vegetation on the bottom it is hard to find the true bottom. It has been there many years and is an overflow to the land being farmed around it. I'm a little north of Indy, Westfield/Carmel area.

Well,I don't doubt the vegetation issue, and unfortunately, from the sound of things you will probably have your hands full in this regard. A shallow pond, fed with agricultural runoff, will more than likely suffer more than an average share of vegetation problems.

I also wonder about the effects of cropland runoff on a future fish population.... do you know if there are fish in it now? Either way, working with a pond is like building a house...you start with the foundation and work your way up. Verifying the depth would still be my first step..it all kind of hinges on that in my book.

I was told by the previous owner that it was 8' in areas and going back to about 3' where the water from a creek enters the pond. The creek is always full as it approaches the pond. He said it has LM, KOI, catfish and Crappie in it. He actually raised KOI and stocked them himself. I have seen movement in the shallow areas as I approached the edge and startled whatever was there. I have not fished it as too much vegetation below and algae on top. Any way to kill all that underwater vegetation?

Yes, there are ways of dealing with the vegetation. However, you may wish to develop a plan for the pond first, as to what you want or expect out of it...a pond can be a serious financial investment, and having an idea in place before you start will save you time, money, and headaches.

To be completely honest, the more I hear, the more concerned I become. Not trying to discourage you, or appear negative, it is after all YOUR pond....I just want you to be as aware as possible as to what you could be getting into.

Agricultural runoff can sometimes be a hard thing to work around. Having a creek feeding into a pond presents it's own set of challenges, and a 1 acre pond with a population of Crappie, LMB, Koi, and catfish may well be in need of additional help, population wise.

In my opinion, before you proceed with anything, you need to learn more about the pond..... How deep is it? What's in it? what species live in the creek that feeds it? Will the runoff possibly undue all of the hard work I put into it? What do I want this pond to be? What species do I want in the pond? Things of that nature.

It's exciting to have a new pond, and you're at the right place for advice and expertise, (just not from me!), but develop a plan before spending any money, then run that plan by the experts here, and see what they say. You'll be happy that you did.

Thanks for your thoughts. I have a lot to learn and just wanted to come out in early spring with a plan of attack. I will try to figure the depth as that seems to be a big starting point. I want an aesthetically pleasing pond to look at and maybe a few fish for catch and release.

I understand completely...I'll bet all of us here do, matter-of-fact. You've got time before spring gets here, and that gives you a leg up on things...you've got time to establish what you have now, decide what you want to have in the future, run that plan by the experts here, and figure out how to best make it all happen...all before you have to go to work!

You my friend, are actually in great shape!

Welcome from another Hoosier!

I agree, take a moment to take a breath, and write down what your goals are for the pond in terms of fish you want in there, etc., etc.

Do a lot of reading here, we'll help in any way that we can.

After seeing a lot of ponds, I don't really put much faith into what I'm told in regards to pond depth. For instance, one pond that was supposed to be 12' deep over there and 6' deep over there ended up being 7' deep over there and 3' deep over there after we mapped it. When I bought this house, the pond was supposed to be a LOT deeper than it really was. Because of that, and the previous owner stocking too many fish, the first year I had a severe winterkill and lost all the large fish.

A depth difference means a change in plans for the pond, and how the weeds are managed.

Read up on dye, depending on your goals, you might or might not want to add it.

Question about the aeration. How was it run before? (You said that there wasn't power on the property) I assume you are talking about a fountain vs. a bottom diffuser system.

Goals first, then start work on reaching those goals. It'll be cheaper in the long run that way!

You can measure depth by taking a fishing rod, slip bobber and enough weight that it'll sink the bobber. Keep casting to the same spot and adjusting the depth of the knot. That'll give you an easy way to measure without dropping a boat on the pond.

Another Indianian weighing in - I have two deep ponds and one constructed to be a wetland, that ended up about 4' deep due to it holding water much better than predicted. This "duck pond" was supposed to be fish free, but flooding from a stream stocked it. In the very early spring, it is a blast to catch warmouth, but it is plant chocked most of the year. However, It is a great wildlife haven. If you have a lot of Ag runoff, your pond may be more suited to being a shallow water wildlife habitat rather than a pond. If your property permits, you may be better off situating a deeper pond elsewhere and enjoying this pond for what it is. Some grass carp or yearly sttocked talapia, may help clear some of the weeds for a more extended fishing season. BTW - I am 30 miles west of Indy.

Welcome, Scott
I am in the Southeast Indy area. I'll be building my first pond later this year and have found this site to be a wealth of information and an eduction I didn't even know I was in need of! In addition to these forums check out the resources on the main page. "Basic Pond Management" is a good starting point read.
I'll be watching your progress with interest and will let you know if I can help in any way.
Welcome Neighbor!

This may sound odd coming from a guy who suffers from social anxiety disorder, but have you Indiana guys ever given any thought to having an informal get together of some kind? The Doc says it would be good for me.. provided of course, that I could make myself attend.

Heck, maybe we could invite those Illinois and Ohio guys...they appear to be tolerable like fellows....

Sorry about the hijack Scott50.....

Thanks for the helpful posts. I bought this piece from a 29 acre estate which the owner broke up for easier sale. I bought 10 acres which has the pond situated on the back 5 acres which is wooded like a park with large oaks, etc.. The front 5 was in beans this year. The owner had a fire which destroyed his home and when he rebuilt they did not run electric back for the fountain. He gave me the fountain and lights which he said he paid $3200 for but said it needed rebuilt. I intend to build in a couple of years and will most likely have power there in the spring to summer of next year. Thought was to get the property in great shape, add a pole barn, then build. The pond seems to be the biggest learning curve. The underwater vegetation is pretty thick and with the pond freezing over there may not be any fish that survive. As far as a get together, sprkplug, I think we all share a common interest and would benefit from meeting. My office is in Zionsville and my property about 8 miles north. Thanks!!

One way to cure that. Talk to the wife and tell her to lock the doors with you outside and we'll show up at your place!

Scott50, the property sounds picturesque, further emphasizing the need to plan for the future...which sounds exactly like what you're doing. Exciting times ahead for sure.

esshup....I never thought about having it here..that would cut off my escape route!

I work just south of Zionsville. Ten acres that close in is nice. I drive 28 miles each way to work, but was able to buy a bigger chunk of land 22 years ago out west. BTW - Don't they warn folks about meeting internet friends? Well, if there were one or two unsavory attendees, they would likely be outgunned based on what I have gathered on this site! It does seem like those interested in ponds are birds of a feather!

Woops - My warped humor seemed to scare everyone off. Sorry about that!

RAH, not at all. I think it would be good to see other ponds and visit with those who maintain them. I was out there today and walked on pond,as it is frozen. It is open where the over flow pipe is located so that's a good thing. I'm assuming all my algae is dead now and it would be easy to clean up the dead cattails, being able to walk around them. This Saturday is to be 60 so don't know if the ice will hold, gotta love Indiana. Again, going to try and get to the underwater vegetation as soon as weather permits.

You're braver than I walking on this ice! I have a natural pond edge on all my ponds and wetlands, but I do not allow cattails due to their invasiveness. I cannot say that I am sorry to hear about the warm up. I am hoping the melt and additional rain will fill up my new pond to full pool and that I might be able to start catching some bluntnose minnows to add as forage. Glad I did not scare you off!

Be careful Scott50, some freaky ice out there this year! Falling through and seeing if your feet touch bottom is not how I envisioned checking for depth!!

Well with being new to the pond scene, the cattails were there already. I figure I will remove the dead and spray them as they start to come up in the spring. I have seen ponds, or what were ponds, completely filled with cattails. Not a good look. My edges are natural too, and there was some crunching when I got on. There were also some what look to be gas holes in areas. I stayed close to the edge. Come on spring!

MAN!!!! A Thread with nothing but Hoosier's COOL!!! LOL

Welcome Scott50. My suggestion read some...........read some more.............Then read some more on here. Never knew how much I didn't know about all things pondem.

Count me in on the Hoosier gathering, Maybe around the first of April when the Hoosiers are winning the national championship...........or I'm gonna have a barn raising sometime in the spring......You know.....just sayin. My place is just off the Henryville Exit (19) I-65.

Keep us posted Scott.

I know it can be hard to plan something like this, everyone is on a schedule...things to do, places to be....I hear that.

Still, if something could be worked out, I would be up for it. I suggest that everyone mull it over, and then, if there's interest, we can proceed further. No pressure, no obligations, and no hard feelings either way.

If we map out our locations, we might be able to chose somewhere in the middle. Spring can be pretty busy on the farm though.

I hear that RAH...not too many dull moments in a lawn and garden shop during the spring either!

Good idea on the mapping of locations.