Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain need shade

Any thoughts on producing shade in my pond? The way the pond is built and the sun angle, growing trees around the pond is not an option. When I built the pond, I should have put in several more docks. I've also looked at floating docks, but can't skip a lure under.
I have a lot of cover under the water, but would like more visible shade for fishing purposes on those warmer and sunnier days.

advertise on CL, wanting to buy old worn out trampoline covers. Rectangular tramp covers/mats would be easier to work with than round.

Link some together and use posts to create some overhanging shade? Some of the trendy outdoor restaurants have big triangular sail shape shades that they use to provide shade.

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I built this shade roof over my shooting bench. Wouldn't be hard to adapt to cover a dock, just longer 4x4s. Or could set treated 7 or 8 inch fence posts in the water and then use 2x4s as the legs and lag or bolt them to the top of the fence posts already set in the water...

Roof is just 12 foot 2x4 square, with 2x4s run across every 16 inches. I covered it with corrugated PVC panels.

sorry guys, I guess my post wasn't clear. I'm talking about shade actually on the water. not for me, but for the fish.
Example, you fish under a dock in the summer partly because bass like the shade and cool. You also fish where a tree may be shading a part of the pond.
I'm wanting to create shady fishing spots.

Well if your wanting to skip lures and they wont be used for anything but shade. You could do this.

Make a few floating docks with 55 gallon barrels under them. You would only need the barrels at the front and end. Or if its square put a barrel on all 4 corners only so you can cast under it still. It would be super cheep to make depending on what you can get the barrels for.

I would then drill a hole in the middle of the dock / floating shade structure and run a pipe down into the ground that would keep it in place so it would not float away on you. It wouldn't take much of a pipe maybe 3/4 inch cut a spike on one end and pound it into the ground about a foot or so.

RC

I would offer pics of what we did, but all my stuff is jammed up in Photobucket and gone for what appears to be forever.

Nice thought RC! I can imagine 4 plastic drums set upright with 2x4 framing to tie them together and lightly stretching some outdoor fabric (like trampoline mat'l or even outdoor carpet) over the frame. Having the barrels upright really buys some room under the structure too if you can tie the barrels into the framing well enough. You might have to put extra cross bracing in to support the fabric or whatever is used for the shade. If the budget would allow...cedar shake roofing would be cool and pleasing to the eye. Anchoring to the bottom of the pond like RC suggests would be good and allow it to be further out in the pond. You could also tether it to the shore too for shallower applications and ease of moving them around if need be.

Yeah exactly what I was thinking Quarter. Heck I may just try that myself... ha... Got an idea from someone else asking about and idea? I love it!!

RC