Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations If you could change 1 thing about your pond/lake...

I was just wondering...if you could change one thing about your pond or lake, what would it be? This info could be useful to a new owner like me. Thanks!

I didn't get a chance to design my pond but would do these things for sure. Make the center of the pond shallow enough for spawning beds and make them out of sandy gravel with a rubber liner under part of it to prolong aquatic vegitation growth. I would make several stone structures for fish atractors fron different size rock. And break up the shore line with eratic formations instead of the normal strait, or rounded shore lines. I would bury conduit to run air line through so they could be replaced when the got bad. I could go on but these are a couple of things.

FH

Only one thing? No way.

First, I wish I had known about this web site before digging the hole. Second, I would have made it bigger. Third, I would have moved the whole thing to East Texas where it rains.

Well, Dave beat me to my thoughts...as he usually does.

Without question, my number 1 thing would be to make it bigger....suck it up, find the money, do what you have to do, but make it bigger.

If I can only change one thing - I'd have done it exactly the same, but I would have put it in 14 years sooner. Then I'd have all the mistakes fixed by now, right?

I would have seeded the "new" road up above my pond earlier to avoid the muddy runoff and the time it takes to clear. We had 10" of rain in Nov. and it's just now starting to turn green again.

Built my dock larger

Still hoping to buy about 6 acres from my neighbor and extend it to make it bigger.

Bob

Hmmm......one thing......can't do it, two things 1) BIGGER
2) Dock Bigger and in before water
Toby

I would have not have involved the ACoE. That's why I still do not have a lake today.

That is SIMPLE, Always want a BIGGER lake!!

But more than that I NEED MORE WATER SHED!!!!!!!!

I had a great site and could have made it bigger. As you may recall from a previous post I thought it would be bigger. I should have invested a little more time and money at the time and made it bigger. I also would have put more thought and money in the dock/pier which was built before the pond filled. My pond is 15 years old and although my family enjoys the days we can spend there it could have been even better.

Hey everyone - thanks and please keep the ideas coming.

I have a follow-up question to those who posted "bigger pier", can you share some additional comments? I have an 8.5 acre pond, that is current drained for repairs. My pond does not have a pier and I was considering putting one in. Based on the comments, now is the time! I am trying to decide; "how big" is big enough? Is it the length, width, size or shape that you don’t like?

I would have evaluated my soil types more carefully. I have a lot of suspended colloidal clay particles and the water will NEVER clear up. I hate it.

I'll add on to that question. My pier is 16' long by 5' wide and comes off the end of a 40' pennisula I built so the water surrounds my antenna tower. I am going to add another 5' by 16' long hammerhead section to the pier once the weather warms up. The current pier feels small when you get more than 2 people on it and the kids love playing and fishing off the pier. So I think the bigger the better when it comes to water access from a pier.

Bob

Best Dock = large platform, sitting area Good Dock = large platform OK Dock = 20 x 4 walk plank with small floating platform 5 x 8. Take these measurements and aim higher than the OK Dock.
Toby

My dock has a 4 by 10 foot catwalk and a 10 by 20 dock. More than two people fishing it is to small. Wish I had built it 15 by 25

I probably could have built the whole lake, bridge, docks etc. for about a third, knowing what I do today. Best advice, make everything bigger than you think you will need.

We are putting in a second dock that is 32 ft. long and 10 ft. wide. The dock goes along the shore rather than out into the lake and is made for people in wheel chairs. This dock has a railing all around it and is covered on top. The whole area underneath the dock is full of concrete (cinder) blocks. This attracts and holds huge numbers of small fish which, of course, attracts large fish.

If there is one thing that I would advise everyone, it would be to fill the area under their docks with these blocks. The one exception is if people swim off the dock.

Norm,

What measures would you have taken to reduce construction costs of your lake, bridge, docks etc.. Just curious.

Thanks

Russ

I had a dock once and it was too narrow. Two adults could not pass each other without fear of one of them falling off. I recommend making your dock at least the width of a common sidewalk. Not sure what that width is!

Russ, I have much better contacts now. Our covered bridge cost about $11,000. Our new dock is slightly smaller and will cost under $2,000. Much of the cost of the bridge was 4 laminated beams that were 55 ft. long because we clear spanned the area. I now know about making concrete pilings in water. I now am using 3" X 12" X 16' used bridge planking for supports that is almost free. I now have access to good condition used lumber that is also almost free.

Our entire lake is excavated. Rather than being in a hurry and paying for dirt to be moved, I would now wait for people that want dirt to pay to have it moved. This would probably take a couple of years longer to make the lake but would have reduced the cost greatly.

darnold,

The one thing I would have done different is build an aerated nursery in the shallow end so I could grow out my purchased stock before releasing them to be hunted by the bass and crappie. On several occassions I have observed new hatch clusters of baby fish get completely wiped out by crappie and bass in less than one minute. It would be nice to be able to catch the new fry in a dip net and protect them til they grow a bit.

I am working on a nursery now, better late.....

And of course...... mo & better fish habitat...

Norm,

Thanks for the reply.

Russ

Here's two other ideas that might help someone.

We made a minnow cage for the bridge and for the dock to store minnows for fishing. The cages are made of 1/4th inch hardware cloth stapled onto a 2" X 2" wooden frame. The cages are 2' wide, 3' long and 3' deep. I then cut a large hole into the top as a door. Then I cut lengths of an old garden hose to fit over all edges. I cut the hose lengthwise and slipped it over all edges, including the top door. The hose is then held in place with plastic ties. I can't imagine a better fish attractor! Small minnows excape occasionally and the larger fish are right there to get them. It's great fun to watch.

The docks are made of wood. I bolted 4" X 4" X 8' posts to the sides every 4'. Then using 2" X 4" or 2" X 6" lumber, I made a frame over the dock. I then used sheet metal to cover the top. Underneath this framework, I placed many large red hooks that hold bikes. I'm now able to store the rods and reels here, out of the way and out of the weather. It makes the equipment always easy to get. Of course, if people are stealing your fish, something like this might not be advisable.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the insight! This is what I have learned so far…

1. Build it big, no bigger…wait huge! Yes, got it, check, build it Texas huge! I purchased this one (8.5 acres according to the NRCS)I suppose I am stuck with what I have on this issue.

2. Build a big pier before you fill it up. Excellent idea – I have some questions, see below.

3. Make sure to build some structure for all levels of the food chain. I need to work on this one since I don’t have a plan here. Need to add to list. I'm sure I will have more questions here.

4. Make sure to seed the newly graded area so it doesn’t wash - excellent idea, I may have forgot about that one. Check.

5. Check soil types. Very good idea - I have ordered soil test bags from NRCS. However, I feel like I am sort of stuck with where it is at, so not sure if I can do much here, any comments???

As a follow-up to the pier issue – It seems the "professional" pier builders in the area charge a premium to build on a private lake due to equipment moving costs.

I was quoted $15 to $17 per square foot for a pier. They use 4.5” steel pipes and flat deck, no rails. Rails are an extra $12 per running foot. I am planning a 4’ x 50’ walkway + a 10’ x 20’ deck area for a total of 400 sq. feet = $6,800 + $1,800 for hand rails Total = $8,600. Yikes! There has got to be a better way. Does anyone have plans/information on do-it-yourself piers?

issue number 1 is important, but DON'T OVER BUILD YOUR WATER SHED!!!!

Order... I would have changed the order. I would have: hauled out more topsoil, built the sediment basin dams, put in structure / contour, and then the main dam.