So I got this wild hair to build a pond in my backyard. What started as a would-be wildlife watering hole quickly began to tug at my imagination until I realized that I could likely have a nice, small bluegill and bass pond. I talked to a contractor, and lo and behold, I am now scheduled to have a pond put in this summer.
Sooooo.... WHAT NOW?
Initial thoughts process was... 1) dig. 2) stock. 3) fish. After reading some of this forum, I'm realizing that there is a TON more to building and maintaining a pond than I ever realized. It's not going to be quite as simple as my original 3 step thought process...
So my question isn't so much about anything specific -- Rather, what information do I need to know that I probably don't even know enough to know that I need to know it? (Confused yet?)
In other words, since I'm having a pond put in in a few months, what sort of stuff do I need to start researching and doing now so that I am well prepared when my pond is "born"? Stuff that might not even be close to being on my radar yet... I am an EXTREME newbie at this...
Info... The pond will be a runoff pond of about 1/4-1/3 acre or so. Max depth ~10-12 feet on one end. A dam/berm will be built on two sides, using the natural slopes as the other sides of the pond. I attached a photo - the open, low lying area is where the pond will go.
