Unfortunately the afore mentioned pond project will have to wait till I can manage to save a lot more money as the wonderful state of NY and it's asinine laws and rules have changed my construction costs from about $20k to a minimum of $80k. I can make the pond that is already on the property any size I want and the state doesn't care how I construct the dam or how much drainage I have.
So... I am renovating the little pond behind my house that is an unknown depth but very full of silt and decaying organic matter. I will keep with the forage stocking plan and concentrate on cleaning up the landscaping while I save for the pond that has now become my retirement project instead of a fishery that is ready to enjoy the day I retire. Oh well.
This is what I am working with.
And this is what I hope to end up with. I am going for at least 12' deep with a steep grade to keep the vegetation to a minimum The red line is a ditch I am going to have dug to catch a lot of the runoff and water from spring that usually keeps the lower field soggy pretty much year round unless we have a summer with no rain.
The imagery on the county mapping site is from 2010 so all the brush and especially the rush in the pond has expanded greatly.
Here is an idea of what it looked like last night before I started the 2" trash pump.
And 12 hours later.
The excavator and dozer arrive this afternoon and the guy who is doing the work (went to school for conservation/heavy equipment operation) hopes to be done by Sunday evening.
Sounds like a cool project Trooper - I like your fishery plans. Few observations:
Bear in mind GSH in my SMB/YP fishery tend to compete negatively with YP for forage [including pellets] and you might be better served trying to establish your forage base without them at first with all your other species instead.
I never thought of this and am very willing to listen to the experienced guys around here. GSH are out as of now.
Curious on your goals with the addition of clams to the fishery - can you share your thoughts with us?
The clams are in a couple of ponds around here and I thought that they couldn't really hurt anything... just something more in the ecosystem I guess.
Tell us more about your project - I'm pumped for you as a fellow cool water species fan!
The big pond is just the finishing touch on the view from the deck of the house I just built on the family homestead, what is left of the land that my great-great grandfather started farming back in 1830. The fish selection for the pond is simply my desire to have something other than the standard LMB/BG pond. Plus YP are tasty.
