I have a topographic map of the spot on my property and I have outlined the general area of the pond and the elevation difference from the upper area to the lower area where the dam would be is considerable. The determining factors will be A. How much rock will I hit excavating the area and B. How much dirt can I afford to build the damn. Not to mention any structural considerations for a damn of that size in this spot. In a perfect world with the elevation difference I could have a very deep pond by the dam, maybe even 25ft. I doubt I will get depth close to that mainly because of the reasons stated above. It takes a lot of dirt, work, and money to build a 25ft dam. But just for the fun of it say I did luck up and get 25ft on say 35% of my pond, and I put diffusers on the bottom of the deepest area and ran them 24/7. Would 25ft depth with aeration be enough to keep trout alive? I would say at 25ft the water would stay pretty cool, maybe not 52 degrees but I doubt it would exceed 70. My concern is with lots of aeration to keep DO high would that then circulate and warm my cool water? It might make the over all temp of the pond cooler but the bottom where it’s coolest would be warmer right? Maybe I have this all wrong or maybe I’m overstating the circulatory ability of several diffusers. I will also mention there are several small wet weather springs in this spot so in the winter and spring I will have a small amount of cold flow. Usually from July-September the springs are pretty much dry. When construction starts and I think I might get 10-15ft I’ll probably go ahead and try walleye. Last little note I will be stocking a small amount of adult rainbows in my other pond In late October-November to fish out over the winter months.

Last edited by Marky Mark; 08/22/19 01:38 PM.