It has taken 10 years to complete our southern Minnesota pond.
The land area is around 13 acres including our home and business buildings. The banks around the pond have been built at a 6:1 ratio and are planted in Alfalfa which is cut twice each year for livestock feed. No farm chemicals are applied anywhere near the pond.
The pond area is 5 acres with an average depth of 8 feet or so. The deepest area is 12 feet. Most of the main pond area is 9-10 feet deep. There are 2 shallow areas in the 3 to 6 foot range that are on both the north end and south ends of the pond. The largest shallow area is on the north end, which I figure will warm up first in the spring for spawning fish.
Since this pond was excavated with a crane there are many humps and valleys on the bottom. The pond was excavated to mine the gravel and the water surface is at ground water table level. The bottom is all sand, gravel and small rock.
The pond was connected to an adjacent river during the spring and summer most years (for drainage purposes) so there are plenty of indigenous fish that need to be removed before stocking and pond management begins. I have personally caught or seen caught Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bullheads, Perch, Crappie, Bluegill, and large Northern Pike up to 18lb. There are also the usual rough fish like Carp and “who knows what”.
I want to aerate in the northeast area for oxygenation, fish feeding in the winter, and to keep an area open for a nice floating dock. Ice up here can go to 18” during a cold winter with minimal snow cover. Normal ice depth is 12” during a typical winter.
I have both 220 and 110 GFCI power available within 100’ of the water’s edge. Since the banks around the pond are being farmed for alfalfa, I plan to bury a conduit that could contain aeration tubes, electrical wires, water lines for lawn irrigation and etc. I am thinking a three inch conduit could contain anything that I can dream up.
I have been saving up a lot of diverse structural material over the years. I plan to haul these out on the pond when the ice is thick and let them sink during ice out.
I will need to remove the current fish population and stock the desired fish. I would like to have Large Mouth Bass, Bluegill, Black Crappie, and perhaps a Channel Cat or two. What about a few Walleye?
I am a very happy Pond Boss subscriber and believe that you, your readers, and advertisers can help me make my pond happen the way it should happen!
Any and all suggestions are welcome!
Thank you,
Dwight
