I have bought a piece of land in central Louisiana that includes an old borrow pit from when the highway was built many years ago. It is basically rectangular, about 10 acres. Water level fluctuates, as the soil is sandy and allow water to leach out in dry weather. Normally averages around 4-5 feet deep, last summer got down to about 2 ft depth (during a drought). I have only fished once, while it was pretty low. Water is crystal clear, not much cover, but has thick grass growth on the bottom.

We did not catch anything the time we fished it. Walking around the banks, I have observed small bass (up to 10-12") and bream fingerlings (1-2", not sure what type, but not BG). However, I have not seen many of either. It appears that the overall population is pretty low.

I would like to develop it into a good all-around fishing pond for me and my kids. I am not really concerned with trophy fishing. My concerns are with the lack of cover and the loss of water during drought conditions. I don't think it will ever get much lower than the level last summer, but is that too low to sustain the fish population?

I have planted a few cypress trees in the lake to start some cover, but that will take years to pay off. I have also cut down a few trees around the edge into the lake, but it doesn't seem like much for the size of the pond.

Any suggestions regarding cover, stocking, etc.?