sad,

What you are describing is basically how my pond was constructed. My pond was dug by a local topsoil & compost business that dug it in exchange for the soil. Since it was a "free" dig, it was not a very fast dig. They excavated around 1/2 an acre, and then stopped for 18 months or so. I got over anxious and I succumbed to my temptations, - stocking 100 or so adult bluegill caught from other farm ponds, 2 dozen channel cat fingerlings from a pet store, a couple buckets full of free gambusias from the local mosquito control department.... you get the picture (& hence the name of my pond... potluck pond. By the time the excavator returned, I had already had several bluegill spawns and my two buckets of gams turned into 2 tons! My catfish had grown fat and friendly. We dug a second pond, - this one approximately 3/4 acre, leaving a narrow strip between the two. We then formed an island out of the strip, connecting the ponds on both sides.

Unlike most of the clay "tank" ponds that I read about here, - my pond is comprised of beach-like sand. My water table is only about 2 to 4 feet below the ground, depending on the time of the year. In order to dig, we had to constantly pump the water out. When we connected the ponds, my old pond was filled to the brim and the new addition was pumped dry. When we made the first connection, the force of the water rushing in was unbelievable. The old side dropped no less than four feet in fifteen minutes, cutting a huge and deep channel through the sandy bottom as it poured accross.

That was about two months ago. For the first month, my pond looked the color of coffee with cream. It had foam and sediment floating all over the surface. I was certain my fish were doomed. But, I never found a floater. In the last month the pond has settled and cleared and my fish are hitting the pellet chow like mad. I've fished it once and caught several very big bluegill. The gams and fatheads are all over the place, and I've seen a couple of the cats.

I believe you can expand your pond and that it will bounce back quite well. Mine did.

Last edited by Pot Luck Pond; 05/02/08 05:37 AM.