I agree with Nate, but the man has a plan and I didn't try to sway him. I personally can dig a huge pile of material in a day and a half with a dragline, the problem is you can dig so much you can have no place to put it without hauling, it will only throw material equal to the distance you removed it from. Hence my suggestion for a good truck and a spoil area as large or larger than the pond. In any case, the fish will likely suffer if it is dug under water, and the finished product is never as nice as if you drained and excavated because you are going by feel and not sight.
