Howdy from Nashville, Jim.
No brilliant thoughts to add to any of the above; I just finished a ~2 acre pond a little south of you, not sure I'd recommend a specific builder or any of the folks I got bids from. I will say that there was a WIDE range in the numbers bid, about 250%!
It will definitely be less expensive to move clay; if you need to do a lot of hauling on your land, you may be able to find someone locally who is more than willing to do this for a fairly reasonable sum, even if you need to move large volumes. I've been trying to get rock for smallie habitat-it's 1/3rd the price now I was quoted a year ago. The construction slowdown is really taking a toll in our area. [NB to moderators: This is NOT a political statement!]
We'll all follow your progress with interest. Please PM me when you get ready to stock, I've got a couple recs on suppliers if you need them.
