Originally posted by bobad:
... Many of the risk factors are out of my hands, so I'm taking the cowards' way out. 
Little to no fertilizer, little bloom, fewer fish per acre, but not so many worries about weather and associated fish kills. I will have ~30% shallows and weed beds. Ugly, but great for growing minnows and grass shrimp. Bobad, I would prefer to describe your approach as the prudent approach and certainly not the cowards' way out.
Operating with adequate safety margins is just good sound management practice, IMO. Your approach also means far less time spent managing/worrying about the pond and a lot more time enjoying it, which seems like a good trade to me....but to each his own.
