Mike a fascinating thread and some great work. Thanks for the pics as well.

Early on you said "Plan is to fill this winter and spring .. let it mature a little then drain in fall of 2010 at which time I will put in the water control structure, put in the dock and aeration system, make any last minute changes then refill.. Plan to stock with fish the following spring .. Any advice regarding the plan ? "

It is obvious that you know a lot about the equipment and its uses so I probably don't need to add this point but will anyway just in case. You can do all of the work you mentioned above with the pond full. Coffer dams work wonders if needed and siphons can be done with only a minor drawdown if any. Docks are often done from the shore out with the pond full. If you don't have to completely drain the pond you could get a year�s head start on the fish and not worry about enough rain to fill it back up. Of course those may not be concerns.