Kru, welcome to the posting portion of the forum!
It almost sounds like a lot of suggestions for your pond were meant for aquariums.
My first thought is to lower your pond water level about 4-5 feet this winter to expose the clover. Full winter exposure may kill it off. Plus at this point it doesn't sound like a further fish kill would be a big deal to you (if it happened).
It sounds as if you are liking the idea of increasing the pond size to me. Having increased a ponds size myself, I have no doubt you would be pleased with a larger body of water. Complete draining may not be needed if you excavate and steepen much of the shoreline to a 3-1 slope and use the extra dirt/clay to increase the dam height/width. This could also reduce the overall renovation expense and provide all the benefits you seek in a week instead of 2 seasons.
If you choose to do a complete kill, lowering the pond as much as possible then spreading HYDRATED lime heavily in the water and mud will be a safe and inexpensive method. This would also kill the snails which are hosts for fish parasites. If your water stays a little muddy, you may need to add AGRICULTURAL lime after the renovation as well...a soil test will confirm the need, but since your pond is in the woods, acidic water is virtually guaranteed for you.
If you can save and positively identify the species you want to keep stocked, by all means do so. Just restock in the proper proportions for the size pond you end up with....the fish will fill the void in a single season and drastically cut your wait time to fish again.
I'm no expert with this, just been there and done it. One final thought would be to open up or thin some of the trees around the pond to expose it to more sunshine. This will do more for adding daytime oxygen than almost anything.
I'm also curious about what was "unpleasant" about swimming in your pond.
Last edited by Rainman; 08/20/10 03:19 AM.
