thx all again. OK logs are out brothers and sisters. The pond is 5 years old and is a dug with no water inlet - only rain and not a lot of runoff. So it was basically a clay bottom and sides. Not great for fish habitat.
I did as I said add some logs, pallets, Christmas trees. A couple of stumps and what few stones I could locate at the time. There is a small dock.
I am hoping for my SMB and YP to reproduce even to the point of having enough for a few meals. The for the SMB I did add a single axle dump of 3-5" washed gravel hoping to provide nesting. I placed it with wheelbarrow so it is a long narrow strip goes out about 25' and has maybe 3' of water over it.
The improvements to habitat I have in mind would be to provide more cover for the smaller fish especially the minnows and preferred habitats for the larger fish like the stumps and other structure. The rest of it is doing what I can to create better for the rest of the supporting life - plants, fish, crayfish, turtles, amoeba whatever - everything the is positive and alive.
Because the bottom is clay bottom mud and now gathering dead leaves each fall, I think the pond would benefit from more stones ala the SMB, more hiding places for the minnows, and in general structure type items along the lines of a stump, some concrete blocks, more Christmas trees?, etc. I want vegetation and its oxygen.
Thx again for everyone's help. Last spring I had ribbons of YP ribbons attached to various branches semi submerged along the shore. That's what I'm talking about.
