Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Brush pile at the bottom of the pond?

Supposing it eventually rains and supposing my pond eventually fills up all the way to 14' and supposing the water stays turbid would fish utilize a brush pile at 14'? We're talking LMB, BG, FHM, and CC. My understanding is that BG and LMB are primarily sight feeders and I imagine it would be pretty dark down there if the water stays turbid. What do you all think?

Perhaps in the winter and in the summer assuming you aerate, however, if it were me I would start shallow and work my way down deeper instead of just putting it at that depth only.

OZ is right on...think of adding structure between 3-6' depth. Deep structure isn't going to hold fish during warmer months due to 02 depletion. Deep structure is great for us up North during ice fishing season as certain species [YP, BG, CP] will gravitate to deeper structure.

Thanks fellas. I was thinking the same thing but with my pond being so low right now I was thinking whether I should try to take advantage or not by placing some structure in the deep areas while it was easy. Think I'll take the opportunity to place some structure in the exposed shallower areas instead. Thanks again.

Good idea Jimmi. 10-20% of the pond dedicated to structure is a good target.

Shallow is the spot to start. I think of it like stocking the shelves for the grand opening. Dense cover will allow the fry a place to feed and grow in safety. The longer they can hide the bigger they can grow.

Jimmi, I like deep structure. 14 ft deep ponds don't always stay at that level

We apply brush piles to many of our lakes. In fact, I spent all day last Tuesday applying more than 50 8 to 12 foot red cedar trees to one 35 acre lake. I like brush piles in water that is 6 to 14 feet deep. This allows fish to move up and down the water column until the find the temperature and oxygen they like.

I put structure at all depths. Each has a purpose. It needs to be thoughtfully placed. Use the chance to place some deep vertical structure now. You can then add some shallow stuff which is easier to place. The archive is a good place to look for ideas and read-up on how it works.

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92463#Post92463

Yeah, my main concerns that deep were O2 levels and visibility. Once this thing fills up I'll get a better handle on both. At this point it's not possible to predict turbidity since I've seen numerous posts on here where ponds have started out turbid but cleared up as they filled.

The other thing is, as Dave pointed out, it may not stay at 14'. This pond does leak along the original creek channel, although it has slowed considerably as silt has been washed down from "gully wompers" on the exposed bottom.

In any case, I plan to leave a good portion of the deepest part cleared in case I decide to add some geo-thermal coils. I'm dying to find out if this thing is going to hold water and what kind of temperature gradient I'm going to get! Come on rain!

In fall , winter and early spring deep areas have plenty of O2 and good vis. plus the water is not as cold.

Also to consider is if managing the pond for big bass I put more structure shallow, if managing for big bluegill I put zero structure shallow and put it all deep.