Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Raising Forage and Bait What size forage pond would you do?

When building forage or grow out ponds that are shallow one needs to consider how to deal with dense filamentous algae and rooted weeds that are prominent in shallow fertile waters. Cecil Baird has numerous issues removing his fish crop from weedy water.

So with that said if you went 8 feet wide and 50 plus feet long could you line it with a tarp? You can get tarps 12 feet wide by 50 feet long all day long at Wal-Mart if you wanted to go longer you could just overlap....

That would help keep the weeds out anyway I would think!

RC

Here's my thoughts I do like the idea of a 8' wide x 50' option. I think it would give ease of sampling stock and harvest would be very simple.

Cons: predators birds/mammals would have a better chance with so much banks to steal forage fish. If you are wanting to aerate it may need more since it's longer and not so circular. Would it freeze over more in the winter with shores being so close?

Good thoughts Snake!!

Here in Arkansas don't have to worry to much about the froze over issue much. I would put a small air setup in it just to keep water from freezing in winter in case. With it being smaller it could freeze over faster like you said even here it gets cold for a few days at a time by cold I mean 5 or 6 degrees. But it don't last long. Maybe during winter try to minimize use??

I don't know....

RC

Going narrow and long is great, but you also have to look at the soil and see what slope that will allow you to have. 8' wide, 2:1 slope will only allow you to have 2' of water depth, right?

What I call my pre-sediment pond is approximately 20x40'. I dug it out with a D6N XL dozer but finished it with the backhoe due to there are limitations of what the dozer will get in and out of and still have it deep enough. I ended up some where around 6'+ deep.

I would think 8' wide would be hard to get any depth. I have not tried to seine this pond but may try it in a few weeks. Will pump it down then seine........ hopefully...... if I can rope a couple of grandsons for help.

I don't have a lot of experience with forage ponds yet, but from the looks of it to me, I think it would be hard to get a lot of production out of something much smaller than my 20x40'. I could be wrong though.

RC, I have had a similar thought when considering this upcoming grow out forage pond. But I was thinking 15 to 25' wide and maybe 60 to 80' or maybe 100' long, (I am trying to catch the most water run off to keep the small pond full)and at the same time eliminate the swamp area I created when I built the big pond. If I dig it long, running it horizontal to the higher ground, so it might catch 3 small drains coming from higher ground. Digging it with an excavator and adjusting depths to look a painters roller pan. With steep banks on 3 sides, I think I can limit what vegetation grows along the shallows and maybe make it an easy seine. Wish I could get flowlines from forage pond to feed bigger pond to work but I have to control spending money on ponds somewhere My dirt contractor is running a couple of weeks late already and if he does not get here before fall rains it may not get done for a while. It might be too wet and would tear up to much land.

Tracy

Tracy