Pond Boss Forums INTRO New Forum Member Introduction Hello from Louisiana

I just wanted to introduce myself. I live in Northern La. and have been trying to build a 2 acre pond since Oct. But b/c of all the rains, its been a battle. The track hoe operator digs, it rains, then he drains the pond, waits to dry out, digs a day, it rains and blah blah blah. I have a few questions:

1. Whats the best small pond boat to have. I will put a trolling motor on it?
a. Jon Boat
b. fiberglass bass boat like a bass raider at Academy
c. Canoe/Kayak
d. None of the above

2. Should I build a dam with a spillway or attach to an existing pond using a canal? See pix?

3. My pond that I'm building will fill up with only a 2" rain, and the water pressure coming across the pond is tremendous. Should I consider stocking the pond in the future, or let nature take its course? After only 1 rain, I had hundreds of fingerling, Unsure as to what kind, they looked like bass.

Thanks all in advance for answering my questions. BTW, I did a search on these topics already and found no answers.

Welcome to Pond Boss forums!
Not wanting to be critical in an unfriendly way, but I see two major problems with the situation:
First of all, a pond that captures water with fish from unknown sources cannot be managed. Secondly, excessive watershed for the pond size will cause the pond to rapidly fill with silt, unless that watershed is very very pristine.

Jon Boat with paddle.

Bfree,
Welcome to Pond Boss...tons of good info and helpful folks here. I would go with a Jon boat....they are inexpensive, more stable than kayaks and canoes, and readily available, new or used. Managing and controlling what I put in my pond is hard enough without adding other variables into the equation, like connecting to another body of water. I would build a dam with a spillway. With an aggressive watershed, you may have issues until you get some grass growing on your dam to keep your soil in place. Your place may be difficult to manage with fish coming into your pond from upstream. Good luck, and keep us posted.

I also like jon boats. They have more uses when you need to work on "stuff".

Unusual situation re the 2" fill up. What are your goals?

Good morning and welcome. I also live in North Louisiana near Minden. If you decide to stock, there is a very good source right up the road from me. (No, I have no interests in his business.) He treated me right and sold me some really nice fish. I have a smaller pond and use a 12 foot jon boat. If you get a jon boat, avoid the smaller 10 foot ones. I used to have one but it was too unstable for me. I second the motion about the dam and spillway. Have fun with it!

If possible you might want to consider a diversion ditch to channel water that contains fish around your pond instead of through it. Then use just enough runoff area from surrounding area to keep the pond full most of the time.

Lots of flow through and trash fish are going to make lots of management "challenges".

I'll try to look up an old thread that has a pond with a diversion terrace that takes excess water around his pond. If I find it will edit this post and add a link to the thread.

Edit: here it is. http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=367832 He went to a lot of trouble to manage water inflow, divert excess flow around the pond, and control sediment buildup. Is a very interesting thread. This is one of several different threads that gave me the ideas that ultimately led me to building a couple of sediment ponds.

Welcome to PB. What type fish are above you in the watershed? Using a seine or trap catch some fish and post pics. Add some structure/cover to the pond. Small jon boat (one easy to move from pond to pond). A water control structure (divert ditch and use a pipe with screen)so you can add water to pond as needed from ditch to pond via pipe.

I have a 10' WaterTender. It is pretty stable, and can hold more weight than a regular Jon Boat. It's rated for a 5 hp outboard too. IIRC the boat only weighs 100 pounds.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--watertender-9-4-rowing-dinghy--11985504

Thanks everyone for all the replies.

Dave D1 - you asked about my goals. Honestly I just want a pond to fish and enhance the neighborhood as people drive in and past it. Something to be proud of. The area where I'm building the pond has just been an old creek bed bottom that I couldn't do anything with. I even tried to sale it at one time but it was going to take to much dirt to build on.

Ar Confederate-I live in Stonewall, a few miles south of Shreveport. I haven't thought about a 10 ft Jon Boat vs a 12 ft'er.

I see either a 12' Jon Boat in my future or the one that esshup linked to. Academy has one very similar to that one.

I have 2 ponds above me that feed my pond as they overflow which happens with every rain. They are stocked bass ponds. I have had a 2 lb bass in my creek that feeds my new pond. The water coming in is crystal clear it comes across several acres of grassy creek bottoms to get to my new pond. Ive seen my pond water clear out and to where you can see a few ft down into after about a week of no rain.

Really my biggest concern is the vol. of water that flows in and across the pond. I've actually seen 1" of rain over night fill my new pond and 2"s over about 3 hrs completely fill it from empty to over flowing. Its incredible how much volume flows through there.

A diversion creek might be the answer, but It'd be pretty difficult d/t the layout of the land, all hills between me and my neighbor

Stonewall? I've been there for a visit. Stonewall is the home of a cool little boat maker...the one and only Water Moccasin Boats. One and two man pirogues.

http://watermoccasin.net/water-moccasin/

Zep, I live about 3 miles from WM Boats. Great little boats, but alot nicer than what I need. Their cheapest model runs $1500 for a lil 10 footer.

Bfree....Yes nice little boats. I visited their facility about ten years ago. I've always wanted to visit ProGator boats too which I think is somewhere close-by there. And wasn't Bobcat boats in Stonewall too before the guy retired and closed up shop?

Another option would be a small 10' or so pontoon boat....

For what it is worth I bought a nice peddleboat for $100.It has worked great for me for small projects out on the water and the grandkids love it. No need for a battery or trolling motor.Very stable. Mine even has a canopy top if you wanted to use it.Also manuvers very well with small hand oars if you prefer not peddling.

I have a 16 foot canoe only because a guy owed me money. I don't recommend it for anything other than leisure paddling or fishing. Way too unstable for much of anything else IMO. A set of out riggers would help I'm sure but I'd rather have a jon boat. Anybody want to trade a jon boat for a canoe?!

Bill I inherited a really cool looking rustic canoe from my brother,
but I agree way too unstable for my liking. So I am going to
use it in some kind of decorative way at the cabin.

Maybe something like this...

Yes Sir, Pro Gator Boats are in N. Bossier City about 30 miles from me as well. The Bobcat boat builder guy has retired, his shop was about 8 miles up the road, great boats as well and lil more reasonably priced than the Water Mocassin boats. To bad he closed up shop.