Craig,

After reading your post I dont see anything that concerns me. You may have some sediment issues. Everybody has some sediment issues. make sure that all areas in your control upstream have rooted vegetation. you dont want any bare earth along stream banks that can erode quickly. Most ponds that are filling up will be stained/muddy. I would expect the "mud" to settle.

most new ponds around here have filamentous algae problems for the first few years. you can order a back issue of pond boss for the "how to" for algae control. March-April 2000 is a good one.

keep in mind to may be difficult (impossible) to fertilize the pond. Not sure if you were even considering this but lots of flow will flush the pond before fertilizer has a chance to work. around here ponds with lots of flow (large watershed) have very clear water and tend to have weed problems due to the clarity.

be sure to read up on proper stocking rates for your area. This is where most people mess up. stock the recommended rates of fish, stocking more will only crowd the fish and reduce growth. Bass, bluegill and catfish will not escape, at least not enough to effect the overall population. Grass carp are a different story. If you stock grass carp make sure the drain has some form of screen or expect these fish to leave the pond in a hurry.

when I was a kid I fished a pond like yours. a few days after large rain storms we would fish the creek behind the pond. The drain made a nice pool directly behind the drain. The fish were easy to catch in that little pool, keep that in mind if you have kids.

Shan