I am looking at having a construction company build a small lake (or big pond) on some of my land in south-central Illinois (about 115 miles northeast of Carbondale). It will be 10 - 12 surface acres and drain approximately 120 acres. I'm building it primarily for fishing. The soil is predominately clay.

I am seeking all the advice I can get. For example, there are presently several trees in the main drainage. Do fish benefit from the trees or should I remove them? It will have an island and several coves with the longest approximately 700 yards in length (as measured by a laser rangefinder). The deepest points will likely be around 35 feet (guess).

I've heard people say to only stock it with Bass, Bluegill, and Red-ear. I like Crappie and have thought about Stripers or hybrid Stripers. Would Crappie overpopulate? Is it big enough for Striped Bass to do well? Should I stock some type of forage fish like shad? Should I haul in some sand/gravel and place it in a couple coves for spawning? Are there pricing specials for pond stocking through NRCS (or whatever the county soil conservation offices are called now)? Given what I�ve just recently read about bluegills spawning at a smaller size if larger ones not present and then growing more slowly, should I just catch some large bluegills and etc. in local ponds with which to stock it?

I had planned to install a drain system in the dam, but have heard several voice concerns regarding leakage. I still intended to proceed with those plans until the culvert (pipe) in one of my neighbors� ponds (about 4 acres and 20 years old) started leaking badly last year. He�s about to have it taken out and try using a spillway. As a result I am now considering a couple spillways since the geography is well situated to have the primary and overflow spillways run over exiting hills (instead of the constructed dam). How do I protect those spillways from erosion? Will riprap be enough?

I had planned to build the dam and leave the drain open for a couple years while doing the contouring and etc. so wasn�t in a hurry for that part. With that change and a lower cost estimate than expected for construction, I need advice fast.

FWIW: I just found out about this site from someone at crappie.com, have spent the last 180 minutes reading through it, and am very impressed! I�ve searched unsuccessfully for a site like this before and do plan to order the magazine, books, and etc.

Any and all advice is sincerely appreciated.

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