First of all congratulations on having clay - pond should seal nicely. I am not an expert and if I were building a 10-12 acre pond I would pay the extra money to find and have an expert come to the site and advise me - in the long run will be money well spent. I would NOT remove the trees as they will be good structure for your fishing. Establishing your forage base first is critical - hybrids, coppernose, etc. should be stocked and given time to establish before bass etc are stocked. Crappie are controversial but from all I have read can be heavy competition for your bass and in a smaller pond like yours are usually not advised. The hybrid stipers can be a fun addition to fish for - again, get Bob Lusk's book sold on PB site and follow the advice along with hiring a pro to direct you. One of my friends built a pond last year - he wouldn't take my advice of hiring a pro but rather relied on his dozer guy - he now owns an expensive pond that is not working and is having to redo things - "pay them now or pay them later" Good luck with your project
