Hi everyone,
We are looking to build a ~1 acre pond for recreational use including fishing on an adjacent ~15 acre property that we will be purchasing later this year. I'm in Indiana here, so according to the Indiana DNR the best/easiest mix of species is largemouth bass, red ear bluegill, and channel catfish, and they recommend a depth of ~10 feet. Where the pond would be dug would be on a higher part of the property, but in a Brookston clay loam soil. I'm not sure if the water would just fill in naturally (as this clay soil has a very high seasonal water table (1-3 foot deep) in the winter), but worst case we could pump it full from an adjacent stream or from a well we have. My understanding is that if we can get the pond full, this would be ideal as opposed to a pond filling naturally in a lower spot from water runoff which would be a lot dirtier and result in not as good habitat for the fish. I'd love to get some ducks on it to have good hunting as well, but from what I've read it's tough to have a good fishing and hunting pond as the ducks need shallower water while the fish like deeper water.
So from those of you who have had ponds built, what advice do you have? On selecting the right contractor, things you would do differently, trying to make it good for fishing and hunting, mistakes to avoid, etc.?
The contractor I had come out and give an estimate threw out a ballpark of ~$20K for the project. He said that the dirt I could sell from the pond could more than make up for the cost of the project (~500 loads of dirt @ ~$100/load). Does that sound feasible?
Apologize if I've missed some FAQ that would have answered these questions.
Thanks.
Last edited by Bulldozerman; 02/06/18 11:35 AM.
