Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Renovating a Pond or Lake? Adding rock on pond edge

Hi All,

It has been quite a while since I have been on the site. Your feedback has always been a big help, and I greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

My 3/4 acre earth pond is in need of some maintenance. The muskrat have really done a job over the years, and I am not as good at trapping them as I used to be when I was younger. There is also general erosion over time.

I have talked to some local pond owners who have added rock around the pond edges with good results. Some have used fist sized river rock, and others recommend limestone.

I do not think I can do this all at one time, so I may stretch it over time. Looking for anyone who has some feedback on if this is a good option, and if there is any additional feedback on how to install. Just dump it, or put some type of retainer, like chain link fencing at the bottom.

Thank you all for your input

Jerry
Harmony, PA

Any truth to snakes liking to hang out in the rocks?? I can keep my weeds down with a mower and trimmer but rocks for me would be hard to maintain. I will be putting some in my main trenches where my runoff comes in but that is only about 20 foot wide and would not be too hard to look after. I was thinking baseball size rock?? My pond is only 2 acres.Limestone rock might help my ph go up a little.Just my thoughts. Good luck Jerry

Snakes love any rock they can hide in or sun on. That said, I've never had a snake become aggressive when you surprise them (and they you) while near rocks at waters edge.

I believe most folks will use a geotextile or burlap under the rock. I'm interested in the details as well - I have a few soggy areas I need to rock over one of these days

Here is an old thread with some information.

rock lining

How deep will a muskrat go to build an entrance to its den? I haven't found any much deeper than about 12-16" in my pond (admittedly I haven't looked very hard though). Will 3-5" rock alone deter them or do you need something under the rock? Also, how active, if at all, are they in the winter up north here?

I don�t know about rock lining, but in my little 1 ac pond I got rid of muskrats (33 only last year) with a simple raccoon trap (bought on amazon) and apples.
I set the cage near the shore with half apple inside and the other half cut in 5 or 6 pieces in front of the trap. Burlap and some branches covering it. Every morning I found a muskrat in, till I got all them.

Muskrat are just as active in the winter as summer, at least in Iowa. I've had a few pop out of ice fishing holes to say hello and scurry off going about their business.

Thanks Mat. I had a guy trap a couple in November and haven't seen any activity since. I hope that means I don't have any left in there. Any thoughts on the deepest they'll build an entrance?