Ifishnow,
Welcome to the confusing and wonderful world of pond ownership.
I think you need to ask a serious question on how deep your pond really needs to be. I have a pond that is 60 plus years old that started at 14 foot and is now about 8 feet deep. I do not plan to desilt it until it gets to less than 4 ft. and I don't expect to live that long.
My point is: A shallow pond is more than adequate for fish and in a deep pond, most fish will live in the top 3 ft where the oxygen is. The depth of a pond should only serve you and the specific type desired fish.
You may want to spend the money on aereation, restocking, fish habitat, wildlife habitat, piers, picnic areas, etc., etc.
Beware of possible having a fish kill in non-aereated deep ponds. A deep pond will turn over and kill the fish if the oxygen in the deep part is depleted and the top of the pond gets colder than the bottom (due to weather changes).
Good luck sifting through all the good advice posted on these subjects.
