Thank you fine peeps for the EXCELLENT information!

I will target 60' x 40' (0.055 acre)

My soil is ultra dense red clay. Holds water as good as glass.
Soil ph is 5.5, this is naturally going to make my pond acidic. What pH should I target?

I love channel cats.
Some issues I have with them:
I am not good with a fillet knife.
I will lose some meat by removing fillets.
I think they are funky things to try to clean.
They look like monsters.

I love bluegills a little bit more.
Best taste.
I gut them and scale them (I really dont like scaling but I deal with it) cut head off and fry them "whole" and eat the skin. I peel the cooked meat off the bone. Seems like I will get the most meat this way.

I dont like talalpia or any predator fish.

I don't have to grow plants like watercress. I was thinking that would be beneficial in clarifying and removing nitrates.

Are there any natural elements that can promote oxygenation? Man made? Maybe a solar bubbler that you place in the pond and it makes bubbles when the sun shines?

Should I clear out more trees for more sunlight?

How deep does it need to be?

Thank you so much for the help, YOU RULE!