FishinRod -
We will swim a bit - and not worried at all about a few nips here and there. Mainly what I have seen over the years is that sunfish are excellent at finding a scab and cleaning it off.
We often swim / float the Edisto and fish will gnaw on you a bit. Biggest problem floating down that river is all of the poison ivy along the banks... so we try to stay in the middle of the stream. Many trees are down and you have to climb over or try to float under the blow downs and there is often poison there, as well. We swim and float in salt water often also and jellyfish are the biggest aggravation.
We have great sand in our area, as clean as sand you buy - I did not think about a beach but that would be great. I have a FEL and may load the Kubota SXS bed and dump in the shallow end. Right now, I am a little unsure how far up the slope the water is gonna come as we work to get it full.
I will def work to find out when the minnows and sunfish are for sale - I have seen flyers for them many times but paid little attention.
Maybe I can add the minnows and sunfish in the spring and the bass in the fall?
Yes, I will def get a good water test before adding fish.
So it sounds like an aerator is a must and a fountain a nice "add". Yes, the boss would like a fountain. I read up on both last night and now understand (at a basic level) the difference.
Once the pond gets to what we think is full pool, I think I will see where the water will go if it gets overfull. I have been so worried about getting water INTO the pond, I did not think much about it being TOO full. I may even consider a ditch to divert the water if it gets too full. It looks to me like the water would spill out of the south end of the pond if it gets too full.
Genuinely appreciate your feedback, sir!
Jim
