Following up 1.5 years later. I ended up with about 1/10 an acre. I put in a couple of pounds of FHM, waited a couple months, then 70 BG and 20 RES. I fertilized and arerated it and by spring it was stacked with forage. I put in 6 LMB and they have cleaned it up pretty well.
I seem to be having some sort of leak issue... it will get full, stay full for weeks and then suddenly start rapidly draining. When it gets low, I see burrowing crayfish holes all over. I have packed them with bentonite, sprinkled a2 tons of bentonite in, and the hit it with 3 rounds of Dammit. Same thing keeps happening.
Can these stupid crayfish be the cause? It gets really low, like a 3 foot puddle in the center. I cant believe the fish survive but they have. I thought about draining it and putting a liner in but I really just dont like the look. Anything I am missing/anywhere ideas on how to manage it?
Go the liner route. Liners really should be covered with a foot or so of soil, and the liner is "locked in place" with a trench around the outside edge of the pond. The liner goes into the trench and soil is packed on top of it to hold it in place.
Soil is placed over the liner with a skid steer or something similar. dumping clean dirt over the top of the liner as it drives in, so it's not driving directly on the liner. Give the guys at Bend Tarp Liner a call.
https://www.btlliners.com/ They have videos on how to install it. Their liners are lightweight and TOUGH.
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