Eddie, like everything else in life, it all depends. Our 4-acre lake is a quarry from which clay has been taken out. However, only about 1/3rd of the lake was formed this way. The rest of the clay was piled up as berms around the lake or in 7 islands. These islands cover about 1 1/2 acres so the entire area is about 5 1/2 acres. We also have a number of places that are ridges or flats that are 2-4 ft. under water.
For us, the plusses are:
A cheap easy place to store dirt.
A unique landscaping opportunity.
A huge amount of edge for fish habitat.
The submerged islands and ridges provide even more habitat. We have deep channels everywhere.
Nesting areas for ducks and even pheasants that is relatively free from predators.
Tremendous habitat for other forms of wildlife.
A place for us to sit in complete privacy. Keep in mind that our lake has much, much more fishing pressure than most lakes.
The islands block the wind and so limit erosion.
It's fun to boat in and around the islands.
The negatives for us are:
Geese, I keep after them constantly. The first year I thought it was fun to watch the babies. No more! Geese are not welcome ever.
There is some wind erosion on the islands in places so I have to rip rap these areas.
Our islands are almost pure clay so it is hard to start vegetation on them.
We don't have any venemous snakes here so that's not a problem for us.
I would probably move the islands around if I had to do it over again. Still, I like the combination of open water, submerged ridges and flats and above water islands.
