I am about to start excavating a silted in pond. It is about 160 ft long and 50 ft wide, currently about 10ft deep at the deepest spot which is not very much of the overall percent of the pond. Average depth right now is about 5 feet. I live in Colo. at an elevation of 7800 ft. we have temps down to -30 in Feb occasionally, usually only a few days that get to -20 overnight. The last time my pond was full during the winter, we had about 8"-10" of ice on the pond, with varying amounts of snow on it. I don't have any aeration capability at this time.
Since I'm about to excavate it, I'd like some advice about how deep to make it so that trout can make it through the winter. I've heard things about at least 11-12' or as deep as I can get for 30% of the area of my pond. What do you guys think? Thanks, your advice is always appreciated. Barbara
