Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond being dug next week...

Well the pond guy said he'll be here the end of the week.

A little background: He comes highly recommended, he dug the County Extension Office guys pond and hundreds of others too.

We all have pretty much the same soil around here...Southern Alabama red clay. Even so, he said he'll start digging and if things don't look good...he'll stop so I don't end up with a dry hole.

So, wish me luck!

I do have a question though...would you suggest leaving a small, maybe 50'x50' area of shallow maybe a foot or so deep for plants to grow in for the young fish to hide in and for other "critters" to hang out and find food in? Or should I just do for a steep slope and deep all around?

He suggests 6' deep and said any deeper is pretty much wasteful. Agree?

Also, I'm planning on BG and then FEMALE only LMB. Agree?

Question...how soon after it fills should I put in the BG? Right after it's full? And then I put the LMB in after spawn next spring right?

Thanks...I learned a lot here and just want a reality check.

BTW, it should end up being about 1/2 acre and I'm looking at around $4000...reasonable?

At 6 ft. deep, you must have (and better have) a dependable rainwater supply and a sure thing runoff area that can't be compromised by neighbors. I'm in North central Texas and my main pond, like most of the others, is down 6 ft. or maybe more.

I like the idea of the shallow area. However, I really like and prefer the idea of a sculpted bottom. Take a look at Brettski, RockyTopper, and PondsforFun posts about what they did to make a fishing hole instead of a bowl that impounds water. I really don't like the idea of steep slopes all around. I think they just might be dangerous.

Regarding timing of BG stocking, wait until your water has a good dependable algae bloom. That probably won't happen before next spring. Stock the bass after several BG spawns. My normal statement is that a bass should be able to go to sleep with its mouth open and wake up with a full belly. Be patient.

Cost is a variable depending on regional costs, equipment used, actual work performed and size. However, to just do a 1/2 acre bowl with a dam, that sounds about right. Doing it really right might cost a little more but I believe you would be happier.

What kind of overflow are you planning? Will it be cored? Is this a dug out pond or are you stopping up a draw?

Hi joerocker, dave's got some great points. i would go as deep as the budget, schedule, and space (for the spoils) allows providing that you plan on installing aeration. the aeration will make depths greater than 6 feet available to all the fish in yer pond thus significantly increasing the carrying capacity of your pond.

i would put shallow end where you have the greatest inflow to pond and where the aquatic plants/wetland area will help filter the water before it enters the main body of pond. i would plan on building structure (shelfs, creek channels, mounds) while your excavating pond and installing some additional artificial structure afterwards (trees, brush piles, rocks, etc.).

i like steep slopes, and the majority of my pond is steep sided which helped keep vegetatin down this summer, but as dave pointed out, it can make a hazardous situation especially if you have little ones who regularly use the pond.

my 2c

I made my pond bigger this past winter. The contractor did a great job. on a few of the banks make a shelf that will end up being only like 2 feet deep then drop it off. it gives the fish places to spawn. It dont have to be super wide but a few feet is nice then add some gravel later. I just bought a bunch of bags of pea gravel and put it place I put the shelves. dumped a bag where I figured they like and it worked like a charm. The other thing is I went a little deeper, I got a pretty good size ditch that is about 8 1/2 feet deep. I know those cats and bass will apreciate it in the winter. Also one other thing is to get the grass growing on the new banks imediatly. use rye to get it going fast or mix it with rye and something else thay stays. I am sure the contractor will tell you that. Have fun, I know it was a life long dream of mine that came true. I made mine about 1/3 of a acre bigger added a overflow pipe and got a bran new trolling motor the contractor gave me all for 3000. to me that was great. I am in NC.

Dave1,

I have 7 acres myself that slopes into the pond area. Plus at least another 10 acres that drains into this area too. I figure I've got at least 20 acres that slopes into this area. Where the pond will be dug/damed is sort of the beginning of a wet weather stream. Past my property there is an actual stream bed with a few pools that keep water even throughout the worst droughts. Where my pond will be dug is a "wet spot" (1+ acre) where the ground remains moist all the time.

So, what you're saying is more of a "sea mount" type of thing, an "almost island" that sits just below the surface? Hmmm...maybe if I had more of a pond. Remember, I'm only getting 1/2 acre. There are no kids, they're gone and living on their own. I want to keep the weeds down naturally.

Thanks for the stocking tip. I'll do that, BG after the water "greens up" and wait a year before the bass.

The pond will be half dug and half damed. It's in a VERY shallow draw. I'll have a pipe and an emergency overflow. The contractor thinks that I may have a LOT of water during really heavy rainfalls.

Dave in CA,

Good ideas but space is limited. I'll see what the contractor says about "built in structure". I think I'll go with the shallow at the inflow end and maybe a small "nature preserve" extending out from there a bit too. The wife may balk because of the snakes it attracts.

Joey,

That is a GREAT idea...a small shelf and then a sharp drop. Is this shelf 2 ft deep shelf too deep for plants to grow on?

Thank you all for your ideas...I'll ask about "structure" like shelfs and mounds when he arrives. I'll definately add the shallow area for hiding too. But NO cattails!

I got some plant growth but not to bad. It was the life of the pond, there was small fish and the bass to, probly because of the weeds. The gravel seemed to keep the weeds sparce then where there was no gravel a little more weeds, nothing overwelming. I am new to all of this but I used my bass fishing experiance for those ideas. I will tell ya, I thought I would get bass bites on the steep drop next to the shelves but I really didnt, the cats are there though. I drop the worm off one of those drops and hold on to the pole...

Joe,

Correct on the 6' depth, but it's nice to have a hole or 2 that's a little deeper. They can help a little in long dry spells.

Weeds depend on your objective. If you are going for a diverse fish population, shallows with weeds will help with diversifying the forage base. If just BG and LMB, the shallows are not needed. Maybe make some 4' "table tops" for the bream to bed up.

I WOULD DEFINATLY LISTEN TO JOEY ABOUT PLANTING THE GRASS RIGHT AWAY. OUR GUY TOLD US TO WAIT AND WE ENDED UP UP WITH 6 INCH GULLY TRENCHES FROM THE RAIN AND IT ALSO WASHED AWAY ALOT OF THE SAND. IT REALLY LOOKED BAD. THEN WE HAD TO HAVE SOIL BROUGHT IN TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

Joe, I'm pretty new to this too and I built a 1/2 acre pond a few years. Here in Ohio the recommended minimum depth is 8'. I decided to go to slope the sides down to 10' deep to delay later silt removal on 2/3 of the pond. I would be a little more concerned with this happening to your pond because you have about double the watershed as I do. The extra depth is also nice for swimming. Two of my banks are 3:1 while two are 5:1. I can walk out of the 3:1 relatively easy and these banks look nicer as the water drops. I do not have weed problems on either of the banks but the 5:1 slope above water level is more comfortable to mow and walk on. 1/3 of the pond was dug only to about 6' at full pool and gets no shallower than 4' during very dry spells. It makes for good spawning and I do not have weed problems. About a 1 1/2 years after construction during a low water spell, I added about a 5' width of geotextile fabric and #2 limestone to stop bank erosion and improve the appearance. I only wish I had done it sooner.

The below picture is facing the 5:1 slopes with the shallow end at the right during construction


Here is the 3:1 slopes after placing the stone


Full pool 3:1


8" below full pool 5:1, as you can see the more gradual slope shows +/- grade more.