Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Need some advice on a small lake or large pond

Good Day,

My wife and I are currently looking at a plot of land south of Nashville, TN that we would like to build our new home on and have a small farm. We both grew up on farms, and really don't like the city life.

On this land, it has already been prepared to have about a 15 acre lake (previous owner has to sell), this lake will be in a valley and is spring fed, the water source produces a constantly running 4' x 6" stream across the property of very clear water. The lake is about 30' at it's deepest, and I would say about 70% is at least 10' deep.

While we have a lot of experience with Goats, chicken, and cows, we have no experience with fish other than the stuff we can buy at the store, and the occassional catfish we catch at the lake.

Everywhere I have asked, I have been told to come here for some information, so I hope that maybe you guys can help.

We would like to stock the lake one time and have it sustain itself. This means I suppose that we need a big food fish, a small fish for it to eat, and smaller fish for that fish to eat and?

Can anyone recommend a good hatchery in Tennessee or that deliveres to Tennessee?

Can anyone suggest a good mix of fish to keep the lake self sustaining?

Is there anything special we need to do besides for filling the earth dam and waiting for it to fill up?

Anyone have any idea about what we can expect to spend to stock a 15 acre lake?

Thanks so much!

Andrew,

Welcome and yes you have come to the right place for such questions. There are many many many very smart people here on every subject you could imagine.

I am sure that some of the questions you will have before recommendations can be put out there for you are as such:


1) What are your plans for the pond? ie. Mainly recreational, Fishing, livestock, ...etc
2) What type of fish are you interested in? i.e trout, SMB, YP, LMB ...etc

Those are some of the basic opening questions. From there recommendations can be developed and debated for you.

I think I can speak for many people here who would love to find something like you described, I am Jealous!!! It sounds like a lovely piece of land and a great pond.

Wow! If I give you some advice can I fish in the lake?

Just kidding, sounds like you have a fantastic opportunity.

I can personally recommend two sources who could do everything for you from properly repairing the dam to stocking/managing the lake.

Mel Smart, Smart Fish Farm in KY, but he spends a lot of time in our neck of the woods and has been a good source for me.
270 725 5622

Jeff Slipke, Southeast Pond Management, in Jackson,TN; also extremely helpful and knowledgable. 731 664 6355

I've had great experiences with both. Make sure you get someone who really knows dam/lake contruction to work on your lake-there are lots of guys with equipment who will say they can fix your dam, but you really need someone with experience with this kind of work .

Cost of stocking will probably be much less than fixing the dam, and will be very much dependent on how many, what kind, and what size fish you choose. As has been asked so many times on this forum, what are your goals?

Hope this is helpful, and good luck-you've got a great situation.

Welcome to the forum Andrew.

I'm a little confused. Do you presently have a lake, or are the water depths you mentioned what will eventually exist when you build your dam?

Hey Andrew T...good to have ya aboard!
It sure sounds like one grandiose project. If you pull the trigger, I look forward to following your progress.
...just a thought. Based on your presentation, I presume that the lake has not yet been constructed. Do you have solid evidence that there will be no construction impediments, whether they be legal, governmental, or structural? It would sure be unfortunate to find out that this is the real, underlying reason that the owner is bailing out.

Good luck and glad to have another middle Tennessean on board. I won't be much help on advice. My pond is only 3/4 acre and I got most of my fish from the state. Which is pretty cheap by the way for your bass and bream. My pond is just too small for the cost to make sense to bring in a pro. With a lake that size I would seek more professional help. It will cost more up front, but get it right in the beginning and you will likely be much happier down the road.

Greg Grimes(who is on this site) out of GA has some customers in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Really don't want to be a wet blanket but I see a potential problem with the constantly running spring. Fertility isn't automatic and you can neither lime nor fertilize running water. You might wind up with a problem.

Others thoughts?

where does the stream run off come from. Farm fields, live stock pasture, forest, grassland, or urbanized areas. My stream runs through a heavily wooded area but is fed by some larger corn/soybean fields about 3/4 a mile up the creek from my pond. As my pond is not finished i dont know exactly how the fertility is but in the areas that have filled it is fertile enough. good luck it sounds like a dream come true

......and someone should add that with 15 acres to manage, a subscription to "Pond Boss" magazine is absolutely essential!

Andrew welcome to the PB Forum. The guys at SE Pond, as Yolk Sac notes, will do a good job and there are others. However no one cares about your pond/lake like you, the owner. Learn as much as you can here and elsewhere and be an informed purchaser of lake management services.

If you call SE and explain the situation -- that you may need stocking help, the lake situation including the spring output as Dave suggested - they will probably come and take a look and make suggestions. While high flow springs can do just as Dave said it depends on flow rate , evaporation rates, avg. rain fall , the size of the lake and the watershed to determine if lime and fertilizer will be an option. The same applies to fertility.

The part about a self sustaining fishery (little or no management) is not as easy. Pond balance requires effort if you want a good fishery. It is rare to hear about a stock and forget lake with good fishing. I have not seen or heard of one. You can plan in that direction by your choices of fish , harvest and fertility matters.

This Forum is a good place to find guidance on those issues. Try to write out your goals for the pond , like fishing , harvest, recreation , swimming , beach , pier , power available etc.

Andrew, Ewest said it all about these things not being all that self sustaining. And, done right, 15 acres of water and fish can be a lot of work.

It's about like the goats, cows and chickens. You just can't see the manure and things aren't as obvious until something goes wrong. Of course, lots of people hire pond managers like Greg Grimes to be their caretakers and have a wonderful experience.

Eric (Ewest) spoke about goals. Be very specific and clear about those goals. Make sure that you inderstand what you want and what level of commitment(effort and cash) you are willing to provide to meet those goals. For some people, a one acre pond the size of a football field is about perfect.

Regarding the size of the potential lake, I just laid out a plan this morning for a guy who has a 15 acre lake. He went into shock concerning the price of initial stocking of $6,000 to $7,000. That only covers Bluegills, fathead minnows, and channel cats. For what he wants, we will then toss in about $2,000 for bass next year. The year after the bass, we will look at more stocking expenses of either threadfin shad or tilapia. Of course, it will raise the value of his land much, much, more than that in about 3 to 5 years.

"Perfect Pond, Want One?"

That's the title of a new book coming out that will address many of your upcoming questions and concerns. It's written by Bob Lusk and I'd strongly recommend you get a copy. It will be your manual for months and years to come.

Welcome aboard,

Bruce

I wanted to add a comment regarding Dave D.'s post. The monies and efforts he's talking about (correct me I'm wrong, Guv) are for ponds where the owner wants specific goals, and is going to spend the time and money to achieve those goals.

Most of us are that way here. Also, a lot of us want to achieve our goals sooner than later, or at least not any longer than it has to take.

But none of that should scare you away from going for it, only because you could let the water sit without stocking, or you could stock gradually.

It's the best thing though. Something about owning a chunk of another dimension, and getting to look in...

i like that sunil.....maybe i'll change my signature to "i own another dimension"

Yep Sunil, he bought, I think 1400 acres as an investment. Then he bought a dozer and a tractor. Then he hired somebody to do what I told him to do. The 15 acre lake was already there but it was a shallow, muddy, carp filled mess. Texas summer took care of the muddy water and carp. He cleaned it out with the dozer and then it rained. Rich guys have all the luck. He will stock the water and enhance the habitat for wildlife. Three to five years from now it will be loaded with big bass and big bucks. Then, he will sell and move on; keeping the mineral rights of course.

Or, for those of us in the construction phase,

"I owe on another dimension"

Good Evening Again,

Thank you for all the feed back, I really appreciate it.

Let me see if I can answer a few of the questions here.

Q. Does the lake exist?

A. No the lake does not exist yet, the area for the lake is somewhat planned out, and partially cleared, but much work will need to be done still.


Q. Where does the water come from?

A. It runs through about a 1/4 mile of forested land from what I am told, I haven't walked to the end source yet because it's on others property. It does have some small crawfish in it.


Q. What kind of fish do we like?

A. Catfish, Bass, Talapia


Q. Purpose for the lake?

A. Provide food for my family, and if we can swing it, maybe a couple jet skis.


Q. Time frame

A. About 5-7 years, we will be building the entire land from scratch and doing most of the work ourselves, including barns, fields, and our new home. Our goal is to have the land where we don't "HAVE" to buy groceries within 5 years.


Q. Will the water be used for life stock?

A. While I don't plan to allow them into the lake, we will probably pump some of the water off for irrigation and if we can find a proper filtering system for the animals, however this will be much less than the available incoming water supply.


Q. Are there any issues with putting in the lake?

A. We haven't purchased the land yet, we are still evaluating it, hence the reason I came here to get some basic information. However as far as I have been able to learn, there is no problem with the lake being put in. The guy that owns the land has several parcels in the area and is selling them all.

Thanks guys!

Hi Andrew, a belated welcome to Pond Boss.

I highly recommend that you read everything you can get your hands on regarding pond construction and maintenance. A great place to start is the section on this forum entitled "Common Pond Q & A." Specifically within this section is a thread for the "USDA Agriculture Handbook #590 - Ponds - Planning, Design and Construction." Its a big download but a great read.

Also do a google search on pond maintenance (also try farm pond maintenance). Many states have guides about pond construction and maintenance.

It sounds like you have a great potential project!